Zatanna
Watchtower

It was a little before three when John Stewart came to the Tower. Zatanna had been nervously waiting for half an hour, pacing the hallways and running through her sales pitch.

"Hey, Zee. Good to see you," John said, following her to one of the empty offices.

"Thanks for hearing me out on this. I know it's a lot to ask, especially while you're taking some time off." She laid out the plan for entering the bunker and finding out what was there. It wasn't a small ask. They would be going in completely blind and relying on her ability to keep them hidden to ensure that they didn't just end up getting roasted by whatever had attacked Shazam. He would have to stay in human form unless something went wrong so she could keep them both hidden for as long as possible. This mission wasn't about attacking whatever they found; they just needed to find out what they were up against and, if possible, what had been shipped to Gotham.

She finally finished and took a deep breath. John stood up and walked to the window, looking out at Earth as he considered what she had said.

"I'm with you. Its...risky. But if you think I'm the best one to go, I'm with you." He turned and looked at her, face serious.

"If there was another way to do it, we would."

"Okay. When are we going?"

"Good question. Let's find Bruce and see when he can monitor. He wants to be the one calling the shots from here," she said, standing and walking toward the tech room.

"No way. Bruce wanting to be in control? I'm shocked."

She laughed and led him through the door, where they found Bruce in the back, working. He turned to walk toward them, extending his hand to shake John's, and making sure to still not look her in the eyes. She was getting sick of the way he was dismissing her existence...just like he had before they had started training together.

"So, I take it you've been won over?" He asked John.

"Yeah. If Zee's going, I'm going," he winked and grinned at her. Bruce narrowed his eyes at the exchange. She clinched her teeth and glared at him, but he didn't notice.

You don't get to be jealous and dismissive at the same time.

"Fine. I'll be ready to monitor."

She grabbed John's arm and pulled him toward the door.

"Okay, now comes the fun part. You're about to learn what it feels like to be invisible."

They went to the gym and she had him sit on the mat and stay still to start. She wanted him to get used to the weird sensation before he tried moving around.

"Oh, wow. That's freaky. I figured it would be like putting on the ring, but I was way off. This is wild." He was giggling like a kid while she fine-tuned her method. She wanted the spell to be as precise as possible to reduce the risk of something interfering with it.

"We need to stay close together. I can't keep you under if you get too far away...at least not for long. I don't want to try to sling my magic across a room."

"Got it."

"Okay, now stand up and let's move," she felt him move closer to her. "Htob fo su elbisivni."

"So...how do I stay near you if I can't see you?"

"That's...a good question." She hadn't thought about him not being able to feel or see where she was. "I could cast another spell to let us see each other, but that shortens the amount of time we can stay there. Everything I do will drain my energy."

"Let me work on that part." Bruce's voice came from the doorway. He had entered and was watching the process like a damn chaperon.

Sighing, she looped her arm into John's and led him around the room. Follow the yellow brick road. It wasn't exactly practical, so if Bruce could tech them up something that was easier to use, she would welcome it. Controlling the magic while they moved was easier than she had expected. She picked up the pace and they started sprinting around the room, arms still linked. When they were both out of breath, she brought them to a stop.

"That works!" She said, letting the spell go so that they both reappeared. "I can't do it all day, but if we stay close enough together, I should be able to give us a good amount of time to look around."

"Good. Now we just have to figure out where to start the journey in the bunker." John was still grinning as the feeling of the spell faded.

"You have an idea?" Bruce asked.

"Well, I am studying architecture. If Clark or J'onn can rough me up a blueprint of what they saw down there, I could make an educated guess at the safest places."

Bruce nodded and led them out of the gym, chatting with John about strategy. Zatanna glanced at her watch.

"I think you two can handle this part without me. I have somewhere to be." Deon was picking her up in an hour for dinner and she wanted to shower before she got ready. Bruce's eyes briefly flashed to hers, but he didn't say anything.

"Yeah, I think we have this. Let's regroup when we have a date, huh?" John said.

"See you, John. And thanks a lot."

Bruce
Watchtower

Bruce, John, Clark, and J'onn and were gathered around a table in the conference room. They had recreated as detailed a map of the bunker as possible and were discussing possible infiltration points.

"I don't know how accurately Zatanna can transport us from a blueprint, but this looks like a maintenance area here," John said, pointing to a large room with several small, closet-sized holding areas along the walls.

"Not knowing how many people might be in there is the problem. You could be zapping into an empty room or zapping into the middle of a group of 50 people," Bruce said, brow furrowed while he stared at the map.

"That's the point of the invisibility, right? Get us in and out safely?"

"If it works," he grumbled, still not liking the plan.

"Zatanna thinks it will and we have to trust her," Clark said, frowning at Bruce's reluctance. "I'd rather they wind up in a maintenance area than a lot of other options."

"Sounds like you've decided, then. John, coordinate with Zatanna and decide when you want to go. I'll clear my schedule whenever." He stomped out of the room and headed to the Zeta tube to get ready for patrol.

"Bruce, wait," Superman's voice came from behind him and he reluctantly turned to face him. "Maybe you should let me run ops on this one."

"No." He crossed his arms and glared back at him.

"Look, you obviously don't like the plan. If your head isn't right, then..."

"My head is fine. I'm running it."

"You're too emotionally invested," he said, keeping his voice low.

Bruce turned and headed away from him again until Clark grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned quickly and pulled his arm away.

"Are you questioning my ability to do my job?"

"No. I'm questioning your ability to stay objective if something goes wrong." Clark's voice was as calm as ever.

"I might not agree with the plan, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit on the sidelines while you send Zatan...them...into that bunker. This discussion is over. You can be nearby to haul their asses out if you need to. I can't do that."

Clark studied him closely before speaking. "Okay. Let me know when it's happening and I'll do everything I can."

Bruce turned away again and transported to the Batcave.

Zatanna
Gotham City

She had forgotten what it was like to go on a date. Fundraisers and the like didn't count. They were always awkward and fake, even when they ended in bed. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't really dated anyone since Dick; just a lot of one night stands and weird situations like Bruce and Constantine. As she walked hand-in-hand with Deon, she thought about how nice it was to just be out with someone.

"I'm sorry your dinner wasn't that good," he said, smiling while they enjoyed the cool night air.

"It's fine. I should have known better than to order vegetarian at a steakhouse," she laughed. He had made plans ahead of time and she didn't want to veto and start things on the wrong foot.

"No more steakhouse dates, I promise," he said, pulling her closer and putting his arm around her shoulders. "Are you cold?"

"Not now," she said, leaning into him. The park was quiet in the late evening. She wasn't sure how long they had been walking and chatting, but it must have been close to midnight - no one else was around and they could hear the wind in the trees.

"I should probably get you home." He turned them toward the parking lot and she sighed quietly, not wanting to end the night yet. She climbed into the passenger seat of his truck and he cranked the heat up.

"You know, I have a friend who's an architect. Just saw him today."

"Oh, yeah? Gotta watch out for us. We're everywhere," he joked, widening his eyes and laughing.

"Not a bad lot, from what I've seen. I could get used to them."

They rode quietly the rest of the way. He helped her out when they arrived, holding her hand before pulling her body close and hugging her.

"This was nice. Thanks for answering the call this time," he said into her hair. She took a deep breath, taking in the smell of his cologne before looking up at him. He put his hand under her chin and lowered his lips to hers. His mouth was soft and gentle as he kissed her. She sighed and put her arms around his neck, enjoying the moment. He finally broke the kiss and brought his hand up to brush her hair back from her face.

"I could get used to that, too." She smiled as he looked in her eyes. "Come in?"

"Not tonight," he said, hand still brushing through her hair.

She felt her smile fade and she nodded and pulled away. Guys always want to date Zatanna Zatara until they realize they're dating Zatanna Zatara. "Okay. Thanks for dinner, Deon. I had a nice time."

"Hey," he said, pulling her close again. "I want to...believe me. But I have to get up early and if I stay I won't want to leave."

His lips returned to hers and he kissed her with more passion this time, his tongue gently slipping into her mouth and hands running up her back. She was losing herself in the sensation when she suddenly felt someone watching them...someone familiar. Breaking the kiss, she whipped her head around and looked down the dark street. She couldn't see him, but he was there.

"What's wrong? Zee?" Deon held her to him protectively.

"Oh...nothing," she turned back to look at him, trying to keep her face neutral, despite her anger. "I just thought I heard something. Sorry."

He looked in the direction she had turned and squinted at the darkness. After he surveyed the street, his eyes returned to hers. She had regained her composure and managed a smile.

"I should go in. Have a good night." She reached up and kissed him again, trying reassure him. He held her for a long moment before he pulled away and kissed her hand.

"I'll call. Soon."

She nodded and turned to the house. Once she reached the door, she threw another angry glance down the street before walking in. Throwing her purse on the table in the foyer, she stomped up the stairs and slammed the window open before sitting on the foot of the bed to wait.

Bruce
Gotham City

Shit. So much for surreptitiously checking in on her.

She had turned and looked directly at him, her eyes filled with anger. There was no way she could see him, but she knew exactly where he was standing. Now he was going to have to explain himself for spying on her date.

Her fucking date.

He turned back and headed to the Batmobile, trying to think of how he was going to talk her out of turning him into a cockroach. She had seemed so tired at the Watchtower that he was genuinely concerned about her, but he had no faith that she would believe that was why he came by. It wasn't the only reason and she would sense that. Turning the Batmobile into a dark alleyway, he decided to go face his punishment and get it over with.

"Batman, you're needed near the airport. There's a police chase going on and the occupants are armed." Barb's voice interrupted his plan.

Casting a glance back to Shadowcrest, he slammed on the gas and headed north.

"On my way, Barb. Give me directions when I get close." He took the opportunity to try to plan his defense with Zatanna while he drove. The results weren't great and he finally resolved to just stand there and let her yell at him until she got tired.

"Go north on 127th Ave and you should meet up with the motorcade coming up Brewer. There are three guys in the car. Two in front, one in back."

"Any reason I can't take them out and make this a short chase?" He turned and headed toward the end of Brewer Blvd.

"Nope, Commissioner said to take the car out and get them disarmed. They've been shooting out of the windows for 10 minutes. He doesn't want his men hurt." Barb linked with his GPS tracker to show the location of the car.

"Got it." He sped up slightly, wanting to time the interception perfectly.

"500 feet. Get ready for a jolt, boss."

The Batmobile plowed into front end of the car when it tried to turn onto 119th. The engine flew across the road, ending the chase in an instant. He skidded to a stop and ejected before gliding to the roof of the destroyed getaway vehicle. Reaching into the back window, he ripped the first guy out of the car and tossed him onto the pavement. He grappled the gun out of his hand and took the clip out before destroying it. Hopping down, he went to the driver's side window. The barrel of a shotgun started to poke out, but he grabbed it and bent it to a 90 degree angle. He pulled the driver out and tossed him aside, not worried about him escaping...his leg had been snapped in half during the impact. As he walked to the passenger side, a gun went flying onto the sidewalk and two hands were sticking out of the window.

"Please. I give up, Bat."

"Smartest guy in the car," he growled, taking the door and ripping it off the hinges before he helped the man out and sat him on the ground. "Don't move." The cowering thug nodded and put his hands on the back of his head. An officer came over and cuffed him.

"You saved our asses, as usual. Thanks for the assist, Batman."

He nodded and returned to the Batmobile.

"All wrapped up, Barb. Thanks for making that one easy."

"Happy to help. I'll let you know if there's any other cars you can destroy," she said, disconnecting the line.

With a sigh, he turned the car back to the south.

Time to face the music.

Shadowcrest

Her window was open. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one, but he grappled up and landed in the room. His eyes adjusted to the dark and he saw her on the bed, curled up and tossing her head back and forth. Walking closer, he could see that she was covered in sweat, hands clawing at the sheets as she made a whimpering sound.

"Zee?" He kept his voice quiet. She kept writhing in the bed, panting. "Hey, Zatanna." He raised his voice and grabbed her arm, trying to wake her. "Zatanna!"

Her eyes suddenly shot open, wide as saucers and filled with terror. She screamed and threw her hands toward his face as he tried to grab her wrists.

"It's okay. Hey, it's alright, it's me." She wasn't hearing him or seeing him. Her scream started to take on form and he realized she was trying to cast a spell. Afraid of what she was about to conjure, he threw his hand over her mouth, but it caused her thrashing to intensify and her hands beat at his shoulders while she panicked. Realizing his mistake, he moved his hand off of her mouth. She started to speak again, so he did the only thing he could think of to stop her, pressing his lips to hers and squeezing her arms down to her side.

"Zee, it's me. Wake up. You're okay." He spoke against her mouth as she whimpered and tried to free herself. "It's okay. Nothing's going to hurt you. You're safe." His voice was quiet and he continued to keep his mouth pressed to hers until her thrashing started to ease. Her eyes closed and she started taking deep breaths through her nose. She was trembling so hard it felt like she was vibrating. After several minutes like this, she finally started to relax in his arms. He let go of her arms and ran his hands along her back, trying to soothe her. She reached up and grabbed his sides, holding on as if she were going to fall over if she didn't steady herself.

"Talk to me, Zee." His lips still brushed hers, feeling her breath calm a little.

"I...home?"

"Yeah, you're at home. Safe in your room." He pulled her close again and wrapped his arms around her, finally pulling his lips away. Eyes still squeezed shut, she let her head fall forward against his chest as she trembled. Now he knew why she was so tired. "How long has this been going on?"

"Mex...Mexico. Every ni...night. Get...ting worse." Her trembling was making it hard for her to speak. He turned and sat down on the bed, pulling her into his lap and cradling her body to his. She buried her face against his neck and he stroked her hair while she slowly calmed. When her trembling had almost ceased, he turned slightly to look at her.

"We've been together since Mexico."

"Doesn't happen with you," she whispered, still not opening her eyes.

Her behavior was starting to make more sense. She had gone weeks on end with little to no sleep. Falling asleep so quickly after the limo...trying to wear herself out at the gym...not waking when he got up in the morning their last time together. She had reached the point of sheer exhaustion. He could feel it in her. He should have felt it sooner, but he hadn't been paying enough attention.

"Just me?" The question made her stiffen and pull her head back, eyes finally opening. Even in her exhaustion, she managed to looked pissed.

"Yes, Bruce. You're the only one I've fucked since Vegas," she snapped, pushing herself off of his lap. Her legs failed her when she tried to move away from him and he had to catch her to keep her from hitting the floor.

"I'm sorry. Shitty question. I wasn't thinking..."

"Just go." Her voice was weak. She stumbled to the bed and pushed his hands away.

"No."

"Go or I'll fucking send you. I can't..." She collapsed onto the bed and pulled her knees to her chest.

He stood and watched her for a moment before walking toward the window. Taking a breath, he shed his cowl, gloves, and cape and dropped them on the floor before going back to the bed.

"Move over," he said, sitting down and pushing against her shoulders.

"What are you..." she protested, but he manhandled her until she was facing away from him. "Don't."

He laid down behind her and pulled her body against his, putting an arm around her waist.

"I can't stay long. Go to sleep."

"Go back to work. I don't want you here."

"I am working. I help the people of Gotham who are in need. You need sleep. Shut up and sleep."

He heard her open her mouth again, but she never spoke. With a huff, she let her head fall to the pillow. She was out within minutes, body relaxing in his arms and breath slowing. He closed his eyes and held her until Barb's voice rang in his ear: a report of gunshots near Gotham University. Slipping out of the bed, he suited up and looked back to her. He wasn't sure if she would sleep all night, but it was the best he could offer for now.

"On my way," he said, grappling back into the night.