"I'd forgotten how good that felt." John grinned. Shayera lay behind him, left arm draped over his shoulder, the right tracing designs on his back.
"What's that?" She asked with a smile.
"Waking up next to the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. Or above it." He grinned. After convincing the League to let her come back, which was a challenge in itself. Oddly enough, despite the betrayal, most of the newer league members had welcomed her with open arms. Certain members had been suspicious. Not the ones that would be expected however. Aqua man, who didn't have time to come up to the tower, had joined them using holographic communication technology, had supported her re-entry into the league. Of course the three who had gone with him to help her had supported her, along with Hawk and Dove. Along with Black Canary, they'd been joking about the watchtower being a bird cage. On the flip side of the coin, Booster Gold, normally a welcoming, and jovial hero, had taken personal offense to her for some reason. Supergirl straightened him out, with a little of what she called Kryptonian Chiropractics. He walked funny for a week following. The other two league magicians, Dr. Fate, otherwise known as Kent Nelson, and Etrigan, who preferred the human form of Jason Blood, had been adamant in refusal of her coming back Zatanna had convinced Fate, to give her another chance. As for Etrigan, well... Green Arrow had turned and walked straight back out of the room. He was still sulking over it, and he and Adam had ended up having words over it. The training room still bore the scars of those words.
As for the league core, the out come was much different. Bruce, Diana and Clark had voted against leaving her in the league, with J'onn, John, and Wally on the other side. Since the vote was stalemated, Alfred, called in because of that, had proposed waiting before voting again, to let tempers and feelings cool. Taking that advice to heart, they let the matter sit, and went on about building the new watchtower, using all the garnered technology to do so. Even New Genesis, and Apokolips, in an uncharacteristic show of good faith, had given them each a new piece of technology. New Genesis was the source of the new transporter, and Apokolips, the offensive weaponry. When they reconvened, the vote was unanimous. If she returned, she would be welcomed with open arms. Bruce was asked to restore her name to the league charter. He gave a snort, and told them he'd never removed it.
Hawkgirl had decided to take a room on the Watchtower, reserved for her. Though, as much time as she spent in Lantern's room, it was joked she was the only person in the place with two rooms.
"Why thank you." She laughed, a silver peal in the room. "I enjoy waking up to the best looking man on earth. Unfortunately, Lois get's jealous when they aren't alone." John rolled his head around to look at her. She was smiling widely when he looked, then exploded into another peal of laughter. Grinning, he twisted around, and stared at her, until she was finished, then leaned forwards and kissed her. Naturally, the alert warning went off at that moment.
---
Bruce Wayne twisted in Diana's arms, and she knew for a fact he was gripped by yet another of the nightmares that plagued him. She said nothing, and simply waited, gripping hard enough to maintain her hold, and nothing more. When he woke gasping, she calmed him down as she always did.
"Bruce dear, relax. It's me." He calmed down almost instantly. "You're safe now." He sighed, and nestled back into her embrace.
"Thank you." He muttered as he slid back into sleep. Diana said nothing. She knew it was the only nightmare he'd have. Never more than one a night, but some were worse than others. She stretched down, and slid up the blankets covering them, that he had kicked off in the course of the nightmare. She didn't know what the nightmares were, and he would never tell her, but she knew there must be something to them, if he was so constantly plagued by them. As she lay there, her thoughts drifted back to Hawkgirl's return to the League.
Flashback-Diana's POV
"Six to transport." Lantern's voice came across the intercom.
"Six?" Flash had asked curiously. Adam's voice came back this time, and he was plainly irritated.
"Yes, six." Lantern confirmed.
"I hate this bloody thing." Adam muttered as they waited.
"It's faster than walking." Supergirl muttered back. The reply was indistinct.
Then the room was suffused with the glow that was always associated with the transporter. The five heroes stood there a moment later. With them was a young man, looking decidedly nervous. Adam made no secret of checking for all his body parts. Supergirl simply rolled her eyes. I crossed the floor, reaching the group first. Shayera said nothing for a moment. What she was waiting for, I can't say, but I decided to take the initiative, and stepped forwards, offering my hand. She took it.
"Welcome home." Was all I could think to say. It rather degenerated from there.
End of Flashback
"Good morning Bruce." Diana grinned, as she brushed her hair. She was sitting in the chair in front of the mirror. "Why don't you come kiss me good morning." She suggested. He took on a decidedly Flash grin.
"I'm enjoying the view." He replied. Diana hadn't even bothered to dress before moving to the chair.
"Oh, you naughty, naughty man." She laughed. "Maybe I should show you just how we Amazon's teach officious men to behave." She grinned back.
"If it was as fun as last night, I'm game." He grinned at her. She laughed, and rose, walking to the closet. Wayne manor was not the biggest mansion on earth, but she was very glad it wasn't as drafty as others she'd been in. Bruce whistled as she opened the doors. "I could lay here all day watching that." The alarm signal went off.
---
I didn't open my eyes, as wakefulness rolled about. I could feel a finger poking me in the side, and a voice calling my name. "Adam." The voice was oddly, almost hauntingly familiar. Then my brain caught up with the rest of me, and my eyes snapped open. "Good morning cutie." Kara grinned down at me. "Thought you were going to sleep all day." She grinned. As she rolled off, I put my hands behind my head.
"Well, first, there was that riot we were called in for. That burned off quite a bit of power. Then as we were coming back from that, they robbed the bank. After that while you were saving the bus load of nuns, from the TNT, I had to stop a high-speed chase. Then cleaning the mess from your cat when we got home. And the sex last night. I think I have a right to be tired." I grinned, ticking each thing off on my fingers.
"I thought you like Mr. Freckles." Kara said, poking me in the ribs. I did like the cat, I gave him to her in the first place. For her last birthday.
"I love Mr. Freckles." Privately, I hated the name, and was willing to bet so did he. I made it a point never to mention it to anyone, excepting the cat, and only when I was totally sure she couldn't hear me. "But next time he makes a mess, it's your turn to clean it up dear." I grinned, and kissed her on the cheek. She laughed. "And as much as I'd enjoy laying here next to you all day, nature calls, and you have to get to work." I rolled out of bed dodging the pillow. I never hit the floor, since I'd found the working power that let me fly. Energy restrictions aside, it wasn't as fast, or as maneuverable as the way Supergirl, and the others did, but I didn't need it to be. I could rise much faster than they could, even if they could out run me horizontally. Though she'd never admit it, Supergirl falls faster than I do.
"Party pooper." She chuckled as she rose. Walking to the bathroom, I had the distinct feeling I was being watched. I knew it was Kara. I could see the cat's tail lying in the bathroom door twitching slightly.
"I think I'm being watched. Gee Mr. Freckles, I never knew you felt that way." A snicker floated down the hall behind me. I rounded the corner and the cat stared up at me. I could almost swear he had a cat-grin on his face. He rose, and stretched as I stretched.
"Mmmm." Drifted from the door. Without skipping a beat, I stretched the other way.
"Run Mr. Freckles, I'll hold her off while you escape, she sounds like she's about to eat you." I grinned, then stopped, as I saw the cat's back arch, and the hair on it stand up.
"She doesn't strike me as the pussy eating type." The voice as very female, and it wasn't anything I, or my body recognized. My internal defenses snapped into play, and lightning arced out, striking the woman in the chest. She was pitched across the hall, as a blast of heat vision cut through the wall from the bedroom. I rose into the air, as I floated forwards. Magic flared around me, armoring me in my outfit, and I lifted a hand behind me to the black tabby cat behind me. Magic flared again, and Mr. Freckles exploded upwards into a Bengal Tiger. I threw my right hand up and back preparing to unleash another lightning blast, when I finally identified the woman. Circe, the Sorceress. Changing the lightning to pure energy, I flashed my arm forwards, but it was to late. That instant of hesitation had given her the opening she needed. Pure force slammed into my chest, as Mr. Freckles railed around the corner. I hit the wall, as he bumped into Circe.
---
Supergirl, mean while, was having her own problems. Circe knew exactly what she could do, and had brought along friends. An ice elemental, a fire elemental, and a air elemental. The first countered her strength, lowering the temperature in the room to sap it. The second could take her heat vision without problem. The last, was countering her ability to fly away. She heard lighting crackle farther down the hall, then saw Mr. Freckles burst in. Through the wall. The huge tiger slammed directly into the back of the ice elemental, forcing the fire elemental to dodge, or be quenched by the water that made up the ice elemental, when it melted. The air elemental turned and blew Mr. Freckles off, but the ice elemental never regained it's feet. Supergirl's heat vision cut through it and melted it into a puddle. Mr. Freckles screamed in pain at the same time, and Kara looked over. A patch on his left hip smoked where he'd been hit. Now she was mad. Inhaling, she drew back, and then exhaled, the icy temperatures cooling the fire and dissolving the elemental. The air elemental fled. A split second later, lightning flashed down the hall. Adam yelped in pain, then she heard the distinctive sound of a spin kick. A swish, followed by a thud. Circe flew down the hall a moment later. She thumped off the ground, and flipped into the air. Fire flashed from her hands, and then died, as Adam screamed. Supergirl raced around the corner, and slammed her fist into the sorceress jaw. There was an audible crack as she impacted, and then another as the other fist caught her in the chest. Supergirl spun around and slammed her foot into Circe's jaw, putting her down for the count. She started when Adam laid a robe on her shoulders.
"Don't want you to catch a cold." He smiled. She smiled back, and started to kiss him, when the alarm blared. They both had, and voiced, the same thought.
"Damn."