Praeter

Author: Miss Lizz ^_^

Rating: R for death, life, love, loss, dreams and nightmares.

Disclaimers: I own naught.  Stay your legal issues.  Why must I write this?

Ch. 1: Motion

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

            --Robert Frost (1874-1963)

            It had been a long time since the waiting began.  Aeons.  Eternities.  An endless time to wait.  All over now, all over.  Time comes for work, for destiny to take place.  Waited a long time for this.

            Time for the beginning.  Time for the end.  Time for it. 

            Somewhere in the Otherworlds, in a dark realm, something wakes. 

            It had seemed a trivial thing, the Joker hit the city of angels for a vacation of fun and mayhem and two went to fetch him, Batman being held up by Poison Ivy in Gotham.  The two after the mad clown—Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman—soon found it was not a trivial matter.  He had planned for them, it appeared.  He knew the manhunter's weakness and used it.  When the incendiary device the Joker hid in the warehouse detonated in a fiery blast, the powerful Martian threw himself atop his Amazonian friend in an effort to shield her body from the worst of the damage.  A human would have been very easily killed from the blast, had they been human, they would have died.  For a moment it felt as if they had anyway.

            Something warm and wet dripping onto her was the first thing she noticed after the aches and the mad cackling of a boasting Joker.  The coppery, sickly sweet tang of blood assaulted her nose and she dimly wondered whose blood it was.  J'onn?  Was he bleeding? 

            Oh, gods, it is him.  How badly is he injured?  How long have we been out? 

            She hoarsely whispered his name but he made no sign of waking up and continued to lie like a dead weight on top of her.  If she moved him, Joker and his goons would probably open fire; they'd be killed.  She had best wait until a better time to strike.

            "Turn the jolly green giant over," the twisted clown chortled, "I want to be certain they're not dead yet."

            One of his henchmen pushed the unconscious Martian onto his back and in that instant the Amazonian princess sprang up to attack.  And, as if timed, her cavalry arrived.  There was no battle; it was over before it truly began.  Upon realizing they would face the likes of Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Batman as well as Wonder Woman, the hired thugs gave up.  Joker vanished, of course; he and Harley Quinn running off at the first sign of Wonder Woman going to fight back. 

            When the Los Angeles police arrived, they found the men bound together with an iron beam.

            Things set, preparations complete. 

            Time for coming of destiny upon.

            Now begins…

            Nearly an hour had passed since Joker's bomb had caused his injuries and he had only regained consciousness once during that time but that was all.  He has since dropped off into a fairly deep sleep.  In his quarters, sitting by his side to ease his loneliness in slumber for however much it might help, Diana watched her friend sleep.  He had been injured protecting her; she felt he was owed a vigil after that.  He was owed more but she had no idea how to go about it.  Would that she could.

            For hours she sat by his side while he slept and nearly fell off her chair when she dozed off that first time.  She knew he was almost completely healed from when she changed his bandages last but he had yet to wake up.  What would his reaction be when he saw that she had stayed with him? 

            Still, she did stay.

            When she began to doze again, he stirred, mumbling in his native language.  It did not sound like a pleasant dream.  In all the years she'd known him, she had never heard him whimper once and now he was.  To say the least, it was disconcerting.  What was he dreaming about that was so terrible?  He was so strong, it seemed as if nothing could faze him sometimes, like he was devoid of emotion.  She knew better.  J'onn was the warmest, most sensitive man she knew, and right now it sounded like he was having the worst nightmare one could have.  She did not like seeing others suffer, and right now he was suffering badly.  He should be awakened to end this.

            She reached out a hand to shake him but he grabbed her wrist in a vice like grip, sat bolt upright in bed with his crimson eyes flying open and nearly pulled her off the chair.  He looked scared out of his wits.

            "J'onn?" she tried not to wince at the pressure of his grip, "J'onn, are you—ow—what's wrong?"

            After a moment, where he blinked to pull himself to full waking, he released her wrist with a whispered, "I'm sorry.  Did I hurt you?"

            Diana rubbed her wrist gingerly, "No.  Are you alright?"  He nodded, "Mm… you have nightmares often, don't you?"  Complete silence and an averted gaze was her only answer, "It might help if you talked about it."

            He slowly shook his head, "I can't… I'm sorry," he looked at her for a moment, "You wouldn't want to know."

            "Hmm… That may be but… hn," she began while standing, "if you ever want to, I'm here… Good night, J'onn."

            She managed to shock him when she leaned over and gave him a light hug.  He was still staring after her when she left his quarters.

            It is time…

End Ch. 1

More will come, whether wanted or not.  Please be magnanimous and review, I only plead that you show kindness and refrain from burning this work to the ground.  Thank you.

Miss Lizz ^_^