The Killer
Gotham City

Having a face people naturally trust is a useful resource in life. The women were drawn to his easy good looks and charming smile. It made taking them so much easier; they came close very willingly as they flirted. No one expects the handsome guy next door.

"Hey, I think I just saw someone ding your car," he said as she unlocked the doors to the sedan.

"Seriously? People are the worst. Where at?" She asked, walking closer to him. He glanced around the dark street, assessing the risk of being seen.

"Rear bumper. They were trying to back up and don't know their D from their R," he said with his charming smile. They walked to the back of the car together and she leaned down to run her hand along the undamaged bumper.

"Hmm...don't feel anything. Maybe it was just a nudge." She smiled back at him. "Have we met before? You look so familiar." With one more glance around, he brought his elbow down on her left temple as she tried to stand. A small groan escaped her as she hit the pavement. He brought his fist down hard on the back of her head to make sure she was out and picked her up. Quickly walking around the corner to his car, he dropped her in the trunk and returned to where she had fallen. Pulling out a black light, he scanned the ground, making sure the only thing left behind was her blood. No footprints. No tire tracks. No cameras. Another clean extraction.

Batman
Kidnapping Scene

Selina had called. She'd heard talk of an abandoned car and a missing girl, so he met her at the scene.

"Thanks for answering for a change," she said as he arrived.

"What do you know?" He turned on his scanners and started to examine the car. The doors were unlocked, but it didn't appear to be damaged. No forced removal.

"There was just some scuttlebutt that a girl who matched the killer's tastes didn't make it home from work. People are on edge." Not on edge enough.

"You should have called the cops. Gordon already wants you arrested for Jensen. He won't like that you're working against him."

She rolled her eyes and walked around the car. "I'm not working against him. I called the best detective I know to come to the scene. Does this look like blood to you?"

Moving next to her at the back of the car, he scanned the ground. "It is. Female DNA. He took her here." He took a sample and uploaded it to the computer. "I'm not finding anything else in the area." As usual. Grappling up to a nearby rooftop, he switched to his long-range scanner. The streets had been recently swept, so tire tracks weren't going to be easy to find. Even so, they were more likely to lead them down a rabbit hole than toward the killer. This was the freshest crime scene they had and they knew exactly who had been taken. It was a start, at least.

"What next?" Catwoman had joined him on the roof and was looking down at the car.

"I call the police. Put out an alert and turn up the heat on the guy. She's still alive, unless he's changed his pattern. Maybe we can bring this one home."

She nodded and looked over to him. "Thanks for not arresting me," she said with a grin.

"Thanks for the tip. I'll let you know what we find." He quickly grappled away and toward the car. Entering, he dialed Gordon and let him know what they had found, leaving out the Catwoman tidbit. He needed them to focus on the killer, not her.

Let's take some fucking control.

Zatanna
San Francisco

Daily walks in the city were the norm now. The ocean air was refreshing and she would regularly stop into boutiques and shops to buy maternity clothes or gifts for the baby. At the rate she was going, she was going to have more toys than she could reasonably store, but her desire to make the baby happy was overriding her self control. Screw it, shopping is fun. In the evenings, she would read and meditate before curling up with Asshole as he continued to chat with her belly.

"Why do I get the feeling you two are already plotting some sort of coup?" The cat hadn't forgiven her, but his list of Zatanna sins was so long at this point, that it didn't even matter. She was glad that he had, at the very least, stopped screaming at her during his waking hours. It had been easy enough to stay incognito since she had arrived; she really didn't want the media picking up on the fact that she had moved back yet. She would want to avoid them even more when the pregnancy started to show. It might not be as big of a deal if she and Bruce hadn't gone very public right before she found out, but the proverbial cat was out of the bag now and it wouldn't escape them that they weren't together. Happy couples don't live thousands of miles apart.

And so, knowing she would eventually have to lock herself away from prying, judgmental eyes, she walked the city while she could.

"Golden Gate rice bowl, please. And just water to drink." Caffeine withdrawals had been a nightmare, but she was grateful that she hadn't had any weird cravings...yet. As she sat in her favorite vegetarian cafe, she flipped through the pages of her latest edition of the Zatanna Chronicles. At age six, she was already adept at escaping pretty much any knot, chamber, chain, or lock. Her father worked with her on a daily basis to hone her skills and teach her to perform on a stage. There were clear lines between stage magic and real magic...each had their own applications. She remembered every rule as if she had learned them the day before. Though she knew the information was valuable, she wondered if she was doing more harm to her mental state than good. She had no idea how she could accomplish the same thing. Patience and persistence aren't really my forte. Closing the book and paying for her meal, she stepped out to complete her daily walk. She had only taken a few steps when she heard someone calling out her name.

"Zatanna! Oh, how perfect! I was hoping I had heard correctly that you were here." Tsaritsa. Just what I need.Her uneasy ally walked up to her and grabbed her into a hug that she fought her way free of as quickly as possible. The smile on the woman's face made her skin crawl.

"I wasn't aware news had gotten around already," she said, taking a very large step backward.

"Well, I have some handy contacts throughout California and they let me know as soon as they heard you were in town. I do hope you intend to stay a while."

I did. Shit.

"I haven't really decided," she lied. "Just visiting for now."

"Since you are, I was thinking this would be the perfect time for me to call on you for that favor you owe me."

Casting a quick glance around at the crowded street, Zee nodded and walked toward an alleyway off the main road. Tsaritsa followed, her gaudy, clunky heels clicking on the pavement and echoing off of the brick buildings. When she reached a quiet doorway, she leaned against it and tried to think her way out of the situation.

"I know that I owe you, but this might not be the best time. Not if it requires magic."

"Oh, it does. A fair amount of it. May I ask why you aren't upholding your end of our bargain?" Her voice suddenly had a sharper edge to it.

Not the next person I wanted to tell about this.

"I will. I intend to make good on my promise, but I'm pregnant and it's limiting my powers."

Her face suddenly lit up and she smiled as if the news somehow had even the slightest impact on her existence. "How wonderful! Zatanna, my dear, that is such fantastic news. I could not be happier!"

"Um...thanks?" Please leave please leave please leave.

"In fact, maybe I don't need magic at all. How about making me the godmother to repay me?" She smiled sweetly. Zee stared at her with wide eyes at the new, horrifying request.

"I don't really think..."

Tsaritsa laughed and grabbed her hand. "Oh, I'm just kidding, darling. I would never. Kids are the worst, but I'm sure yours will be fine. Please do call my office as soon as you can assist me. Also, I might know someone who can help with that demon, if you'd like."

"Please don't call my child that," she responded with annoyance.

"Not the child. The demon." Zatanna gave her a confused stare, not following. "Don't tell me you can't feel it. Did you think you came back from Hell alone?"

Holy shit...the voices.

"You're saying I'm possessed?"

"I layman's terms, yes. Don't worry, he seems pretty well contained there, but if you want to keep your sanity it might be a good idea to see a specialist. I know a few, if you're interested, let me know. I'll be in touch!" With that, she walked away, leaving Zee completely flabbergasted. She was so sure the evil things she was thinking were coming from her own warped subconscious, she never considered that there was another influence. Despite the creepiness of having a demon inside of her, she felt a rush of excitement in knowing there might be an end to the torment. Tsaritsa wasn't someone she would trust to give her a reliable person to help, but she knew someone with just the expertise she needed...and he freaking owed her.

Batman
Watchtower

RECOGNIZE: BRUCE WAYNE

He hadn't been making regular visits to the Watchtower. Clark, Diana, Barry, and Victor were handling most business while he hunted the serial killer. The exception was Monday night meetings, but he was usually a silent observer unless they inquired about his progress. This Monday quickly became an exception as soon as he arrived.

"What the fuck is going on?" Kate yelled as he entered the monitoring room. The team was gathered around the computer and staring at him as he walked in.

"Calm down, I don't have a clue what you're talking about," he growled back, not appreciating her tone.

"You don't have a clue? Explain this," she said pulling up a grayed out roster picture of Zatanna. He swallowed hard as he walked closer and saw the updated status: "resigned". "Have your attention now? I'm going to ask again what the fuck is going on."

Staring at the screen, he tried to make his mind focus. She told me. I left. Working. Hunting.

"What day is it?" He asked in a low voice. It was quiet for a long time as the team exchanged confused looks.

"Monday, Bruce. That's why you're here," Tim said.

"No, what's the damn date?" I'm yelling at the wrong people.

"February 10th," Tim answered quietly.

Three weeks.

Diana approached from the corner and took his arm. He stumbled slightly as she forced him down the hallway and into the tech room.

"Explain," she said, blocking the exit. I don't even know what day it is. "Bruce, explain!"

"I can't! I...I can." His head was pounding again.

"Which is it?"

"I've been working," he mumbled.

"How does that explain any of this?" It doesn't.

"I have to go." Pushing past her, he headed to the Zeta tubes as team members tried to get his attention. Stepping in, he overrode the security to go to Shadowcrest, but nothing happened. He typed in the pass code again...nothing.

"Her Zeta tube is in the storage room. She transported it here when she sent the resignation letter," Clark said. Cursing, Bruce reset the computer and transported to Wayne Manor. Getting dressed, he noticed a small stack of items on his dresser: a book, pictures, and his beacon...everything he had given her as gifts. Jogging to the garage, he got on the closest motorcycle and rode quickly toward her house. Three weeks. When he arrived, he jumped off of the bike and ran up the steps to the door. He pounded for over a minute before a voice behind him got his attention.

"Figured you'd come here. I was listening in on the Watchtower." Dick was standing on the sidewalk, arms stiff at his side. "She's gone. You know, for the longest time, I thought the world of you. What you do, how you live your life. I wanted to be you, Bruce. In a lot of ways I guess I am, but there's one big difference." He had slowly walked forward as he spoke and was standing at the bottom of the steps now. "I actually give a shit about people."

He knows. "Where is she?"

"Fuck you."

"Dick, please..." He stepped forward and dodged the punch he knew would be coming. "Please." Two more dodged punches and he grabbed Dick's left fist, twisting his arm to trap it behind his back.

"Let me go. Fight me."

"No." He held him fast as he struggled. "I need to know where she is."

"If she wanted you to know, she would have told you. You're a fucking bastard."

"I know I am," he said, releasing his arm and taking a step back, holding his hands up. "I'm not going to fight you, son."

"Don't call me that. You don't know what family is." She told him. "She wanted me to fix things with you, you know. That's what she cared about before she left. And I lied to her and said I would."

Keeping a safe distance between them, Bruce tried to make his mind focus on something other than Batman's duties for the first time in weeks. Zatanna. Gotham. Shadowcrest. Home...home...not home. San Francisco. She's in San Francisco. He quickly pushed past Dick, who was still cursing him, dodging yet another punch before he got back on his bike.

"Go home, son."

The Killer
Gotham City

"Please let me go. You don't need to do this. Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to."

"My parents...they can get you money. They'll pay you if you just let me leave."

"Look at me, girl." She did. "Do you think I brought you here to get money?" She shook her head and started crying. "No. So stop trying to negotiate with me and accept your fate."

He was never one for gagging a victim unless absolutely necessary. It seemed like something a weak man would do when he was too afraid that he would waver and be persuaded by his prey. The Killer wasn't weak. You don't take the steps to get to this point by being weak.

"You should be flattered. I'm going to make you famous. Isn't that what all the pretty girls want in Gotham? Fame? Sure seems that way."

"I just want to go home," she whimpered.

"That's not happening. I'll be back soon."

Leaving the basement, he locked the door and headed to the living room. When he turned on the TV, the news stations were broadcasting the latest update on Bruce Wayne's social life. Gotham's favorite son. The Killer was sick of how the press fawned over Wayne. Falling ass backwards into a pile of cash isn't impressive and it doesn't make you a hero, but the city loved its rich. The coverage shifted to his latest victim. He admitted it was a better effort than all of the previous women, but the result would be the same. Turn up all the heat you want. I can take it.

Zatanna
San Francisco

"Wasn't expecting a call from you."

"Are you sober?"

"Actually, yes. That spell you put on me must have reset my liver or something. Hardly drinking at all. To what do I owe the pleasure, love?" She could hear Constantine lighting a cigarette as he spoke. Clearly didn't reset his lungs.

"I need your help with something. Can you come to San Francisco? I'll pay for the flight, hotel, and everything else."

"Miss me that much, eh?" Ugh. "Why not just transport me? I can be in your arms in the blink of an eye." Maybe Tsaritsa was the better choice.

"No, I need you to fly here."

He paused for a moment before speaking again. "What's this about, then?"

"I need you to perform an exorcism." The words sounded strange coming out of her mouth, especially knowing that she was the one who needed said exorcism. She felt her blood run colder.

- "You can't get rid of me that easily, bitch."

"I've never known you to be one who deals in this kind of bullshit. What's really going on?"

"I told you. Can you come here? I'll explain more in person. You owe me, John." Desperate times calls for desperate measures. She might not trust Constantine as far as she could throw him, but he knew his way around demonic possessions. For better or worse, he was the right man for this particular job.

"It'll be a few days. I'll text you and let you know when I can come."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. And soon as you can, please. This is important." Hanging up the phone, she sat down on the couch and tried to process the day. Tsaritsa wasn't going to let her out of their bargain, but she may well have saved her sanity and her life by telling her about the demon.

I'm possessed. I'm pregnant and possessed. I have two things inside of me holy shit.

She was freaking out a bit as the voice...the demon...clawed at her mind, desperate to maintain control over her. It knew its days were numbered now and it was determined to do as much damage as possible before it went back to Hell. There wasn't much Zatanna could do about it without help, because a self-exorcism wasn't an option...or a thing. From what little she knew, she would be kicking and screaming the whole time. A chill ran down her spine as she thought about what it might do to the baby. Another thing I hope John knows about.

It was late in the afternoon, but the stress was making her head hurt. Laying down on the couch, she let herself doze off. When a knock at the door woke her, the room was dark. She glanced at the clock...8:00pm. The knocking got louder as she shook the sleep off. Her wards for the townhouse were shaped tightly to the frame of the building. On the crowded street, she didn't want an unaware neighbor to get repulsed by the spell, so she'd set them up to act only as a barrier. Violators wouldn't be zapped across the globe, but they sure as hell weren't going to get past the threshold of the door unless she allowed it. More pounding.

"For god's sake, enough," she mumbled as she stood. It only took a few steps for her to pick up on the energy being emitted from outside. Shit.

"Zatanna, open the door," Bruce's voice demanded. She stayed quiet as she leaned against the opposite wall. "Zatanna! I know you're there just open the door!" His voice was loud and she knew he was too damn stubborn to leave until he either got his way or the neighbors called the cops. Cursing again, she unlocked the deadbolt and cracked the door.

"Leave. Now." His hand reached forward, but he yelped as the protection spell shot a bolt of energy through his arm. A look of shock and hurt crossed his face as he realized he was no longer exempt from her wards. No one was aside from her and the cat; after the year she'd had, she was taking precisely zero chances with the baby's safety.

"Please," he said in a low voice. "Please let me in." He put his hand out against the barrier and winced as it fought him.

"No. I told you to leave." She could feel the spell building as he pushed harder against it. "Damn it, Bruce, stop. You're going to hurt yourself."

"Zee, please." He pushed harder still as his body strained against the pain. Fucking stubborn fool. She tried to stand her ground, but could feel how much the struggle was hurting him.

"Goddamn you. Tel mih ni," she said, lifting the spell so he could enter. Before she could escape, he had her around the waist, face burying in her hair as he walked her backwards and closed the door behind them.

"Come home," he rasped, pressing her against the wall. "I love you. Come home."

"I am home. Let me go." She tried to push against him, but he didn't budge.

"I need you home." His free hand trailed down her body to stomach, but she quickly moved it away.

"I don't give a shit what you need. My baby is all I care about now. I'm staying here and you're leaving." She tried again to free herself, but he still didn't loosen his grip. "Don't make me say it backwards."

"Our baby," he whispered, still not letting go.

"No. My baby. You made it very clear how you felt from the start. Now get the fuck out of my home." She could feel the tears running down her face as he continued to hold her against the wall. Gritting her teeth, she tried to summon the willpower to stand her ground. He knew every weakness she had and would try to use them to manipulate her.

"I panicked. That doesn't mean I wanted you to leave. I don't know how to do this, but come home. I'm...I'm making it safer."

"How? By spending time with Selina Kyle?" Tsaritsa wasn't the only person with sources. Dick's motives were self-serving, and he clearly wasn't keeping his promise, but he knew she would want...need...to know the truth about what Bruce was really doing. She could feel every muscle in his body tense. "Tel em og." He took a quick, involuntary step back as his hands dropped to his side. "Tell me something, Bruce...why would someone with an entire group of superhuman beings at his disposal choose to team up with a criminal to solve murders?"

His eyes didn't meet hers as he stood with a shocked look on his face. "She's...she wanted to help. She knew a victim...knows Gotham. We're not..."

"Just stop, Bruce." She had no desire to listen to him stammer out a lie.

- "He's fucking her."

"Yeah, probably."

He glanced at her face for a moment before looking back down at the floor.

"Leave," she said quietly. His head shook slightly, but she'd reached her limit. "Teg tuo."

With a sharp turn on his heel, he walked out of the front door. Slamming it behind him, she quickly restored her wards before sliding down the wall to sit the floor. He was still on the porch. She could feel him as he stood on the other side of the door. I can't afford to care. Curling up on the welcome mat, she let her tears flow. Bruce was still outside when she fell asleep on the ground. For the first time since Hell, the voices followed her into her dreams, ripping apart her last refuge as they laughed.

*Since I'm getting a lot of negative feedback, I'm going to take a break from posting. Not sure if I'll continue, but the shitty comments are too discouraging. Take care, everyone.