Bruce
Wayne Manor

He stood in front of the mirror, trying to get his hair the perfect amount of messy for the evening. He knew what she was going for - the way she looked at him whenever he took off his cowl around her was hint enough. He'd left work on time and even had a chance to take a long shower to relax. When he walked into the bedroom, Zatanna was leaned over, putting on her heels. She stood and turned away from him.

"Zip me?"

He put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. "Up or down?"

"Up now, down later."

He brushed his finger up her back as he zipped it, then turned her and put his arms around her waist. She ran her hand up his chest, neck, and into his hair, a small smile pulling at the edges of her mouth. He raised his right hand and put his thumb to her red lips. She kissed it, eyes staring into his. Her hand trailed down along his stubble to the edge of his mouth. Leaning in, she kissed the scar at the corner.

"I'm ready when you are," she whispered. He nodded and stepped away, turning to the dresser and grabbing a watch he hadn't worn in years. "What's that?"

Turning toward her, he clasped it onto his wrist. "Rolex." She laughed and turned to grab her purse. "You have your phone?"

"Of course."

He took his from his pocket and turned it off before tossing it onto the bed. "Let's go."

They rode in the Bentley with the top down to the east side of the city. Zee pulled her shawl over her shoulders and grabbed his hand. The city flashed by, the sounds of a busy night thrumming around them until they arrived at the exclusive restaurant.

"I didn't even know this place was here."

"Not many people do. No sign. Not listed."

"How did you find out about it?"

He took her hand and helped her out of the car. "I own it."

"Of course you do."

Leading her inside, he nodded to the manager, who had prepared the private table in the back for them.

"Two glasses of champagne, please. I already ordered for us, if that's okay."

Zee smiled. "Better be good."

"It will be." He leaned forward and ran his hand along her arm. "You look beautiful."

"So do you."

"Dance with me?"

"There's a dance floor?"

"There is." He pulled her to her feet and led her out to the nearly-empty dance floor. A nameless song was playing, low and soft. Pulling her close, he pressed his lips to hers. Everything else faded away for the first time in months. Her lips eventually trailed down to his neck, then his chest, taking full advantage of the lack of tie. People were probably watching them. People were probably jealous. He let his hands venture lower on back and down to the hem of her short dress.

"We aren't alone," she mumbled against his chest.

"Mm. Reputation to uphold, remember? Ladies man..." He trailed his fingers back up her thighs.

"Are you going to use that line anytime you want to do something inappropriate?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Not really. Hell, we could put on a show, if you want." She grabbed his waist, pulling him even closer before slipping her tongue out to run along his bottom lip. "It's your place. We can do whatever we want."

"I don't think that's actually how it works."

"Private room, private table...it looked sturdy." Her fingers worked another button on his shirt open.

A waiter walked up and interrupted whatever part of the show she had in mind next. "Your food is ready, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne."

They returned to the private room and he listened while she told him of her day of adventures with Thomas. She had fallen right back into their routine after the tour and never seemed to grow bored with her daily life of being a mother. It surprised him, considering the jet-setting, independent life she'd lived up until he came along, but she was a natural.

"He's terrible at catching minnows, though. I don't think he has a future as a fisherman."

"And how many did you catch?"

"Hey...those little bastards are fast."

He smiled and ran his hand through her hair. "This is nice. I feel like we haven't talked in weeks. Not really."

"I know. I guess life's gotten in the way."

"I need to do better. This is a good start."

"It is. How long have you owned this place? The food was incredible."

"A few weeks. Alfred helped with the menu and picked the chef."

"Wait...you got this just for us?"

He shook his head and leaned forward. "Just for you."

"You're crazy," she whispered before kissing him. "I love it. Who else gets invites?"

"Mostly Wayne employees. A few celebrities and musicians. People who know how to keep to themselves. But this table and this room are always just for you. There's even a Thomas menu."

She laughed. "A Thomas menu? What's on that one?"

"Bananas, oatmeal, spaghetti with meatballs, yogurt, grilled chicken with baby carrots, and pancakes, of course."

"Alfred was right. You're going to spoil him worse than any of us."

"Not just him. They have the most extensive vegetarian menu in the city. All of your favorites."

"You are too much."

"So I've heard. We'll eat here at least once a week."

"That's an ambitious plan."

"Guaranteed," he said, kissing her again. "Ready for the next part of the evening?"

"There's a next part? I assumed we'd just dance more. Or, you know...test out the strength of these table legs."

He stood and offered his arm. "We can come back for that later, if you want. But there is a next part."

"You and your secrets," she said, taking his arm and letting him lead her to the car.

They drove a little further into town until he reached a small theater. "Ready?"

"A comedy show? Bruce Wayne...Batman...at a comedy show? I feel like I should be recording this for posterity."

"If you tell anyone, I will deny it to my dying day."

The line was already forming at the door, so he led her to the side and kissed her cheek before walking to the will-call window. When he headed back with their tickets, he looked up and stopped, watching her standing alone. There was a group of young men a few yards from her, looking her up and down and practically drooling down their shirts. She seemed oblivious, watching the cars passing along the street. One of the men walked over to her, while the others watched.

"Excuse me. Are you here alone? My friends and I were wondering if you would like to join our table." His slur hinted that he had gotten all of his confidence from the bottom of a liquor bottle.

"I'm here with my husband, but thanks," she said, smiling politely.

"Oh, right. Husband. Sorry, I just...yeah. Have a nice night." He stumbled back over to the rest of the group, who ribbed him for his failure. Bruce walked up behind her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Sure you don't want to sit with them? They're probably a lot of fun."

She leaned back into him. "I prefer the kind of fun I get to have with you."

"Come on. We can head in."

Several of the waiting patrons grumbled when they were led inside, but he didn't pay a premium to wait in a line. They were seated at a table close to the front, but isolated from the others.

"So, I have to ask: why a comedy club?"

"Because I want to hear you laugh. And while I am, as everyone knows, a comedic genius, I wanted someone else to do the work."

He could see in her eyes that she was trying desperately to let the "comedic genius" line pass. "Right. Well, genius, I laugh all the time."

"Not like this. Let me have my fun."

The room filled quickly once the doors were open, and they enjoyed their drinks until the lights dimmed and the show started. He'd made the right choice. Zatanna was laughing so hard there were tears in her eyes when she finally looked back over to him halfway through the show.

"Are you even paying attention?"

"Yes," he said, putting his hand on her cheek. "To every bit of it."

Her hand went to his thigh and slowly moved up while she grinned. Leaning forward, she kissed him – passionately this time – quickly forgetting about the act. He groaned and pulled her closer.

"When do you want to leave?" She mumbled against his mouth, hand creeping ever higher on his leg.

"Now. Right now."

"Hey, now! I thought this was my show," the comedian said. "Damn, were you getting tired of her paying more attention to me than you?"

"Guess she finds my sense of humor more attractive," Bruce said, standing and pulling Zee to her feet. "But thanks for the entertainment. I'll see to my wife's enjoyment for the rest of the night."

"Well, shit. You're not subtle. I'd argue, but looking at the two of you...I think you'd upstage me."

"Let's go," Zatanna purred in his ear, taking advantage of her heels. She started kissing her way down his neck and trailing her hand back up his leg.

"Seriously, you two. Leave before you get us all pregnant," the comedian said. "How about a round of applause for the disgustingly gorgeous couple."

The crowd hooted and hollered as they walked out, with Zee's lips still assaulting his sensitive skin. When they got to the car, he pushed her up against it and thrust his hips into hers.

"Still want to go back and dance?"

"No," she said breathlessly, pushing his jacket off of his shoulders.

He twisted her hair in his hand and pulled her head back. "Then tell me what you want."

"I want you to take me home and fuck me," she said, teeth clinched and eyes blazing.

"As always, your wish is my command. Get the in car." He moved back far enough to open the door and let her in. They started the trip back through downtown and her hand returned to his thigh, working it's way up until she was stroking him through his pants. "Fuck this traffic."

"You should have gotten a limo. I haven't had sex in a limo in a long time."

"Next time. No more driving. This is torture."

"I could get us there faster," she said, leaning over and running her free hand through his hair again.

"That might be..."

Zatanna's hands went still when she heard the same thing he did: someone ahead of them in the traffic was screaming. She leaned back to her side while he rolled the windows down.

"That's more than one person," she said, squinting and looking ahead. A gunshot rang out. "I can't see anything from here."

"Me, either. Hang on. I'm going to get us off of the main road." He gunned the engine and skirted around the traffic until he reached a dark alleyway. Once they were out of sight, he jumped from the car. "I need my suit."

She exited and moved to his side. "Tius su pu." The light flashed and they were both in their costumes.

"No. You stay here."

"No. I can get up and tell you what I see. Here." She tossed him a communicator she had conjured and put another in her ear. "Etativel."

"Zatanna, don't. I can handle this."

"You don't even know what 'this' is. I'm just going to go look. I'll let you know what you're getting yourself into." Without letting him respond, she rose up and headed toward the commotion.

"Zatanna!" Damn it. Retired, my ass.

Zatanna
Downtown Gotham City

She rose above the traffic and headed toward the source of the sound, but the closer she got, the less she could see.

"Zatanna? Talk to me."

"Oh, so you do want to know what's going on, huh?"

"Funny. Just talk to me."

"I can't see much of anything. There's smoke or something. Maybe fog. I'll get a little lower."

Heading further into the heart of the chaos, she pushed toward the edge of the cloud.

"Wait. Zatanna. Don't get lower." Bruce's voice was suddenly more urgent. "Zatanna?"

"Yeah? It's fine. I'm just..." As the fog started to surround her, she felt her head start to spin. "I'm just..." Her voice cut out when whatever was in the air hit her lungs.

"Zatanna! Get out of there! Zatanna?"

She tried to speak to him. She tried, but nothing came out. At the same time, she felt herself losing control of her body in the air. Turning, she looked for a place to land. When she headed toward the nearest rooftop, she started to tumble. She came down unwillingly, catching her foot on the ledge and rolling forward onto the roof until she came to a graceless stop. With a wince, she shook her head and tried to figure out what had taken her down. The sounds from the street were pounding in her ears...shifting...changing into something she remembered. Something horrifying. The sounds of Hell. Scrambling to her feet, she took in her surroundings. It was dark, the fog was dense. She was in the thick of it.

Spell, Zatanna. Think of a spell.

They were there in her mind, she was sure of it, but she couldn't reach them. She couldn't say them. She couldn't speak.

I can't speak.

More than that, she couldn't feel it or hear it. Her magic...it was gone. She needed to get down and find somewhere safe to hide.

You're not taking me back to that place.

Somehow, Hell had opened up and found her. The tear between dimensions? Was this her doing? A hissing sound in her ear made her reach up and throw the communicator down on the roof.

Bruce. They have Bruce.

She needed to find him and help. She needed to, but she couldn't make herself move. She felt helpless.

Move, damn it.

Finally, her body lurched forward, but she only made it a few steps before she saw something coming through the fog. It was tall with long claws on one hand. The face was nearly featureless, warped. It was moving toward her and speaking.

"I can see it in your eyes," it growled. "I can smell it coming from your pores." Stumbling backward, she tripped over her own feet and hit the roof again. "It's beautiful. Embrace it. Breathe it in, woman."

She fought her way back to standing and headed toward the ledge. The monster was pinning her into a corner and she had no way to defend herself.

Defend yourself!

Her hands raised in front of her.

Fight. I can still fight.

The monster closed in on her and she swung her fist, catching it on the side of its featureless face. It let out a groan and hiss. She shoved against its side while it was off balance and moved out of the corner. When she turned, it was coming at her again. Ducking its claws, she threw a punch into its midsection. She heard the air leave it as it doubled over. Bringing her knee up, she landed a blow to the side of its head, knocking it to the roof. Seeing her opportunity, she turned to run away, until the monster reached out and swiped at her ankle, bringing her to her knees. She tried to kick her way free, but it yanked hard and leaped on top of her. Before she could react, it brought its claws down into her neck, piercing her skin. The pain was sharp, but brief. When the claws pulled back, she brought her hand up to the wound, finding only a small amount of blood. She was trying to fight her way free of its grip when another wave hit her. Not just fear this time...terror. Sheer terror that seized her body and mind.

"Shh..." It spoke next to her ear, trapping her with its weight. "It's okay to be afraid."

Batman
Downtown Gotham City

"I can't see much of anything. There's smoke or something. Maybe fog. I'll get a little lower." Zatanna was high over the commotion. Batman grappled up to the top of the nearest building before her words fully sank in. Fog. Screaming. The gas.

"Wait. Zatanna. Don't get lower." He had already lost sight of her as she descended. "Zatanna?"

"Yeah? It's fine. I'm just...I'm just..." Her words trailed off into a choking sound.

"Zatanna! Get out of there! Zatanna?" She wasn't answering and he couldn't see her. "Zatanna! Say something. Tell me where you are. I'll get to you."

He grappled to the next building, but was still too low to spot her in the fog. Reaching to the side of his cowl, he pulled the mouth cover across. After the incident with Dent, he didn't want to risk being exposed again and built in a filter, but he hadn't planned on Zatanna being at risk. Now she was in the gas cloud with no protection...if that's what it was. It has to be.

He grappled into the fog once his face was covered and turned on his heat vision lenses. There was pure chaos below. People were fighting, hiding, running. He looked up, but couldn't find Zatanna. It wasn't long before he heard a noise in his ear. It sounded like she had the wind knocked out of her.

"Zee? It's Bruce. I know you're scared, but just tell me where you are." The communicator crackled and he couldn't hear her breathing anymore. She'd taken it out of her ear. From what he could tell form his current vantage point, she hadn't come down on the street.

I need to get higher.

There was a billboard across the road that towered above most of the rest of downtown, so he shot up and stood on the top. Scanning, he finally spotted her on a rooftop almost a block away. She wasn't alone. There was a thin man walking toward her, backing her toward the ledge. Diving down, he hit a glide and worked his way from roof to roof in her direction. There were power lines and street lights everywhere, hindering his movements. He could hear a new voice on the other end of the communicator when it drew closer.

"...breathe it in, woman."

Get the fuck away from her.

Getting closer, he finally realized where she landed – on top of the local police lockup.

At least the prisoners are caged.

He looked to her and couldn't help but smirk, despite the situation. She was fighting back. After three good blows, she had him down, but instead of finishing him off, she tried to run. The man got her down and jumped on top of her, jabbing his claws into her neck.

No! Move faster.

He was still two buildings away and having difficulty finding grappling spots in the cloud, but he could see their heat signatures fine. He was on top of her.

"Shhhh...it's okay to be afraid." The eerie voice carried to the communicator

As he finished hissing the words, someone else landed on the roof. He heard the crack of a whip and the man's hand was jerked back.

"If anyone's going to claw her eyes out, it's going to be me." Selina. "Now get off of her."

Batman landed next to Catwoman as the man scrambled to his feet and backed away. Zatanna was still down, grasping at her neck, eyes wide, and breathing so hard it looked like she was going to pass out. There was hardly any blood coming from her wounds.

"What did you do to her?" He growled, lunging forward and grabbing the man by the collar of his ragged jacket. The claws swiped forward, but bent against his armor. Needles.

"I'm setting her free, Batman. Just like I tried to set you free."

Throwing him down on the ground, he put his knee on his back. The man reached in his pocket and pushed a small button before he could wrestle it from his hand. Below, he could hear the blaring of an alarm. "Who are you? What have you done?"

"Can't you see? I'm the Scarecrow...and I've started Gotham's cleansing."

The door to the roof creaked open. Batman stood, peering into the fog. A man in a prison jumpsuit stumbled forward, coughing when the thicker gas reached his lungs. His eyes were wide when he saw them.

"No! No! Leave me alone!" He turned and tried to go back down the stairs, but ran into another prisoner. They both yelled, grappling and taking each other down. Another prisoner stumbled out. Another.

The man in the mask scrambled toward them, trying to get lost in the fray.

"Catwoman?"

"We can take them."

"I can. I need you to get Zatanna under control before she gets hurt."

"Shouldn't you do that part? She's more likely to zap me from existence."

"She's not using magic. Not speaking. I don't think she knows she can. Let me handle the others. Just get her. Please."

"Okay, then. Easy enough," she said, turning toward Zee.

"Cat?" She turned back to face him. "I trained her."

"Oh...right. Well, this should be fun." She cracked her whip and headed to where Zatanna had retreated. There was a part of him that was pissed off that he wasn't going to get to watch the action, but he needed to get the prisoners back inside. And he needed to catch this "Scarecrow".

Running forward, he grappled the closest prisoner to the ground and quickly zip tied his hands and feet. He was screaming in terror. They all were. There were at least ten on the roof now, tripping over one another and fighting...fighting each other and their fear. He slammed another down and subdued him. The masked man slipped through the door. Fighting three men off, he knocked them unconscious and tried to get to him. Another prisoner grabbed his cape, pulling him back.

"Help me! Help!" The man yelled and yanked at the cape again. Batman punched him the stomach, doubling him over. He tied him up and turned back to the doorway. It was empty.

"Batman! Batman!" Selina was yelling from across the roof. He turned to see her hanging by one arm from a rail on the ledge. Zatanna was gone.

"Catwoman?" He ran toward her.

"Down. She's down, but I can't hold her." She was straining and her arm was slipping.

Sprinting, he jumped from the ledge and twisted in the air, firing his grappling hook back up to the ledge. Zatanna was upside down, being held by Selina's whip around her ankle. Retracting the line, he shot upward, grabbing her arm and pulling her with him just as the handle slipped from Selina's hand.

"Grab my neck!" He yelled. Selina grasped onto him and they all tumbled up onto the roof in a heap.

"Ah, shit. That wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be," Selina mumbled, grabbing her shoulder.

"You hurt?"

"Nothing bad. She's got a sledgehammer of a left hook, but was more interested in running...off the damn roof."

Zatanna rolled over and began to panic again when she saw them.

"Zatanna? Please..."

"I don't think she's going to listen to you."

She fought her way to her feet, limping and trying to get to the door. He lunged forward and grabbed her around the waist. She thrashed in his arms, desperate to break loose...trying every move she knew. Her mind was too scrambled for him to reason with her and she was going to hurt herself even worse fighting. Grimacing, he brought his arm up and put it around her neck in a sleeper hold.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear as he pushed her head forward slightly, compressing her carotid arteries. "I'm sorry."

She fought until the blood flow to her brain decreased. Slowly, her body went still in his arms. He lowered her to the roof, a sick feeling in his stomach. They'd sparred and bloodied each other dozens of times, but he'd never imagined using his strength to take her down against her will. Reaching up, he brushed her hair back from her neck. The wounds were small and the bleeding had already stopped. He ran his hand over her cheek.

"She'll forgive you," Selina said in a quiet voice, standing to his side.

"I know. Makes one of us."

"Not your fault."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be sore tomorrow, but I'll live."

"Gas mask?"

"After seeing what happened to you with Dent, I started carrying one."

"Thank you. You saved her life."

"Well, I don't like owing anyone anything. When she comes around, tell her we're even."

"I will. Get home and rest. I'll get the others to help here."

She turned silently and disappeared down the side of the building. Looking around, Batman took count of the men on the roof. He'd subdued five. Two others had made it to the street. The rest had disappeared back down the stairwell.

With Scarecrow. With Crane.

He knew the voice. He knew the frame. He should have acted on his suspicions. After everything with Elliott and Dent, he'd been too cautious, not wanting to overstep the GCPD again. Zatanna had suffered because of it. Dozens had. He walked to the edge of the building and looked down. The police had moved in with gas masks and were trying to control the crowd. He needed to help. He needed to get Zee clear first.

"Batman?" Batwoman landed on the roof next to him. "What the hell happened?"

He walked back and picked Zatanna up. "I need to get her home. Help the police. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Batgirl's on the way. Is Zee alright?"

"No."