{I'm not awake yet, am I? I can't move.}

{You're in a state of Paradoxical Sleep.} I heard Wally over M'gann's psychic link with me.

{Meaning...?}

{Sleep paralysis, Rio.} Zane's voice came through. {You're awake, just your muscles were immobilized.}

I started to panic {Am I paralyzed?!}

{What's happening right now is that you are becoming semi-concious before regular sleep paralysis has disengaged. Meaning you are still in a dream-like state with high emotions.} Zane continued {Simplified, you're awake in a REM sleep stage.}

{REM?}

{Rapid Eye Movement.} Wally clarified {M'gann, I think you should go keep Ri's mind company in this, just so she doesn't have any hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations.}

{Say what now?} M'gann asked

{Vivid, terrifying, dream-like experiences.} Zane defined what Wally just said. I wonder if he ever took a course to know all this? Like psychology? {I have to look at the goop I found in your cut a bit more closely, but I'm going to call it the 'Sleeping Beauty Formula' right now}

{You know, you sounded all scientific until you said 'goop'.} I tried to look around in the darkness of my mind. {You said 'Sleeping Beauty Formula', I'm not familiar with that name.}

{Your parents never read you Sleeping Beauty?} Zane asked over the link. {Do you want me to tell you the tale of Sleeping Beauty?}

{Um, telling the story over the psychic link is not a good idea.} M'gann spoke up {It'll be like a total re-enactment of the story.}

{In that case, put me in Rio's mind} Wally said assertively.

{Are you sure about this?} Zane this time.

{It might wake her up.} Wally replied. {You narrate.}

WHAT?! HAWK TOWN WAS GOING TO TELL A STORY TO ME?! Yes, I'm the happiest fangirl alive as of now. YES! {Go ahead, I have nothing better to do.} Yep, act all coolish now.

{Once upon a time there was a Bat who had a beautiful baby daughter. He asked all the heroes in the kingdom to the adoption party, but unfortunately forgot to invite one of them, an evil assassin. She came anyway, but as she passed the baby's cradle, she said: "When you are sixteen, you will injure yourself with a sai and die!"}

I looked around, I could already tell that Zane had modified the story for me. That or my brain did it. I watched as what seemed to be an older version of Cheshire walk by.

{A good magician quickly chanted a magic spell to change the curse. When she hurt herself, the girl would fall into a very deep sleep instead of dying.} Zatara appeared, chanting, then disappeared.

{The years went by, the baby bat grew and became the most beautiful girl in the whole kingdom. Her father was always very careful to keep her away from assassins, but the baby bat, on her sixteenth birthday, as she wandered through the castle, came into a room where an old knight was sparring with a dummy.}

"What are you doing?" I asked the knight.

"I'm sparring. Haven't you seen a sai before?"

"No. Let me see it!" I was handed the sai, but accidentally dropped it, cutting my arm in the process. Everything went hazy.

{The old knight hurried to tell the Bat. Beside himself with anguish, the Bat did his best to awaken his daughter but in vain. The magicians and wizards were called, but there was nothing they could do. The girl could not be wakened from her deep sleep.}

I saw Zatara and Batman conversing, I tried to hear what they were saying, faintly. "When will my daughter waken?"

"I don't know," Zatara admitted sadly.

"In a year's time, ten years or twenty?" Batman went on.

"Maybe in a hundred years' time. Who knows?" said Zatara

"Oh! What would make her waken?" asked Batman, sternly.

"Love," replied Zatara. "If a man of pure heart were to fall in love with her, that would bring her back to life!"

"Hmph. No man is getting near my little bird." Batman walked off.

{The baby bat was taken to her room and laid on the bed surrounded by garlands of flowers. She was so beautiful, with a sweet face, not like those of the dead, but pink like those who are sleeping peacefully.}

Zatara said to himself "When she wakens, who is she going to see around her? Strange faces and people she doesn't know? I can never let that happen. It would be too painful for this unfortunate girl."

{So the magician cast a spell; and everyone that lived in the mansion - butlers, heroes, sidekicks and birds - all fell into a deep sleep, wherever they were at that very moment.}

"Now," thought Zatara, "when the Princess wakes up, they too will awaken, and life will go on from there." He left. I heard nothing but silence.

{Now, it so happened that a Speedster arrived in these parts. He was the nephew of another speedster in a town close by. Young, handsome and melancholy, he sought in solitude everything he could not find in the company of other men: serenity, sincerity and purity. Wandering on his high-speed metabolism, he arrived, one day, at a dark forest. A few hours later, now losing heart, he was about to turn around and go back when he thought he could see something through the trees. He pushed back the branches... The young man stood stock still in amazement,}

"I wonder who this mansion belongs to?" he thought. "Maybe I should get some souvenirs!"

Typical Wally.

{The young Speedster rode on towards the castle. The drawbridge was down and, holding his horse by the reins, he crossed over it. Immediately he saw the inhabitants draped all over the steps, the halls and courtyard.}

"They're dead!" But in a moment, Wally realised that they were sound asleep. "Wake up! Wake up!" Wally shouted, but nobody moved.

{As though led by a hand in the complete silence, the Speedster finally reached the room where the beautiful baby bat lay fast asleep.}

"Ri, I'm here. I'm going to wake you up..." Wally looked down at me.

{The Speedster went close, tilting the girl's white chin and gently kissed her...}

My eyes snapped open to meet Wally's. I squeaked and backed up on the medical car's bed. Zane, M'gann, Jack and Zatanna looked at me as I breathed a sigh of relief. "Sleeping Beauty had a very weird life."

Wally nodded, fist covering his mouth. What was he doing? I flushed red, sending him a glance. He blushed, hopping off the bed. "I'm going back to our car, talk to Rob, y'know." He walked out of the room, I stared at the door.

{I think you hurt his feelings.} M'gann looked at me

{What do you mean?} I glanced back.

{Wally likes you.}

{I know he does.}

{No. I mean he LIKES you.}

{Oh.} I paused {Shit.}

(A/N: chance to rewrite Sleeping Beauty in the middle of a fem!robin birdflash story? Had to do it. What do you guys think? R&R please!)