Bruce
Shadowcrest

He stepped out of the closet and into her room, but she wasn't in the bed.

"Zatanna?"

Asshole meowed from the bathroom. He walked to the door and eased it open.

"You in here?" When he walked in, he saw her on the floor, curled up next to the bathtub with the cat sitting on her hip...staring at her as he kneaded his paws into her side, before casting a worried glance toward him. The toilet was filled with blood. "Zee?" Bruce knelt down and brushed her hair back from her face.

"Mmm...wanted to shower. Got dizzy and puked."

"You puked blood," he said, helping her sit up against the tub. Asshole moved to sit in her lap, still watching her face.

"Dr. Light said it was just from being stabbed in the stomach. Lost a lot of blood and it had to go somewhere." She opened her eyes and watched him as he wet a washcloth and put it to her forehead.

"I'm taking you back."

"No. I'm not leaving. I want to shower." She tried to swat his hand away, but missed, her arm flopping back to her side.

"Looks like you're all ready for our next training session, tough girl," he said, shaking his head. With a loud sigh, he threw the washcloth into the hamper. "Fine. Let's get you cleaned up."

He shed his shirt and pants, leaving his boxers on before pulling her to her feet, dislodging a worried and annoyed cat in the process. She braced herself on his upper arms as he carefully helped her out of the scrubs she was wearing. While they stood and waited for the water to warm up, she pressed her cheek to his chest and he ran his hands over her back; she was covered in dried blood and he wanted it gone as much as she did. When steam was rising from the water, he helped her in. The water ran a sickening red/brown color at her feet as the blood slowly started to work its way from her skin and hair. Grabbing the loofah and body wash, he worked a slow lather, scrubbing away the red while she held onto his shoulders with her eyes closed. Her legs and feet took the longest to scrub clean, her skin reddened after he had finally cleared them of the last bit of blood. She let her head fall back into the stream and he shampooed her hair three times before the blood was gone and he could run his hands through it without getting tangled.

Once he was satisfied that she was clean, he stepped out and grabbed a towel, drying her before wrapping a robe around her shivering body. He dried himself off and lifted her, carrying her to lie down on the bed. She crawled under the covers as Asshole hopped back onto her hip, meowing and kneading her again.

Yeah, you two really hate each other.

Bruce stripped his soaked boxers off and put his pants back on before climbing into the bed.

"I don't need you here. Go home," she mumbled at him as he put his arm around her.

"I'm too tired," he said. The cat stretched out across their bodies and purred. "And I'm sorry."

She was quiet for long enough that he thought she had fallen asleep.

"And I'm sorry I couldn't tell you," she finally whispered.

He moved her wet hair away from the back of her neck and pressed his lips to where the monster had pierced her now-healed skin. "We can argue tomorrow. Sleep," he muttered against her neck.

Zatanna
Shadowcrest

She wasn't sure how long she slept, but Bruce wasn't with her when she woke. Asshole was laying on her neck, half smothering her and purring.

"Hey, move it, fuzz wad," she said, picking him up and pulling him to her chest. He grumbled, but let her cuddle him again as she scratched behind his ears. Just when she was about to fall back asleep, she felt a presence in the house with her. She slipped out of the bed and put a sweatshirt and sweatpants on before heading down the stairs. Bruce was in the kitchen, standing over the stove and cooking something that smelled delicious. Her stomach growled and she sat down on a bar stool at the counter and watched him. His shirt was still off and he was barefoot.

"You hungry?" He asked, not turning to look at her.

"Starving. What is that? It smells good." She pulled her feet up and wrapped her arms around her legs, still cold.

"Feta, mushroom, and spinach omelets. You're a vegetarian, right?" She wondered if he remembered that or just used his keen detective skills to look in her fridge.

"Yeah. Sounds amazing."

He flipped the omelets in the pan and finally turned to look at her, laughing when he did.

"What?"

"Your hair is a wreck. I guess I didn't get it very dry," he said, walking to her and trying to work his fingers through the tangles.

"Lost cause," she said. "I'll have to shower again to get it fixed."

He leaned forward and brushed his lips to her forehead before walking back over to the stove.

"Your house is weird."

"Shhh! It'll hear you," she scolded, not wanting to deal with a pouting house all day.

"Yeah, exactly. I was trying to find the kitchen and got lost...for over an hour. How is it three times bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside?"

She raised an eyebrow and stared at him until he turned his head to look at her.

"Right...magic," he grumbled before turning away again.

"Bruce? When they took me I was with someone. Do you know…?" Fearing the answer, her voice faded out.

"Deon Scott." Bruce's voice was gentle, but he didn't turn around. "He's in the hospital recovering. He's in bad shape, but alive. I'll take you there later so you can see him."

"No. He won't want to see me," she said quickly.

"I bet you're wrong there." He plated the omelets and placed one in front of her. "Forks?"

"Krof...ah, damn it." She winced when the spell jolted her and failed to produce what she wanted. "Forgot."

"Zee?" Bruce had a sudden look of concern on his face, but she waved her hand to dismiss his worry.

"I'm okay, just drained. Can't use magic until I get my strength back. Top left drawer by the sink." He walked over and pulled out two forks, handing one to her as he grabbed his own plate and sat down next to her. They ate in silence for a while before she finally spoke. "This is good. I didn't know you could cook."

"I'm not completely reliant on Alfred, you know. He taught me a few things along the way. Even he likes to take a day off now and then." He grinned as he spoke. His mood was completely different than it had been on the Watchtower. All things being equal, she preferred this one. Asshole jumped on the counter and looked expectantly at her, so she tore off a corner of the omelet and handed it to him before he jumped back down.

"Hey, even the cat likes your cooking." She stared at her plate and thought a moment. "What happened after Wally took me off of the roof?"

"Don't worry about that," he said, voice still quiet and gentle.

"You know that answer won't fly. Tell me." She looked up at him as he poked at his food with the fork.

With a typical Bruce Wayne sigh, he put the fork down and looked up at her.

"The man that showed up and started to heal you is Black Adam. Think of him as an evil Shazam, but a lot older. He's been around decades...or more. We should have figured out it was him, but we missed the signs. And the last I knew, he was imprisoned for eternity."

"Why would someone like that come after me?" She continued eating, grabbing a piece of toast and watching his face.

"You know the answer to that. Your power," he said, returning to his own food and looking away from her again.

"He seemed plenty powerful already."

"He is, but clearly there's something you have that he wants. Or that the creatures want." She shivered again at the mention of the beast that had drained her.

"There's more than one?"

"Seven. The one that attacked you and killed Winters...its eyes would glow when it...fed off of you." He put his fork down and pushed his plate away, clearly not comfortable with the topic.

"And after I was gone?" She decided to move ahead in the story to keep him talking.

"The creature got hold of Clark and injured him, but John managed to fight it off. Diana couldn't keep Adam held and we had to retreat. He got away with the creatures and took them to the bunker; he's holed up there now. We're guessing he wanted to unleash them here and that's why he had them moved in the first place."

"Great. Guess I still get to break in, huh?" She smiled, but he just shook his head, eyes not meeting hers.

"No. We know the layout now. It was the first place we looked for you. Now we go back full force and flush him out...end whatever he has planned."

She nodded and finished off her food before getting up and refilling her water; it still felt like she had cotton in the back of her throat. Bruce picked up their plates and put them in the sink before grabbing her and holding her in a tight hug.

"Feeling better?" His voice was low and raspy. Even in her weakened state it made her stomach tie in knots.

"Yes. Warmer. Thank you for breakfast," she kept her face against his chest and breathed in his skin. She had missed his smell.

"You're welcome. Go get ready and I'll take you to the hospital."

"I told you, he won't want to see me."

"Just go get ready," he said, releasing his hold on her. Sighing, she walked up the stairs and into the shower to wash the tangles out of her hair. When she was dressed and ready to go, they went outside to find Alfred waiting in the car. He must have brought Bruce clothes, because he was wearing khaki pants and a sweater now.

"It's good to see you up and around, Miss Zatara," Alfred said as Bruce helped her into the car.

"Thanks, Alfred. Good to see you, too." She cast a quick glance to Bruce, wondering if she was about to get a lecture from his butler about their involvement, but he just smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulders while they rode to the hospital. Once they got there, Bruce walked to the ICU wing with her and stopped in the hall. She went to the nurse's station and asked for the room.

"Wait here, I'll see if he's awake," the nurse said, walking to a room down the hall. After a minute, she returned to Zatanna. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but he doesn't want visitors right now."

Her heart dropped and she looked down at the flowers she had bought in the gift shop.

"You told him my name?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. Maybe he's just not feeling well."

"Thanks," she mumbled. "Can you just give these to him for me? And tell him I'm sorry he was injured."

"Of course. Have a good day."

Zatanna turned back down the hall and walked past Bruce without looking at him. They silently got in the car and Alfred began to drive.

"I'm sorry. I really thought..." He started, putting his arm back over her shoulders.

"It's okay. I don't blame him. He shouldn't want me around," she said, watching the city pass by.

"Why would you say that?"

"People around me die. Or get hurt. I never should have..."

"Stop blaming yourself." They continued to ride in silence for a long time before she realized they weren't going toward Shadowcrest.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Home. I have some work to do and I don't want you to be alone until you're better."

"I am better."

"How about until you can use magic without it shocking you like a bolt of lightning?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at her face.

Damn it.

She huffed and leaned against him as they drove, conceding that she wasn't that level of "better".

Bruce
Batcave

He had tried to make Zatanna sleep more, but she insisted she wasn't tired. The dark circles under her eyes disagreed, but he relented and led her to the cave with him. She clung to him as they rode the elevator down.

"All the crazy things you do on a whim and this thing scares you?" He teased.

"Shut up. It's creepy and you know it."

He laughed and pulled her off the elevator, leading her down to the display cases that held his suits. She sat down on a bench and watched him while he worked to repair the one that had been damaged when he fell. Several of the sensors and scanners were busted, but it was still salvageable. After an hour of tinkering, he looked over, expecting to see her asleep on the bench. Instead, she was still watching him with a small smile on her face.

"Bored yet?" He asked, crouching down to work on the leg.

"Nope. Just staring at your ass. Quality entertainment. Take off your shirt and get me some popcorn and it's better than a Broadway show."

Laughing, he shook his head and turned back to finish his work, satisfied that he could put the suit back into the rotation safely. When he finished, he took her over to the hangar where the semi-wrecked batplane that J'onn had retrieved was in need of a lot of TLC before it made a trip to Egypt. Zatanna walked around and looked at all of the parts and tools lining the walls as he worked. His hands finally started to ache after a while and he realized it was mid afternoon.

"You hungry?" He asked Zee, who had found a spot to sit and watch him.

"A little. You going to cook for me again?" She grinned.

"Not this time." Walking to the wall, he picked up the phone receiver and rang Alfred in the kitchen. "Hey, would you mind fixing us a late lunch? I lost track of time down here. Thanks, Alfred."

He hung up the phone and walked over to sit next to her on the floor.

"How about now? Bored?"

"With all this stuff to look at? Never." She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I am getting tired, though."

"Me too. We can go nap after we eat." He wasn't actually tired, but wondered if the looming threat of her nightmares was making her want to stay and watch him work.

Alfred came down with vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for them and they sat and ate quietly.

"Ready to ride the elevator of doom?" He asked when they finished, pulling a reluctant Zatanna toward the exit.

"No. Can't we just lie down on the wrestling mat or something?"

"Time to conquer your fears." He closed the door and put his arms around her as they rode. She jumped with every clank and creak and he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at her irrational fear. When they reached the top, she quickly stepped out and waited for him to close the door behind them. He led them to his room and helped her take her shoes off when she got dizzy leaning over.

"Low blood pressure," she said, climbing under the covers. Bruce shed his sweater and kicked his own shoes off before he stretched out next to her and pulled her over to lay across his chest. Her hair was straight and smooth now, so he ran his hands through it until she was asleep. Despite the fact that he didn't feel tired, the warmth of her body made him relax and doze off.

It was an hour and a half before his communicator went off. He grabbed his phone and put it to his ear, trying not to wake her.

"Yes?"

"Hey, can you be at the Watchtower at 7:00? We have a few ideas on how to tackle the Black Adam problem." Kate asked. He looked at the clock - it was a little after 5:00.

"Yeah, I'll be there. Anything else going on?"

"Not much. Did you rest?"

"Yes. Feeling good. I'll see you in a bit." He hung up the phone and set an alarm for 6:30. Zee had stayed asleep and he wanted her to get as much as possible before he left.

Zatanna
Wayne Manor

"No way. You're not leaving me here."

Bruce was trying to leave her behind while he went and planned the attack on the bunker. She was not going to stand for being left out again.

"You need rest. You said yourself that you can't use magic right now."

"I will be able to. I just need time to meditate and recover."

"Then do that. I'll go and let you know what we decide." He walked toward the scary elevator as he spoke.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest when he got in.

"I want to be there."

"You will be - when you're ready. Find a room to meditate in and I'll be back in a few hours." He closed the door and left her there to fume at him.

He's really good at pissing me off.

She walked around trying to find the room she had recovered in before. After a while, she ran into Alfred, who was carrying clean sheets to Bruce's room.

"Are you lost?" He smiled at her, putting her at ease. She was still worried he was going to lecture her.

"I guess. The room I was in before...I was hoping I could use it again for a while."

"Of course, just this way." He led her down a hall she was sure she had already tried and opened the door to the room. "Is there anything you need?"

"No, thank you. This is perfect. Oh, and Alfred? I never got a chance to thank you for helping me recover from the explosion. I was a little out of it."

"Don't mention it, Miss Zatara. Anything for the family." Alfred turned and walked away, leaving her surprised that he referred to the League as 'family'.

He must play medic a lot.

She walked inside and sat down on the floor. With a deep breath, she decided to test her limits.

"Elcric fo seldnac." It stung a little, but the small circle appeared...modest, but enough to do the trick. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes, feeling a warmth in her belly that slowly rose and spread through her veins.

"Hey, old friend," she smiled, feeling her magic return to her.

Bruce
Watchtower

"What if I just flood it? Can those creepy things breathe under water?" Arthur asked as they sat around the full meeting room. Everyone had started to show up when the call went out and they had been getting them all up to speed and debating the plan for several hours.

"No idea, but Adam can. I can," Shazam said.

"What if we found a way to seal him in? Keep him imprisoned with those things?" Victor Stone had come in from Detroit.

"Maybe, but what would you seal it with? I can break through most things pretty easy." Shazam was the go-to for information during the meeting...knowing his limitations and, thereby, Adam's better than anyone else.

"Yeah, and we have no idea what those creatures can break through. I'm not sure we can really avoid a fight here if we want to be sure he stays down," Clark said. He had mostly recovered from the previous attack and was standing near the front by the monitors.

The room stayed quiet while everyone tried to think of a better idea than taking him on head-first.

"Right. So, we fight," Bruce finally conceded.

"I'd rather play offense than defense. Let's come up with a plan and go bust his ass," Arthur said. "We'll be near the gulf, so if we can push them out toward the water we have a lot more allies on our side."

Bruce nodded and looked to John. "Any other Lanterns you can call in?"

"Worth a try, but time might be an issue in getting someone here. I imagine we don't want to sit and wait too long."

"We're monitoring everything about that bunker. We know they're still there and we'll know if he tries to leave. Let's plan on going two days from now. Get anyone else we can and take the fight to him...no matter what," Bruce said, looking to everyone's faces. They all nodded in agreement before standing and leaving the room.

"How's Zatanna?" Clark asked once everyone else had left.

"Improving. She's weak, but she'll be okay."

"Good. Go home and rest. We have a lot to do in two days."

Bruce walked to the exit, thanking the members who had come in on reserve as he left. Nightwing was there, but stayed in the back of the room and didn't talk. He gave him a quick nod before he left and returned to the manor.

Wayne Manor

His room looked undisturbed when he got home. He wandered the halls for a few minutes to see if he could find a glowing door again, but everything seemed quiet. He finally went downstairs and found Zatanna curled up on the couch in the study, reading a book. She raised a hand up and waved without looking at him when he entered the room. Her brow was furrowed and she seemed deeply engrossed in whatever she was reading. He walked around to stand in front of her, but she still kept her eyes on the book.

"Hey."

"Hmm?" Still ignoring him.

"What are you reading?"

"Catcher in the Rye. Can I borrow it?" Her eyes still hadn't left the pages.

"You want to borrow my first edition, signed, ultra rare, nearly-priceless copy of Catcher in the Rye?"

"Yeah, I'll give it back," she said, turning the page and continuing to read. He finally leaned forward and took the book from her hand. "Hey, I was in the middle of a sentence!" He laughed and placed the book on the table before looking at her pouting face.

"How have you not read Catcher in the Rye before?"

"My dad home schooled me after 8th grade," she shrugged. "He just had me read history and magic stuff."

Bruce nodded and studied her face. The dark circles were gone from under her eyes and her skin tone was back to normal. He smiled as she reached for the book again, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Enough reading for one night," he said, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. He lingered there as she sighed and put her other hand around his neck...pulling him down until he was kneeling in front of her. She uncrossed her legs and wrapped them around him, drawing him closer to deepen their kiss. After several minutes of making up for lost time, he leaned back slightly and looked in her eyes.

"You look like you're feeling better."

"I am. Ready to take on the world," she said before brushing her lips against his again. "How was the meeting?"

He felt his muscles stiffen at the question and pulled his head away slightly.

"Fine. We're going full force in two days."

"Good. I'm ready." He opened his mouth to protest, but she quickly kissed him and put her hand to his chin, rubbing her thumb against his rough stubble and tightening her legs around him.

Damn good negotiation tactics.

"I'm going...no debate," she said, pressing her forehead to his. "They stole something from me and I intend to take it back." He kept his eyes closed for a long time before finally looking at her with a long sigh.

"Okay. We could use your skills."

She smiled and kissed him again. He pushed her back on the couch to lie down and stretched out next to her, pulling her body to his and exploring her mouth with his tongue. When they were out of breath, he broke the kiss and pulled her head to his chest, stroking her hair.

"You ready for bed?" He asked, wanting more room than the couch offered.

"Mmm hmm. Unless you'll let me read more."

He laughed and shook his head. "Holden Caulfield will still be there tomorrow. Come on."

Climbing over her, he stood, pulled her to her feet and led her up the stairs to his room. He heard her mutter something behind him and turned to see her changed into a sheer silk nightgown that he didn't intend for her to be wearing for long. She climbed onto the bed and looked at her phone while he shed his clothes. When he laid down, he took her phone and tossed it onto the nightstand before grabbing her ankles to pull her down and get on top of her. She giggled and used her legs to pull his hips down, leaning up and kissing him; he smiled as he realized she magically brushed her teeth, too. He wondered how much time he could save in a day if he didn't have to do mundane tasks. His thoughts quickly faded when her tongue thrust into his mouth, hungry and warm. With a groan, he pulled her nightgown off and ran his hands over her body, feeling the softness he had missed. He pulled her panties off and stripped his boxers.

Lifting his head back, he watched her eyes as he entered her. He stopped and frowned when he saw that there were tears running down her cheeks. Reaching a hand up, he brushed one away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Don't you dare fucking stop," she said, thrusting her hips up against his and pulling his mouth back down to kiss him. He let his hips set a slow pace while their tongues stroked together. Her breathing picked up and fingers ran over his back and arms, leaving a warm trail across his skin as they moved. He finally pulled his head back to catch his breath and smiled at her, thrusting harder and watching her eyes as they sparkled from the tears. She was smiling back as she bit her lip and moaned, letting her hands run over his chest. He felt her muscles began to tighten around him and a small cry escaped her. Letting himself fill her with a hard thrust, he kept his eyes on hers as they climaxed together. Her smile widened when he groaned and kept thrusting until his arms gave out and he moved to stretch out beside her.

"Told you I was better," she said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Yeah...I don't know. I might need a few more hours of convincing." He raised an eyebrow and looked over at her. Her skin was glistening with sweat and her chest was still rising and falling rapidly from being out of breath. Still smiling, she turned to look at him, eyes half closed.

"Alfred seemed surprisingly okay with me being here."

"He is. We've talked," he said, pulling her over to lay across him.

"Don't tell me you're already sleepy," she said, kissing his chest and down his stomach. Her half-closed eyes looked up at his.

"Not even a little."

Black Adam

They'll come. They'll all come and I'll send them all to Hell screaming.

The beasts were ready to feed. They needed to feed. The rotting smell worsened every day. What few workers had remained in the bunker after the Justice League had broken in only served to pique their appetite. It was time for him to unleash the horrors on Earth and take his rightful place as ruler. Once the beasts had fed on the heroes of the world, they would be too powerful to stop.

Oh, they'll come. And they'll help me conquer the world.

Zatanna
Wayne Manor

She heard the shower running when she woke up; it was a little after 8:00 and she was still sleepy. They had spent most of the night seeing how sturdy his bed was before they finally collapsed from exhaustion. Despite her desire to join him in the shower, she decided her legs weren't going to hold her up properly yet. She tried not to doze off as she waited for him to come out. When he did, he was wearing a robe and rubbing his head with a towel. He smiled at her when he saw her watching him.

"Rested?"

"No. I think we left 'rested' behind with cardio session number three. I feel like a pile of mush."

He walked to the bed, tossing the towel back toward the bathroom and sitting down next to her.

"Hmmm...you do," he said, grinning and pulling the covers down so he could run his hand down her back.

"Yeah, well...your fault. You off to work?"

"For a few hours. Stay here and we can go to the Watchtower to plan when I get back."

"No can do," she said, turning over and sitting up. "I have practice at the theater today."

"The hell you do," he said, looking at her like she was a lunatic. "You're not going anywhere alone."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "We're not doing this, are we? I don't need a babysitter."

"Zee, Adam came after you - just you. And he damn near got everything he wanted. Until we take him down, you can't just go walking around without protection."

For once, she decided to take the non-obstinate route.

"Okay. Compromise, then. We'll practice at Shadowcrest and I won't step foot outside my wards. Cross my heart." She grinned at him, using her finger to draw an X over her chest.

He looked her in the eyes for a full minute before finally pursing his lips and nodding.

"Alright. Straight there, straight back here."

"Why back here? I can't stay home?" She grinned, enjoying messing with him.

"You could. Or you could come back here and I'll spend all night making you scream again," he said, reaching his hands under the covers and stroking his fingers up her thigh. She took her hand and pulled the belt on his robe loose, using the collar to pull him back down into the bed.

"You'll be late for work."

"Mmm hmm," he mumbled against her lips as he stroked his fingers into her. "Very."