Act 2
Zatanna
Diamond Theater
Closing night. Packed house. Six weeks of joy and exhaustion. And, in the front row, Bruce watching...not with skepticism or doubt in his eyes, but lust. She had decided not to ask him how he had gotten a ticket or how much he paid; just seeing him there was enough to give her more energy in her performance. They had maintained secrecy aside from the League and her crew, not wanting to draw too much press attention and snooping. Sophie was the only one who seemed to care, casting him angry glances whenever he was around and giving her regular speeches about his history with women.
As the show wound down, she felt the usual closing-night wave of emotion, but it was different this time. Vegas had held a sense of dread and loneliness. Tonight she was simply happy.
"Thank you, Gotham! I hope you had as much fan as I did!" With a flash of light and a bow, she vanished from the stage as the crowd applauded.
The usual rabble-rousing happened backstage. She walked around and greeted everyone, taking extra time to hug Marshall and Sarah, who were thrilled with the money made from the shows and the excitement around the refurbished theater. Her eyes darted around looking for Bruce, but she couldn't find him. Disappointed, but not surprised, she decided he must have left to go back to work.
When the crowd began to thin, she retreated to the dressing room. She sat looking in the mirror, tired but content. After a few minutes, she finally turned and looked over her shoulder.
"You going to skulk in the corner all night?" She grinned and raised an eyebrow.
"Just hoping to get another encore. Paid a lot to be here." Bruce walked forward into the light, hands behind his back and a serious look on his face. He was wearing a standard billionaire three piece suit and he hadn't shaved since the previous day. Just looking at him made her pulse quicken.
"I'll need to see your backstage pass first." As she stood, he brought a bouquet of flowers from behind his back and held them out to her. "Helping the stagehands clean up?"
He looked down at the flowers and then around the room that was filled with roses from the crowd.
"I guess they weren't the most creative idea. I did pick them from the garden at the manor, though."
"Bruce?" She walked forward and took the bouquet. "I love them. Thank you."
With a small smile, he leaned forward and gently kissed her, lingering on her lips as she sighed.
"You were amazing," he said quietly.
"Esav." The roses reappeared in a vase on her vanity and she wrapped her freed-up arms around his neck. "Thank you for being here."
"Thanks for not zapping a tiger at me this time." Looking around the room, he started to grin devilishly. "So...have you ever had sex in your dressing room?"
"Not this one," she smiled back at him.
Just as his lips were about to meet hers, another voice spoke from the darkness.
"Oh, but she's certainly broken in a few, mate. Trust me." John Constantine stepped into the room, smoking and looking like he'd dragged himself there through a dirty alleyway.
"Get the fuck out, you piece of shit." She spat out as she tried to lunge at him; Bruce held her back...placing himself between them.
"Don't be like that, love. You know you've missed me."
"I'll fucking kill you. Let me go, Bruce."
"No one's killing anyone. Yet. Who is this?" Bruce was still holding her as she struggled to free herself.
"The worst mistake I've ever made."
"Name's John Constantine. Magician, necromancer, defender against dark magic. I'm also the one who used to be on the receiving end of that look...and whatever else Zee's been giving you. Guess I've been replaced."
Bruce stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar of his trench coat.
"I don't know who you are or why you're here, but I'm already inclined to let her make good on her threat. Leave and don't come back." His voice was in full Batman tenor and John's cocky demeanor started to waver.
"Easy there, mate. I just need to have a word with her. It's important."
"No. Get out." Zatanna said, fists clinched and waiting for Bruce to move enough for her to take a swing.
"It's about that thing that killed your father..."
"I said get the fuck out!" Zatanna threw her hands up and Constantine was gone...sent to a London sewage pipe in the blink of an eye.
The room was silent for a long moment before Bruce turned to look at her, a look of shock on his face.
"Did you kill him?"
"No. But if he comes back I will. Goddamn bastard." She walked to the vanity and sat down, putting her head in her hands. Bruce pulled a chair over to sit beside her, taking her hands from her face so he could look in her eyes.
"You do know you're going to have to explain that, right?"
"Not tonight. Please."
"Zatanna..." She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder.
"Just...not tonight. I'll tell you, but...let me enjoy the fact that you came here. Just a bit longer."
She'd lost enough because of John Constantine and she wasn't about to let him take this from her. Lifting her head, she looked in Bruce's eyes. His jaw was clinched and he was frowning. Even so, he made her heart melt. My grumpy Bruce. Putting a hand to his chin, she drew his mouth to hers. It took a minute, but he eventually started to relax under her touch. Darting her tongue out, she tasted his bottom lip before smiling.
"Help me break this dressing room in right," she said, throwing her leg over him and sitting on his lap. As she ground her hips into his, she could feel that he was already aroused. His hands trailed slowly up her fishnet-covered legs and he moaned into her mouth.
"You still fight dirty," he growled as he made his way to her thighs.
"If this is what fighting looks like now, then let's do it more often."
John Constantine
London Sewers
Well...bollocks.
It wasn't the first time he'd woken up in a sewer, but it was usually a result of too many drinks and a poor general sense of direction. Okay, so he was a little drunk, but not enough to wind up here. That took the personal touch of one Zatanna Zatara. He had hoped that enough time had passed that she wouldn't be too mad at him.
Guess not.
Rubbing his head, he started the long, stinky walk out of the tunnels, pulling the collar of his coat up to cover his nose. It didn't really help. He considered his options as he walked. If he went back now, she probably would actually kill him. Not ideal. If she didn't, that rather scary large man she'd been about to shag likely would. Despite his fancy clothes, he had a look in his eye that made John think he had seen more than one brawl...and won. He'd have to do a better job of catching her alone next time.
He'd gone in confident that the temptation of finding out more about her father's death would be too much for her to resist. He was feeling a little less confident now. Still, not all was lost...after all, she didn't actually kill him.
Do these tunnels ever end?
After an hour or so of walking, he finally saw some light and followed it. The shit stream spat him out in the worst part of Plumstead. Charming. He found a dirty pub on a dirty street and stumbled in.
"Oi, bloody hell, mate. You smell like shit," the bartender said as he sat down.
"Thanks. Give me a pint."
"I'll give you a bottle and you can bloody well take that stench somewhere else. Here."
John took the bottle and stumbled outside to sit down on the pavement.
Time for plan B.
Bruce
Wayne Manor
Light broke through the window and forced his eyes to open. Stretching and looking at the clock, he saw that he still had another hour before he needed to get up and go to the Watchtower to monitor. Zatanna was next to him, lying on her stomach and sleeping. Ever since Egypt, she had slept like a baby when she was with him. She said she was sleeping fine when she was alone, too, but he wasn't sure how true that was. At least she didn't seem worn down the way she had when her visions were haunting her. The night before, at the theater, had made sure they would both sleep well. They tested and broke in every surface of her dressing room before finally coming home and passing out. There's something to be said about the advantages of youth. He could swear her stamina and sex drive were rubbing off on him...the longer they were together, the more he wanted.
But now, it was time for her to make good on her promise. He leaned over and kissed her back and shoulders until she started to stir. She moaned and stretched before turning over and smiling at him. She always woke up smiling at him.
"Good morning, Mistress of Magic."
She laughed and pulled his head down to hers. "Good morning, Dark Knight of Gotham."
Burying his face in her neck, he pinned her down with his weight.
"Talk."
"I wish you had a worse memory," she huffed, running her hands along his back. "This interrogation tactic is kinda cozy."
"Talk, Zee."
With a dramatic sigh, she started.
"John Constantine. One hundred percent certified piece of shit. We were...involved. We met right after Dick and I broke up and I fell for his fancy talk and the lure of learning to fight against dark magic. He taught me other things, too; things my father didn't approve of. That just made me want to be with him more. I was pissed at the world and Constantine fed that. Turns out that my father's power was what he was after. He needed both of us to carry out a plan to take on a threat to magic."
"What kind of threat?" Innocuous question. Keep talking.
"Uh...how to explain..." She paused for a long time and he was worried she was going to stop. "Think of all the light in the world. All the good, wonderful, sweet, pleasant things that exist."
"I can think of a few," he said, looking up at her and grinning. She laughed and ran her thumb along his jawline.
"Now think of everything that's the opposite. That's what we were trying to stop. Darkness and evil itself."
"Stop it from what?"
"Destroying heaven, hell, and earth." It was his turn to be silent for a while as he processed what she was saying. "You think I'm full of shit, don't you?"
"No. Keep talking."
"There's not a lot else. We tried to stop it. Sargon was killed when the being looked at him. It looked at me and I started to burn, but my father saved me...died for..." Her words trailed off as her voice broke. Lifting himself slightly, he pressed his cheek to hers and ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm sorry, Zee," he whispered. He could feel a tear run down her cheek onto his, so he held her for several minutes before continuing. "Two more questions and I'll stop being Batman." She nodded and sniffled. "You said you tried to stop it. You didn't succeed?"
"I thought we did. We're not all dead, so I have no idea what information John could possibly have. He's probably lying."
"He might not be."
"One more question and you have to be my Bruce again."
"You said Constantine taught you other things your father didn't approve of. What?"
She was silent, so he looked up at her. The tears had stopped and she was staring at the ceiling. Her head finally turned and she looked him in the eyes.
"Tantric magic." He raised an eyebrow and she smirked at him. "It's not just about sex. It's about energies and spirituality and souls weaving together." Nodding, he put his head back down and kissed her neck. It was probably best not to dig too deep into that topic.
"I think you should hear him out."
"What?" She pushed against his shoulders until he propped himself on his elbow. Her glare indicated that she wasn't a huge fan of the idea.
"If he has information, you should get it. It might be important."
"No. The only thing John Constantine does is get other people killed. He only cares about himself."
Sighing, he laid back down.
"Think about it."
She was quiet after that, resuming her hand movements on his back. Batman was no longer there and Bruce was enjoying the feeling. He pressed his lips to her neck again and moved up to her jaw, nibbling gently as he shifted himself until he was between her legs.
"How can you possibly have energy after last night?" She asked, rolling her head to the side as he returned to her neck. He put his hand between her legs and slipped a finger into her. She was already wet and warm.
"How can you?" He said, looking up at her heavy-lidded eyes. With a quick movement, he entered her as she smiled at him. Thrusting gently, he kissed along her neck and jaw until she was gasping and digging her nails into his back. A few quick strokes against her clit caused a small cry to escape her lips as she climaxed. He continued to thrust as she pulsed around him, finally coming with another gentle stroke. "Not terribly energetic."
She grinned and kissed his forehead.
"You'll hear no complaints from me."
They were only still for a few minutes before his alarm sounded. He reluctantly rolled off of her and silenced it before getting up and walking to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he dressed and got ready to head to the Watchtower to monitor.
"What are you doing today?" He asked when he came back out to the bedroom. She was sitting up and looking at her phone.
"Wrapping things up at the theater, getting all of our gear out."
"I'm patrolling for Tim tonight. He swapped with me so I could come to your show."
"Tell him thanks for me. And be careful tonight." She stood and walked over to him, completely nude, and put her arms around his neck.
"I'd better go. Starting to feel energetic again," he said, kissing her and running his hands over her body one more time before pushing her back down onto the bed. She had a wicked smile on her face as she leaned back and crossed her legs.
"Fine. See you in a few days."
Zatanna
Diamond Theater
"Did you hear about that one model? He took her on his yacht for three whole days after a gala. He does it all the time!"
He doesn't have a yacht.
The daily Sophie lecture was well underway and she was trying to tune it out. They had almost gotten everything cleaned up and cleared out by noon.
"I don't even understand what you see in him. I mean, sure...he's rich. Filthy stinking rich. And he's handsome and has a great body, but seriously, what do you see in him?"
"That was a pretty good list, actually," Zee said, smiling and shrugging. "I think you answered your own question."
"What does Dick think?" Now Jenny felt the need to pile on. "Aren't they like family? He can't just be okay with you seeing him."
"I don't know, you'd have to ask Dick." It wasn't really a smartass response; she didn't know how he felt now that she and Bruce were back together and semi-public. She had mastered the art of avoiding him on the rare occasion he showed up at the Tower when she was there. He and Bruce seemed to have formed an alliance of sorts during the battle in Egypt, but she wasn't sure where they really stood.
"Earth to Zatanna!" Jenny brought her out of her reverie. "I think we're finished. You want to send the rest of this gear back home so we can go?"
"Yeah, sorry. Raeg ot egarots." The stage was bare and the room was quiet. She closed her eyes for one more moment remembering the cheers of the crowd and the smiles on the faces. One face in particular…
"Let's go," Sophie said, pulling her arm and leading her out. She locked the door behind them and waved to the girls before heading toward Shadowcrest. It was a cold afternoon, but she needed to stretch her legs and breathe some fresh air.
When she arrived home, Asshole screamed and jumped up on the table, giving her his usual angry glare.
"You ate this morning, how can you possibly be hungry?"
"Merrrrow," he grumbled, still glaring.
"Ugh, fine. Milk, but only a little. You're going to be too fat to get up the stairs if I feed you as much as you want."
"Merow." He followed her to the kitchen and she poured a small bowl of milk for him, while grabbing an apple and some sparkling water for herself.
"Erif thgil." The fireplace in the library roared to life and she curled up in the oversize chair next to it before calling down a book. Asshole had finished his milk and jumped up to sit on her feet as she read. After an hour, she heard her phone buzz. A message popped up on the screen.
-We still need to talk – JC.
-Fuck off and die. - ZZ
Eloquent and to the point.
-I have missed that sweet mouth of yours, love
-Leave me alone. Lose this number. And then fuck off and die.
- No. I need your help on this. Hear me out and if you still want to kill me afterward, you can.
-I'll still want to kill you no matter what you say. No.
-I'm coming back this week. See you soon, love.
Fuck fuck fuck him.
She thew her phone down onto the table and walked to the den.
"Ekam a noitatidem elcric." Taking deep breaths, she tried to center herself and forget about Constantine. It wasn't working. He was going to show back up and she was going to have to kill him.
Thinking about murder during meditation isn't really healthy.
Shifting her thoughts, she decided to carry out her daily search. Despite weeks of trying, she'd still found no sign of J'onn. It was as if he had been snuffed from existence. Not death...death left a resonance. He was simply gone. She refused to accept it as a conclusion, so every day she searched.
"Dinf Nno'j."
Batman
Gotham City
"How many hostages?"
"9, maybe 10." Commissioner Gordon stood behind the SWAT van holding a gun he'd never actually fired before.
"Gunmen?"
"2."
"Entry points?"
"Front door, back door, and whatever holes you want to create. The owner is well insured and doesn't want his customers dead...or his dancers. Can't make as much money off of them that way."
"Sounds like a good business model. I'm going in through the roof. Give me a minute and they'll both be down." Batman grappled across the street and out of sight.
"Kate, tell me what you see inside."
"This drone is so cool! I can see everything. We need more of these. Do you think Lucius can..."
"Kate..."
"Oh, sorry. Yeah, two gunmen on the northeast side. The hostages are 20 feet away on their knees, but not tied up. I'm going to hover over the spot you should enter. Just drop in and pop some smoke. You'll be able to take them both out in one move."
"Okay, moving in." He grappled to the roof of the strip club and landed soundlessly. The drone was over his head, marking the entry spot. Equipping a charge, he jumped into the air and threw the slug at the mark. It exploded in a flash and let him land directly between the two idiots with guns. The smoke and concussion from the charge had them stumbling and trying to aim. Before they could hurt a hostage with wayward firing, he grabbed the weapons and threw them into a corner. One idiot was foolish enough to throw a punch, which just clipped the back of his cowl.
And here I was about to go easy on them.
The puncher was instantly flying through the air, letting out a terrified howl as he tumbled. With a thud, he landed on the stage. Batman threw his fist down into his face, rendering him unconscious in a flash.
"Next."
The second idiot was less aggressive, turning and bolting for the door. It was still barricaded, so he didn't get far before the grappling gun had him around the ankle and a quick yank shot him back across the floor. A knee to the temple and he was out. Bruce looked around the room and up to the ceiling. The insurance claim shouldn't be too bad on this one. He walked over to the hostages and made sure they were safe before busting the front door open with his shoulder.
"All yours," he growled to the SWAT officers waiting outside.
"Thanks, Batman," Gordon said as he headed toward the building. "I'll let you know if we have any other fun for you tonight."
He grappled up and out of sight, heading back toward the batmobile to resume patrol. It was a little after 1:00 and he had plenty of night left to cover. Things had been normal recently...for Gotham, anyway. The usual thugs and gangsters and unhinged psychopaths were keeping him and his family busy.
Things with the League had been fairly quiet. No one had found any sign of J'onn and his presence was missed, but it was otherwise business as usual. Life was...comfortable. Or at least as comfortable as his ever could be.
"Hey, boss, can you go to Arkham? They're doing a prisoner transfer and want some extra muscle."
"Who are they transferring?"
"Zsasz," Kate replied.
"What the hell is he doing at Arkham?"
"Therapy, according to the records."
"Oh, great. That will straighten him right out. Are they taking him back to Blackgate?" He turned the car and headed toward the asylum.
"Yes. They move within the hour."
"On my way."
Zatanna
Shadowcrest
She didn't wake anymore when he came in. The house was used to him being there and slept right through it. It wasn't until she felt the covers lift up and his warm arms wrapping around and pulling her into his body that she woke with a smile and a sigh.
"Wasn't expecting you this morning," she whispered, glad to have her favorite arms around her.
"Wasn't either." His voice was low and sounded strained, so she turned to face him. Silently, he grabbed her hand and put it to his collarbone, where she felt the jagged, out-of-place bone. Morning medic visits were a regular occurrence. Shaking her head and pressing her lips to his, she ran her fingers along the broken bone.
"Laeh," she spoke against his mouth. He groaned as the spell worked and pulled her body back against his, kissing her deeper as his breathing started to get more relaxed.
"Thank you," he mumbled, tongue darting out to tease hers.
"I'm going to start charging a fee."
"You name it." His hands moved to her hair as his lips slowly moved against hers.
"Careful. I can be pretty creative."
"I've noticed." He was grinning at her, but his eyes were tired, so she rolled back slightly and pulled his head down to her chest.
"Sleep. We can be creative later." He mumbled something that she couldn't make out as he pressed his cheek over her heart and dozed off.
She woke again at 10:00 and Bruce was still passed out on her chest, snoring softly. Moving as slowly as she could, she slipped out from under him and went downstairs to grab a light breakfast and do her daily search. Every day brought a new approach to finding her missing friend. Searching for energies. Searching for thoughts. Searching for memories. Anything that might get her a response was worth trying, but nothing ever yielded results.
After a couple of hours, she felt Bruce moving around upstairs and ended her spell. Heading to the kitchen, she pulled out some leftover soup and put it on the stove. He stumbled down the stairs a few minutes later, dressed in his boxers and rubbing his head and face.
"Not enough sleep," he growled as he sat down at the bar. She handed him a glass of water and a bowl of soup as he yawned and stretched.
"How did you break your collarbone?" She asked, grabbing her own bowl and sitting down next to him as he ate.
"We were doing a prisoner transfer and one of the cops got kicked off of the roof of Blackgate after the helicopter landed. I caught him, but had to hang over the edge of the building. Guess I landed just right."
"Who was the prisoner?" The Batman life fascinated her, even though it wasn't how she would choose to spend her evenings.
"Victor Zsasz. Heard of him?"
"No."
"Be glad. He's a serial killer. A very prolific one." He finished off his soup and pushed the bowl back before laying his head down on the bar dramatically. "Sleepy."
"Then go back up and sleep, silly" she laughed at his childish behavior.
"You come?" He still had enough energy to give her a slightly-cocky half grin. The role-reversal made her smile as she remembered him forcing her to fall asleep in his arms when her visions were haunting her.
"I come. But you sleep." She stood and put the bowls in the sink. He was already up the stairs and in the bedroom before she turned to follow. When she got to the room, she crawled into the bed next to him and let him manhandle her into a comfortable position.
"Mm. You make a good pillow."
"I knew there was a reason you kept coming around. I'll put it on my resume. Go back to sleep." It was only a few minutes before he had complied. Once he was snoring again, she whispered and called a book over from her bedroom shelf. She didn't mind being a pillow, but it wasn't the most stimulating activity. The jerk cat showed up and found a comfortable spot on Bruce's legs to go to sleep, and the warm and cozy setting eventually got to her, the book falling to the bed as she drifted off again.
Constantine
London
Plan B was foolproof...mostly. Now that she was expecting him, she wouldn't be so angry at being caught off guard. He'd bring her some flowers or something...it seemed to work for the big, scary guy in the dressing room. Maybe he'd even show up sober.
Eh...baby steps.
A shower, at least. He threw his bag in the overhead bin and sat down in the plane seat. Flying from London to the US twice in two days was not his idea of a good time. He'd have to thank Zee for the distinct pleasure. The stewardess came over and he ordered a bottle of gin, downing it in a long swig. Flying sober was definitely not part of Plan B.
He yawned and stretched out, despite the grumbling of the man sitting next to him. Plenty of energy would be needed tomorrow to convince Zatanna to come along and help him. He just hoped she remembered some of what he had taught her about fighting dark magic.
And hopefully some of that tantric magic, too.
Plan B was definitely going to work.
To be continued...