Bruce
San Francisco
"Welcome to home number three," Zatanna said, opening the door and leading them inside. "Alfred, there's a downstairs suite for you to the right of the living room with an attached bathroom, so make yourself at home. Bruce, we're upstairs to the left."
Bruce took their luggage up the stairs and into the bedroom. He hadn't made it past the front entrance on his previous attempt to visit, so he had to search a minute to find the right room. It was neatly decorated with a similar color palette to her Shadowcrest room. There was a crib in the corner.
"He might be getting a little big for that," he said, setting the luggage down next to the dresser.
"Yeah, I thought we might visit while he was little, so I added one here. Let me see." She held her hands out and said a long string of backwards words. The bed shifted and changed to a toddler size and then disappeared.
"Different room?"
She nodded. "I had most of his extra stuff in the room down the hall for when he got bigger. He got bigger."
She set Thomas down and he started exploring the room. Bruce walked over and put his arms around her. He was looking forward to giving her better memories in the house than he had left her with previously.
"Have you decided if you want to go on the tour with us?"
"Sure. It sounds like the eighth wonder of the world. Who would want to miss out on that?"
He smiled and kissed her. "Okay, let's give them a quick visit this afternoon and then I can do the rest of the tour tomorrow with Alfred. I'm feeling lazy. Want to magic me up some clothes?"
"Oh, I get to choose? Sweet."
Before he could protest, she snapped her fingers. He looked down at the outfit and then glared at her.
"Not. Funny." The Superman costume was a little too tight, way too blue, and she looked entirely too pleased with herself.
"You look great."
"This obsession you have with Superman is boarding on creepy. It's almost as bad as my obsession with Wonder Woman."
Her expression shifted and he had to fight to keep a straight face. "Not. Funny," she said, snapping her fingers and changing him into a business suit. "Yo, kid."
Thomas came over and she snapped again, putting him in the same suit, but much smaller.
"And you? I mean, a Wonder Woman costume would be fine with..."
Another snap and she was in a pants suit befitting a proper businesswoman. "Alright, you've made your point."
He finally laughed and picked up his little lookalike. Alfred was waiting downstairs.
"There's a car outside for you. I'll run and pick up some items for breakfast."
"Thanks, Alfred. You sure you don't want to go?"
"Maybe tomorrow. I could use some fresh air and sunshine."
"There's a nice park just north of here," Zatanna said. "It has a market near the entrance for fresh food."
"Thank you, ma'am. I'll make sure we have enough to get us through a couple of days."
They headed out to the waiting car and rode through town to Silicon Valley. Thomas was taking in the sights. So was he. It had been years since he'd spent more than a few hours in San Francisco. When they arrived at the front entrance of the new tech building, the manager greeted them with several other employees, including the architect.
"Mr. Wayne, I'm Jason Breckenridge. I'll be the manager of this little operation of yours once we get it up and running."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Breckenridge. This is my wife, Zatanna, and my son, Thomas."
Zee shook his hand and Thomas held his out for a proper greeting, also.
Breckenridge smiled and shook it. "Who's the real boss in this group?"
"Depends on who you ask. Let's pretend it's me while I'm here," Bruce said, following the man inside. The facility was stunning – bright, modern, and brimming with the latest technology and features around every corner. Thomas wanted to touch everything, but Zatanna kept a firm grip on his hand while they wandered around.
"And here's your office, for the odd occasion you'll be here."
It was clear that Lucius had given a fair amount of design advice on the space; there was even a couch in the back for napping. Zatanna went to it and sat down. He walked around the desk, running his hand over the surface before leaning against it and pushing down. He looked over at her and raised his eyebrows. She smirked and shook her head.
"Gotta break it in right," he said.
"What's that?" Breckenridge asked.
"Oh, the office. I'll have to break it in properly once everything's up and running."
"Of course, sir."
Zee laughed and leaned back, rocking Thomas. He was already exhausted from walking the halls and shaking the hand of every worker he passed.
"That might be all we have in us today, Mr. Breckenridge. We flew in early, but I'll be back tomorrow for the rest of the tour."
"I understand. And please, it's Jason."
"Alright, Jason. See you in the morning."
Zatanna stood and followed him out with Thomas waving goodbye to all of his new fans.
"He's a natural at this," Zee said as they climbed in the car.
"Don't worry, he'll learn to hate it."
"This is the most normal I've felt in months and it involved acting very abnormal. What does that say about us?"
"That we live very abnormal lives," he said. "But it's been nice to do something a little different. Speaking of which, where are you taking me to dinner tonight?"
"Not telling," she said with a grin.
"Now who's keeping secrets?"
Scarecrow
"Hold still," he said. The man mumbled against the gag on his mouth, trying to bargain his way out of his situation. "Just a few more minutes and we'll see how the medication affects you. Sorry for the delay. I want to get this right."
He wrapped the Kevlar around the man's neck twice and covered it with a thick piece of leather. It wasn't what Batman would use, but it was tough enough...it had to be. Taking the reinforced "needle", he pushed it through the layers and into the man's neck. He struggled and groaned. Admittedly, the injection device would be considerably more painful than a typical small gauge needle, but options were limited. He pushed the plunger and waited. It was clear the moment the serum started to work. He could see it in his eyes: first confusion...then panic...then terror.
This time, he would get to see the end result...get to watch as the man's mind was set free. No interruptions from Batman here. He leaned back and watched with a smile on his face. It was beautiful.
Zatanna
San Francisco
Bruce had kept his second day at the office short and made it home before lunch to take them to the zoo. Thomas was in full freak out mode every time they came to a new enclosure.
"Ook! Ook!" He'd point at every animal, certain it was the best thing that had ever be created...until the next one came along. Bruce let him ride on his shoulders, giving him a view fit for a giraffe. They spent the most amount of time with the elephants.
"You could always use elephants in your shows when you're bigger. Crowds love an elephant trick," Zatanna told him.
Bruce looked at his watch. "Let's go. I arranged a surprise."
They walked to a side entrance, where a zookeeper welcomed them and took them into the backstage area. Thomas let out a dramatic gasp when they rounded a corner.
"Thomas, this is Matilda. She's the newest member of our elephant family."
The baby elephant was standing next to her mother, trunk wrapped around her leg.
"How old?" Zatanna asked.
"Six weeks. We don't let them out into the main enclosure until they're bigger. We want them bonding with mom and free of stress as much as possible."
Bruce set Thomas down so he could get a better look.
"What do you think, son?"
Still too impressed to talk, he just pointed and leaned his head over on his daddy's leg.
"You can go closer. She's pretty shy, but she might come over and say hello."
The zookeeper took his hand and led him over close to the bars. Catching sight of him, the baby elephant let go of her mom and walked over, sticking her trunk out and getting a sniff of the curious boy. Thomas was so overwhelmed that he could barely whisper a "hi". He crouched down and let himself be examined. Bruce smiled and held her hand while they watched.
"I think you did a good job with the surprise," Zatanna said. "He's going to remember this forever."
"I've always liked elephants. Figured he would, too."
They let him take his time and he finally got brave enough to reach out and touch the trunk.
"Boo." He giggled and the elephant waved her ears at him. They stayed for close to an hour, watching feeding and learning more about his new friend. His eyes started to well up when it was time to leave.
"She needs to sleep now, Thomas," the zookeeper said. "But you can always come back and see her. After all, this place is yours now too, right?"
Bruce thanked the staff and led them back out with Zatanna studying him.
"Bruce...tell me you didn't buy your son a zoo."
"No, of course not." He didn't look at her, but he was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "We did, however, just leave the Thomas Wayne Elephant Pavilion."
"You bought him elephants?"
He laughed and took her hand again. "Just the pavilion. The animals belong to the zoo and will have everything they could ever need...including visits from their biggest fan."
"And I thought the restaurant was over-the-top."
"If you want, we could have the Zatanna Zatara Penguin Enclosure, too." He paused and looked over at her. "Because of..."
"The tuxes. Yeah, I get it." They both laughed at his dad joke and continued walking. "Now we really will have to come to San Francisco regularly."
"That's the plan," he said, though he didn't seem all too sure he could make good on the promise this time.
Thomas was starting to doze off on Bruce's shoulder, exhausted from his day of adventures, so they headed back home. They had one more night together before they had to return to Gotham…to reality. She wasn't dreading it, though. Even a couple of days away had helped her to gain some distance from their worries and some relief of her stress.
Bruce
San Francisco
Two days on a work trip shouldn't feel like a second honeymoon, but it did. Two dates nights in a row never happened in Gotham. He never had two nights in a row to hold her naked body against his and look in her eyes without immediately falling asleep. Those moments kept him grounded...and he was very grounded in this moment.
"What are you thinking?" He asked.
"About other dimensions."
He sighed. "Not the most relaxing topic."
Smiling, she brushed her lips against his. "Not like that. I was thinking about Zanna and Bruce."
"Mm." He kissed her and stroked her hair.
"How do you think two people like that find their way to each other? A magician-in-hiding and a lawyer?"
"She was an intern at his law practice," he said. She smiled and looked surprised. "We had a lot of time to talk while you planned the attack."
"So, she wanted to be a lawyer, too?"
He nodded. "She left school when she got pregnant, but still plans to go back and finish. Bruce said she was the hardest working intern he'd ever seen. She stayed late every night to read the law books in the office library. Sound familiar?"
"Certainly not the law part, but yes. Guess being a bookworm is a Zatanna thing."
"That's how they got together. She wanted to do what she could legally for her people, so she studied day and night. He was working late and offered her a ride home. A late meal and long conversation later and they were both smitten. She kissed him goodnight and..."
"Hell, yeah. Zatannas always make the first move on Bruces."
"They can't resist our charm," he said with a grin. "They were married six weeks later. Pregnant a few weeks after that."
"Oh, wow. Whirlwind."
"Definitely. He said it wasn't even a thought, though – they just knew. Especially when she told him she was magi. He knew he needed to take care of her."
"A Bruce thing." She rubbed her nose against his. "I'm glad they found each other."
"Me, too. And just think: for every dimension that's out there, there's a Bruce and Zatanna falling in love and having a Thomas."
She laughed. "Every dimension definitely needs a Thomas, but that doesn't mean every Bruce and Zatanna are in love."
He frowned at her. "Of course it does."
"I appreciate the romantic sentiment, but there have to be at least a few dimensions where we just hooked up."
"Hooked up how?"
She looked at the ceiling and thought. "You come to one of my shows in Vegas. I bring you up on stage to be my lovely assistant...cutting you in half, of course...and you can't take your eyes off of me...and I can't take my eyes off of you. You buy me a drink after the show and we end up spending one amazing night together before you have to leave. The sex is incredible."
He chuckled. "Sounds reasonable. But I never forget about that night, and when you tell me about your pregnancy, I do everything I can to support you. And we eventually do get together."
"You're probably right. Zatannas never can resist a Bruce. What about Thomas?"
"Child genius."
Laughing again, she ran her hands along his back. "You do one."
"We're both magicians." She opened her mouth to be a smart ass, but he covered it with his hand. "I'm better at it." She was trying to say unkind things against the hand. "Our competition is fierce until we end up on the same tour circuit. We team up and join our talents...mine greater, of course." More muffled cursing. "We fall in love." He finally removed his hand.
She glared at him. "No to just...so, so much of that. But what about Thomas?"
"Child genius."
"Naturally."
"You go."
She clamped her hand over his mouth. "I'm a criminal. I run magical back alley scams for money. You're a hard-boiled, jaded police detective. A real one, not a fake Batman one. I'm a small fish to someone like you, but I give you information on the big criminals in the area."
He mumbled against her hand.
"You're probably asking how a straight-laced, good guy cop could get mixed up with a card hustler like me. Well, maybe you're not so straight laced. And maybe I'm a good girl at heart, just trying to get by."
She removed her hand.
"And Thomas?"
"Magical prodigy...and child genius," she said with a smile. "One more?"
He brushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear and lowered his voice. "You're a teacher – elementary school. I'm a doctor, like my dad."
"I'm not a magician?"
"Sure you are. That's why you're everyone's favorite teacher. But, you wanted to live a quiet life, so we moved out of the city. We spend Saturdays at the lake with friends. Every Sunday we go to church and have supper with our parents after. We fall asleep in each other's arms every night and wake up together every morning."
Her eyes were wet with tears, but she cleared her throat and smiled again. "And Thomas?"
"Happy," he said. A tear rolled down her cheek. "And child genius."
She pressed her lips to his. "I like that one."
"So do I," he whispered.
It was the kind of life she deserved...the kind Thomas deserved. He knew it wasn't something they would ever have in their dimension, but knowing that it could be out there somewhere for them gave him a peaceful feeling. Somewhere, he was just Bruce, and she was just Zatanna, and they were just happy.
"Thank you."
"For?"
"Making this happen. It's been perfect."
He put his hand behind her neck and trailed his lips along her jaw.
"Don't talk like it's over," he whispered, moving to kiss her, tasting the sweetness of her tongue against his. "We don't leave until 3:00 pm, and we can sleep on the plane."
Zatanna
Wayne Manor
Sleep on the plane didn't happen. The flight was delayed and Thomas was completely wired the entire time, retelling the mostly-incoherent story of Matilda the elephant to her, Bruce, Alfred, the flight attendant, the pilot and the copilot. Twice.
"This is what you get for buying him elephants," Zatanna mumbled as they got off of the plane and into the car.
"Regretting it more each moment," he said, plopping down in the backseat.
Thomas fell asleep in the car seat...finally...on the ride from the airport. When they drove past the gate, there was a car sitting out front, suspiciously avoiding her wards. Her heart dropped and it must have shown on her face.
"Who?" Bruce asked, jaw tight.
"You already know."
Once they made it to the garage, she carefully took Thomas from the seat without waking him and handed him to Bruce. She let her wards drop to allow the uninvited guest in.
"I'll be upstairs soon."
"If you think I'm leaving you down here to..."
"Zatanna! Oh, at last. It's so marvelous to see you. I do hope this isn't a bad time." Tsaritsa's fake sweet voice interrupted him when she stepped out of her car.
"It's late," she said, not trying to fake niceness. "You could have called."
"But I didn't. Just like you didn't when you checked in on me. Call us even." The sweetness was starting to fade from her voice. Zatanna turned back to Bruce, who was getting more tense by the moment. "Well, if your wife isn't going to introduce me, I suppose I'll have to do it myself, though we did meet briefly at Shadowcrest months ago. I'm Tsaritsa, we're old friends." She held out her hand, but Bruce stared her down.
"I know who you are. My wife just got off of a long flight and is tired."
"I have been very patient with your wife, Mr. Wayne. She owes me a debt."
"Bruce, go upstairs." Zatanna turned and gave him a hard glare that she knew she would pay for later. Still gritting his teeth, he turned and headed away, followed closely by Alfred.
"Well, he's certainly a charmer," Tsaritsa said with a roll of her eyes.
"Not here. We're going to Shadowcrest." Without waiting for an answer, Zatanna transported them to the parlor. "Do not step outside of this room." She could feel the house fighting against her presence.
"You're very protective of the secrets you have hidden here. Your father taught you well. I've heard about the treasures buried deep in your archives. So many magicians would love a chance to get their hands on them. It's a dangerous business."
"Are you threatening me?"
Tsaritsa feigned a shocked look and put her hand over her heart. "Oh, my dear...of course not. Why, I'm just looking out for your best interest."
"We both know my best interest has nothing to do with your being here. Let's get on with this."
Face turning ice cold, she stepped toward her. "You know plenty from your little snooping session. You will be assisting me in getting a dear friend of mine to this dimension."
"Who?"
"That isn't important."
"It is."
"You made a promise to me, child! Without stipulations."
"Enough." Diana was standing in the doorway, hand on her lasso. The house had let her in the wards with no hesitation, and without Zatanna knowing. Damn it, Bruce.
"This doesn't concern you, Wonder Woman," Tsaritsa hissed.
"If it involves Zatanna, it concerns me."
"Meddling bitch. And you," Tsaritsa turned back to Zee, "you called her here to..."
"She didn't call me. She should have."
"Oh, then let me guess...your little spies clued you in. Do you think I didn't know you've been following me for years?"
"To be honest, I didn't really care. The only reason you're not in prison is we know that we can't hold you there. Consider them probation officers...for life." Diana came to stand next to them. Zatanna was fuming at her, but she wasn't paying attention. "If you want Zatanna's help, you'll have to deal with having mine, also."
"You think your talents have any use in this situation?"
"They were enough to deal with you before."
"Both of you stop," Zatanna snapped. "This is my home. Sit and listen or you'll both be removed." Gonna pay for that later, too. Diana turned and gave her a look that confirmed her assumption, but sat down near the entrance. Tsatritsa plopped into a chair with a huff. "I said I would help and I will do my best. Know this, though: I will not do anything illegal or that puts myself or anyone else in danger. And I will not be going into this blind. Wonder Woman, if you want to help ensure that these things happen, you're welcome to, but you won't stop me from helping."
She's going to murder me...assuming Bruce doesn't first.
"The man we will be bringing here used to be my lover. It has taken me years to contact him. I want him here and you will be helping me bring him."
"Your...lover. You want me to bring your boyfriend here. That's what all of this has been about?"
"Mmhmm." She was clearly hiding something.
"Zatanna..." Diana started to speak, but she held her hand up to stop her.
"Who is it?"
"I just told you."
"There's more. Tell me."
"His name is Callum Elhart. Happy now?"
Zatanna sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She was tired, pissed, and overwhelmed. "I'll be in California again soon. I need to see to my family first. I'll call you when I arrive."
"Zatanna!" Diana stood and moved to stand in front of her. "You cannot just do this."
"Trust me," Zee mouthed.
"Well, that's all I needed," Tsaritsa said. "Make it soon, dear. I've waited around long enough for you. I'm assuming walking to the door is not allowed."
With a flick of her wrist, Zatanna sent her back to her car.
"You have a plan?" Diana was still standing in front of her.
"I plan on going home and having a fight with Bruce. If I'm lucky, I'll get an hour of sleep before Thomas wakes up."
She stood and shoved past her, hoping she wouldn't see the tears running down her face. Diana grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry, sister. I'm sorry it's gotten to this point. I'll come over tomorrow and we'll figure this out...together."
Leaning into her shoulder, Zatanna sobbed. It was a mixture of exhaustion and dread, and she wanted to get as much of it out of her system as possible before she faced Bruce. The blissful relaxation of the night before felt like a lifetime ago. Once her body stopped shaking, she wiped her eyes and stepped back.
"I'll see you tomorrow." She transported Diana home and herself to the bedroom. Bruce was sitting on the edge of the bed, not looking at her. "Can I shower first?"
"First?"
"Before we fight."
He finally looked up at her, but his eyes were softer than she expected. "I don't want to fight."
Bruce
Wayne Manor
Zee's eyes were puffy and red from crying, so he stood and pulled her to the shower. They washed each other in silence, though she started crying again and didn't stop when they got in bed.
"We'll be okay," he whispered. He held her close and ran his hand along her back until she cried herself asleep. He stayed awake, mind too busy to let him rest. Diana texted to assure him that she would help, to his relief. He thanked her and let her know that they were resting and would get with her in the morning. At 6:00, he took the baby monitor to Alfred so he could see to Thomas when he woke. Zee finally came around a little after 9:00, jerking her head up.
"What happened? What time is it?"
"Mid morning. Alfred has Thomas."
"Why?"
"I wanted you to get more than a couple hours of sleep."
She let her head fall back to the pillow and rubbed her eyes. "Diana's coming over."
"I know. She texted. Let's go eat first."
They went downstairs and ate in resigned silence. He wanted to interrogate, but held back; there was no need to get started until Diana was there. Zatanna helped Thomas eat, kissing his head and whispering to him. He was quiet and serious, picking up on her mood, as he always did. Alfred took him again after they finished and Bruce led Zee into the den to wait.
"You didn't have to skip monitoring," she said, sitting down on the couch and pulling her legs up underneath her.
"Yes, I did." He sat down and reviewed patrol notes from the night before. Diana arrived soon after and sat down. Leaning back in his chair, he turned around and faced them.
"Catch me up."
Zatanna rubbed her forehead and kept her eyes turned down. "I can't do what she's asking."
"Then why did you tell her you would?" Diana asked.
"Because if I don't help, she'll find someone else...and we can't let her bring that man here."
"Who is it?" Bruce asked.
"She said it was her lover from another dimension," Diana said, but Zee shook her head.
"Not unless that man is more desperate in her dimension than he is in ours."
"You know this man she told us about?"
"Diana...Kal-lum El-hart?"
Diana sighed and rolled her eyes. "Kal-El. I wasn't even listening to her."
Bruce felt a chill run down his spine. "She wants to bring another Superman here?"
Zatanna nodded. "And it's a safe bet that if he's trying to get here, and working with her to do it, he isn't the friendly hero we all know and love. I read up on your last interaction with her. She was convinced that Clark was some sort of Prince Charming? Or her idea of one? I'm guessing she found a way to get a surrogate."
"How do we stop it?"
"We fix the rip between dimensions."
"I agree, but we haven't figured out a way to do that, yet."
"I've been working on that, but I don't know if I'm on the right track. Dr. Fate said we needed tremendous amounts of power to affect the rip. Shazam sent J'onn to the other dimension with a lightning bolt. What if we could somehow use that same power to fix the problem?"
They all looked at one another, considering the option.
"We'll have to ask him," Bruce said. "What kind of time frame are we looking at here?"
"I told her I would be back in California soon. I wasn't too specific, but she'll just come back here if we wait too long. She's decided it's time to move and won't be patient anymore."
"I'll see if Shazam can be at the tower tonight. Emergency meeting." Bruce stood and started to pace. "You think she has a backup plan?"
Zatanna shrugged. "If she's smart, she would. Relying on me keeping my word wouldn't have been too wise."
"Clearly," he said, smirking at her. She gave him a half-hearted smile in return.
"What could another dimension's Superman possibly care about here?"
Diana sighed and leaned back. "I have no idea. And I doubt Clark will be able to shed any light."
"I need to get in touch with this man."
"And chat with the guy?" Diana said, raising an eyebrow.
"Worth a shot."
"You going to politely ask him not to pay us a visit?" Diana laughed.
Zatanna chuckled. "I was thinking more a show of force. Make it clear that he isn't welcome and will meet heavy resistance if he shows up."
"We can definitely show some force," Bruce said. The knot in his stomach was starting to loosen slightly. They finally knew what they were dealing with, which meant they could plan. "What do you need from me?"
Zatanna looked up at him and shrugged. "Patience?"
He sighed and sat down next to her, pulling her over so she could lay her head on his shoulder. "That's asking a lot from someone like me, but I'll try."
"And me?" Diana asked.
"Tell your spies they suck at spying."
"That's already been done. I'm sorry. I thought they were keeping a low profile and could clue us in. Sounds like they were doing more harm than good."
"It's okay. But if I have to go to another dimension again, I'm dragging your ass with me."
"Let's see if we can avoid that," Bruce said, squeezing her shoulders and kissing her head.
"Sounds kind of fun, actually." Diana said. "Do you think it's the dimension you went to before?"
"I don't think so, and I'm afraid neither of you are going to like the way I'll need to find out which one she's accessing."
Bruce huffed. "Okay, lay it on me."
"I need to get my hands on that mirror she's using."
"Nope," Diana said quickly.
"Yep. If that's what she's using to communicate with the guy, then that's what I'll need. Otherwise, I'll be searching for years. We don't have years."
"Tell me why this is a terrible idea and I should start yelling at you for even suggesting it," Bruce said, looking between them.
"I don't need yelling at and I know it's a terrible idea."
"That mirror is the source of her power...or so she believes," Diana said.
"And if she believes it, then it might as well be true."
He nodded, trying to pretend he had a clue what they were talking about. Zatanna didn't buy it and stood in front of them, holding out her hands.
A scene appeared before her, with the League fighting Tsaritsa, led by Wonder Woman. "She thinks fairy tales are true. She thinks she's an exiled queen and that Diana is a threat...the fairest of them all, as it were." The scene shifted to her confronting Diana, with the lasso of truth wrapping around her arms and binding her. "When she saw the truth, she backed down, but clearly the effect was temporary. She still believes, and so her magic is making things happen the way she wants them to."
"If the mirror is the source of her power, why don't we just destroy it?" He asked, starting to follow the story.
"It wouldn't be that simple. It would protect itself, just like my house would protect itself. Objects like that are imbued with massive amounts of magic."
"But you think you can use it?"
"Yes. I have no intention of harming her or the mirror."
"I'm still going with 'nope'," Diana said. "How will you get past her barriers?"
"Magic."
"Thanks for the specifics." Diana rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Just trust me on this. I know what I'm doing."
"So, her mirror is like your backwards speech?" Bruce asked.
"No. I don't need backwards speech, I just use it to help me focus."
"Which is why you can bring up images from your hand without speaking."
Zee nodded and came to sit back down. "I don't always realize when I don't speak. It's second nature, but I never try anything too complicated without it. That's when I might lose control."
"You came close once...to losing control. In the bedroom that morning after Hell. You tied me up and threw me around without a word."
"No, that was different. I was angry and had a voice in my head trying to make me lose control. I wasn't feeling the power of magic anymore than usual, just fighting against a demon that wanted my soul."
"Hang on a second," Diana said. "Tied you up?" She had a rather wicked grin on her face.
"Really, Di? That's the part you want to know more about?" He asked. "Not the demon or the power or..."
"Hey, I was just asking." She held her hands up and laughed.
"Okay, so what happens if she realizes a mirror is just a mirror?"
Zee's head fell against his shoulder again. "Let's tackle scenario one before we get to all eight hundred other possible scenarios."
"Bruce, you can't be thinking of letting her do this." Diana stood and started to pace, no longer smiling.
"Believe me, I'm open to other suggestions, but we have to do something to stop her."
"If I let you stay nearby when I'm doing it, will you calm down and let me work?" Zatanna asked before muttering something about "acting like my mom".
Diana shot her a glare. "Fine. But I want to know what your plan is before you go in."
"And me?" Bruce asked.
"I have an idea on how you can help, but let me think it over more. I need to work on logistics and I need to review that footage you saved again. I'll bring what I have to the meeting tonight."
They all nodded and Diana headed toward the door. "Just know I don't like this," she said as she exited.
Zee turned and looked at him.
"At least it wasn't me saying it this time," he teased.
"It doesn't need to be said. This is all insane."