"Fallen Angels"
Disclaimer: I own no one.
Rating: PG-13 for the usual stuff. (coughs)
Spoilers: Through "Initiation"
Pairings: Wouldn't you like to know?
Thanks for all the reviews!!
A/N: I want to warn you in advance. This chapter gets a bit explicit. If that makes you uncomfortable, try to skip over it…
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Chapter 11:
The Green Lantern raced through Metropolis's skies, heading straight for Wayne's penthouse apartment. Nothing would keep him from seeing her, not even the big, bad Bat.
"Stop Lantern," he heard the Martian telepathically order but ignored it; he didn't have the time for him. But, to his surprise, J'onn appeared in his path, just a few blocks from where SHE was staying.
"You lied to me," John accused and slowed to a stop.
"I did not lie. I did not even mention her."
Still hovering in midair, he gritted his teeth. "Exactly. You both wanted to hide her from me! Why? What right do you have to control who I do and do not see?" GL landed on the pavement and sent daggers with his radiant eyes. "Since when do we keep secrets? Isn't that what nearly tore us apart the last time?"
J'onn followed. "Well, if we use your logic, why hadn't you and Shayera shared your relationship with the rest of us? Why did you find it necessary to conceal it for as long as you did?"
"Because it was nobody's God damn business!"
The Martian's glowing eyes didn't waver from the Lantern's. "Perhaps we found that this was none of your 'God damn business' as well." He shook his head. "Batman warned me of your temper, and I assured him that you were not one to act on impulse. How foolish I had been to have confidence in you."
"This is different."
"Is it?"
John gritted his teeth. "This involves her. She's the reason I'm –"
The Martian interrupted, "Incapable of getting a good night's rest? Seeking a transfer from Earth? Irritable? Tell me when to stop, John."
The Lantern swallowed hard and moved his gaze to the cement. "She's the cause of all my frustration, my…"
"Depression and desperation," J'onn finished. "How do you think she must feel? She's been alone for the past year, and you've had your friends for support. She had no one."
"That's not the point."
"Perhaps it is not, but I know she is lost. And seeing you would only make matters worse. Shayera must find herself before either of you confront the other."
The former marine allowed his shoulders to slump, and he sat down on the sidewalk. J'onn joined his companion and settled an assuring touch on his left shoulder. In his strong hands, the Lantern hid his face and fought his upcoming tears.
"I need her in my life, J'onn," he muttered, his words barely audible. "I just don't function without her."
"I understand, but you must have faith. If it is meant to, it will be."
"She's so close; I can feel her. I can smell her and can practically taste her."
"I know." After a short pause, J'onn added, "We must go."
"Were Flash and I the only two not told?"
"No. Batman had only informed me, for safety purposes."
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Bruce pulled himself away from Shayera and tried to mull over what had just occurred. She had kissed him…
Shayera opened her bright eyes, her chest quickly rising and falling. A tear had slipped down her cheek, and she looked as if she were about to collapse if she did not have someone to balance her. So, he loosened his grip on her arms and waited for an explanation.
It never came.
She took a step toward him, invading his personal space, and nestled her chin in the crook of his neck. Her lips grazed his skin, and, to his astonishment, he didn't stop her. Her arms wrapped around his torso as her kisses got bolder. She followed a trail that other women's glossed lips had traveled before.
When her silk chemise pressed against his bare upper body, he shivered and couldn't help pulling her closer. Shayera obviously took notice and brought her lips to his once more.
This time, the kiss deepened quite a bit.
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"So, we strikin' tomorrow, Red?" a female voice questioned from the darkness of the room.
"We are," she answered her partner and crossed her perfect legs. "No one will see it coming."
"I just wish we could get on with it," their ally said as he flipped his double-headed coin. The sound rang through her dark quarters as they all watched the metal reflect the moonlight.
She smirked. "I know, but we must wait. If we had made our move tonight, it would have been suspicious. Lane and Kent would've written some nonsense of Lex staging his own kidnapping."
Red's best friend wrinkled her forehead. "I don't like those two. They seem to always meddle where there shouldn't be meddlin'."
"Maybe, but they won't be a bother. After all, we're not killing Luthor. We're just borrowing him."
The male snickered. "Isn't it ironic how he's being attacked by his own kind and doesn't even know it?"
"Yes, but if we want him in office, we need to prove that he's no friend of ours."
"I like the way ya think, Red."
"What a coincidence. I do too."
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Bruce laid her down on the kitchen table, knocking the whiskey bottle and empty glass to the floor. His hands slid the straps of her green chemise from her shoulders as her nails dug into his muscular back. When he crawled on top of her, she tightened her legs around his hips, forcing him closer.
He felt so warm, but cooler than a Thanagarian. Although it was different, he felt so familiar… like John.
His mouth moved from her jaw line and to her chest as he pushed her farther up the table. When his lips touched her abdomen, she bit her lower lip and clutched the edge of the table. Bruce's hands ran over her thighs and to her underwear.
It was then when she lost it.
"I can't!" she screamed, sat up, and scuttled away from him. When he made eye contact, she shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry. I can't. I don't… I'm sorry, Bruce." The tears continued to slide down her cheeks as she slowly got off the table.
She made her way to her room and didn't look back to see the expression her host was wearing.
She didn't want to know what he thought of her.
After shutting the door behind her, Shayera crawled onto her bed, wrapped her arms around one of her pillows, and cried. She couldn't hide her pain any longer; it was becoming too difficult.
She'd been hiding for so long. Everything she had been feeling was erupting through her quiet sobs, and seeing J'onn and Superman had caused it.
As did John's voice…
"Shayera?" she heard Bruce call gently, or as gently as he could ever sound. The door opened, and he stepped inside.
Although her body longed for some sort of contact, almost any kind of caress, she couldn't help resisting her urges. Her body, her heart, her mind, and her soul were only meant for one man… a man who most likely despised her.
"Are you –?"
"Okay?" she finished for the billionaire and sat up to face him. "Do I look okay, Bruce? Just a few seconds ago, I was about to let you fuck me, and I couldn't." Because he kept silent, she continued. "As a Thanagarian spy, lieutenant, or whatever you want to call me, I had learned to separate love and fucking. When I… When John and I…"
Shayera lowered her eyes and hugged her knees, not wanting to go on with her explanation.
But she knew that she owed him one.
"Because I fell in love with John, I can't. Lovemaking is done with someone I care for." She ran a hand through her wavy strands and sighed. "I'm sorry that I was going to use you."
"Don't be."
"Well, I figured you've already screwed half of Gotham, so I'd just be another notch on your belt." When his eyes widened ever so slightly, Shy couldn't help smiling. "Don't think you didn't deserve that remark."
Bruce didn't move his eyes from hers. "Can you handle Luthor? I can't have you back out now. We're way too close."
"I just need to sleep on it."
"Then sleep."
)8(
"What gives him the right to get her involved?" Diana demanded and slammed her fist onto the table. She, Superman, the Lantern, and J'onn had settled in their meeting room, discussing Batman's unanticipated actions. "Shouldn't he have asked the League's permission? Shouldn't we have voted on it?"
"And what would have come of it, Princess?" GL countered. "Just because you're pissed that Bruce didn't pick you to go doesn't mean that we needed to vote. Have you forgotten that Batman has been working in Gotham for longer than we've existed? As far as he's concerned, this is an assignment his team is executing."
"I concur. We are not a governing force, Diana. If Batman wishes to carry out an infiltration and information extraction mission, then let him." The Martian sipped his water and then added, "He did not inform me of working as a mole for us. He had only told me that he would be there."
"With her," Superman attached. "He told you about Shayera."
"Yes. He did."
"But you decided not to tell the rest of us," Diana stated, matter-of-factly. "Why is that?"
The Green Lantern answered. "Because Batman didn't want us to know. He knew a few of us would have been uncomfortable with her presence." He then paused before muttering, "Batman was afraid that I was going to learn of her whereabouts; so, the fewer people with information, the better."
"It doesn't make it right," Diana pointed out. "Batman shouldn't run as a rouge vigilante."
"I'm sorry, Princess, but hasn't Batman been a rouge since he first made his debut in Gotham City?"
She narrowed her eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, I think you agree Batman's actions, Lantern."
"No. I think he went about it the wrong way, but I don't think he could've found a better, more capable woman for the job."
Diana raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I happen to have the same opinion." She rose from her chair and headed toward the door. "Who better to be an infiltrator than one who had once infiltrated the Justice League?"
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The doorbell rang, and Lex hurried out of his seat to answer it. Since he was having a private meal for two, a meal that had already been set on his dinning room table, and he had given the butler, the chef, and the maids the night off.
He and Sara would be alone.
The entire night.
Lex straightened his pale blue collar and cleared his throat before opening the door. He wanted to look good… so he could eventually feel good as well.
Sara Hall stood there, eyeing the lamp stationed outside his door. Her hair had been pulled back with an antique clip, and she wore a pink satin skirt with black heels and a black top. When she noticed that he was watching her, she sheepishly smiled.
"Sorry. It's just really intricate."
"It's all right. Thank you for coming."
"Thanks for inviting me." Sara stepped over the threshold and watched him close the door. "Sorry I'm a little late. Traffic was rough today."
"You're fashionably late," Lex corrected, took her elbow, and led her into the parlor. "Can I get you a drink?"
"Water?"
He snickered. "All right. A martini it is."
She provided a slight chuckle and put her purse on one of his couches. "Two olives, if you don't mind."
"You've got it." Luthor started mixing the drinks and grinned at her. "So, where's Wayne this evening?"
"In a business meeting. He thinks I'm shopping. I actually have his credit card." When Lex offered a look of confusion, she continued. "He doesn't mind my outbursts. He finds me surprisingly fulfilling, even if I'm spontaneously embarrassing to him."
After pouring two martinis, Lex handed Sara hers and sipped his own. "I hope you like cold pheasant. My cook does a wonderful preparation."
"Sounds delectable… Lex, could I ask you a question?"
"Sure. What is it?"
The redhead took a seat near on the couch and crossed her legs. "I've been wondering about your past and the links you've had with notorious criminals. Have you severed all connections with them?"
The rich man sat down next to her and placed a hand over hers. "Of course. I've learned that there are more important things in life than money and vengeance."
"Things like power?"
"You're quite witty, Ms. Weapons Expert."
"Thank you, but why do you think Bruce likes me so much? I mean, if you didn't pay any attention to my striking features."
A laugh escaped his throat. "And conceited too. Well, Miss Hall, I believe I'm beginning to notice the attraction."
She raised a perfect eyebrow and countered, "Well, I think it's about time. Those of us who know we're better than the rest should stick together. Don't you think so?"
"Interesting. Is that why you're dating Bruce?"
Sara slipped her hand out from under his and placed it on his knee. "Not exactly." Her manicured fingers slowly crept up his thigh as she whispered, "I'm screwing him to know how it feels to fuck money, and dating him to get to you."
Lex immediately narrowed his eyes, not knowing where her words were heading.
But, for some reason, he was paying more attention to where her hand was going.
"You see, I've always had a thing for the bad boy. I liked the black leather, the motorcycles, the rebels… the politicians." Her tongue touched his ear ever so slightly, and he thought for sure that he'd come if she did it again. "But you're the ultimate bad boy, Lex; the one who has tried to kill the ultimate Boy Scout."
He growled. "Don't bring him into this."
"Tell me that you've worked with the Joker."
"Why?"
"Because it would be such a turn on."
"Well I have… on several occasions."
"And tell me honestly, are you still?" Sara's hand slid over the crotch of his pants and to his abs.
He tried not to tremble. "No. I've quit that sort of business."
Sara finished her drink, set the glass on the table, and straddled him. "That's too bad." Her mouth covered his, and she instantly forced her tongue into his mouth, displaying an almost primal hunger that he didn't mind at all. She took his drink from his hand and set it on the end table. As they kissed, he didn't notice Sara slip a translucent powder into his drink.
When his hands began on a path to her ass, she slightly pulled away and whispered, "I'll be right back." Sara crawled off of him and walked toward the hallway, where the bathroom was.
But she never made it.
Someone snickered a "Yoo-hoo," and snagged her attention. Because she had turned, she had received a punching glove to the face and was sent through the wall of the next room.
Lex jumped out of his seat but was pulled back by vines that had suddenly sprouted from this floor. A woman then took the same position Sara had claimed just seconds earlier.
This one, he had unfortunately met before.
"Hello, Lex. Miss me?" Poison Ivy asked. "Because we've missed you."
Almost in unison, both Harley Quinn and Two-Face appeared behind the meta-human; both were sharing a smirk similar to Ivy's.
"What is this? What do you want?" Luthor demanded, although he knew he wouldn't get an answer.
"What do you think we want, Lexy?" Quinn questioned as she forced the punching glove back into the barrel of her gun. "Think real hard."
"Don't worry, Harl. He is. I can feel it." Ivy rolled her hips over his and chuckled. "I didn't know you liked redheads, Lex. You should've given me a call."
"Go to Hell."
"Maybe we'll be roommates there." Ivy pressed her lips to his, and he knew that he was finished. The room had already started to spin after she pulled away.
"Night, night, Lexy!"
)8(
"Where did those come from?"
Shayera opened her eyes to see John staring at her, studying her back. "What?"
"The scars. You've got a bunch of them."
"Oh." She sat up and turned to face her lover. "I got them when I was… taken hostage by gang members. I was only there a few days, but my captors thought it would be funny to see if they could literally 'whip' my wings from my body."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's the past." She lowered her gaze and tried to ignore the guilt invading her system. For some reason, it was getting harder to lie to him.
If she could only tell him that the scars were there because of Gordarian torturers…
"I've got a few battle scars, you know."
She smiled. "I know. I've already discovered them… several times."
"And that is a very good thing." John laughed and kissed her cheek, like a boy would his first love.
Shayera Hol forced her eyes open and groaned. There were bricks all around her, and she could see that she was still in Luthor's mansion. Something had hit her.
And hard too.
After sitting up, she noted that her wings were now visible; they had ripped through her expensive shirt. The cell disruptor that had concealed them so well lied in shambles on the hardwood floor behind her.
"Damn it," she muttered as she snatched it. Before she got to her feet, she heard voices in the next room.
"Should I wack off that broad in the otha' room, Red? She might talk."
Shy' s mind sent an alarm throughout her bruised body, and she crawled to the nearest wall to get out sight.
"Leave her. We need someone to run to the police."
After pressing the comm-link in her ear, and receiving a shock in response, Shayera decided to sneak out of the building and to her car.
Her Hawkgirl uniform was in the trunk.
Good old Alfred always thinks of everything.
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