Chapter 38
Metropolis
It was a balmy evening as Clark and Diana walked back towards the hotel. Clark was relieved Diana seemed to enjoy the dancing and hoped it made up for him not being the best company. He was surprised when he felt Diana take his hand in hers. Clark glanced over.
"I, ah, I-I saw other couples doing this, but-but if you don't want to," she timidly explained. There was an uncertain look on her face, as if she were nervous about making this move.
"No, it's okay." He smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze. This brought a smile to Diana's face and she squeezed his hand in return. Holding hands, Clark thought to himself, God how long has it been? His mind drifted back to high school and Lana. He smiled remembering how desperately in love with her he'd been. In the little world he lived in then, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. He'd been so nervous when they had held hands for that first time. It hadn't helped that he could hear Ma and Pa whispering to each other as they secretly watched him and Lana coming from the barn. It seemed so long ago, so simple and innocent. These memories brought his thoughts back to Ma and her current condition. With all that had been happening, it had almost slipped his mind, but now it came rushing back. In his mind he always pictured her the way she was in those days when the biggest concern he had was whether Lana would kiss him and hold his hand. Seeing Ma now, it was hard to juxtapose those two images. She had always seemed so full of life and energy. When had the change happened and why hadn't he noticed it?
While Clark's mind was occupied with sad thoughts of his mother, Diana was very much focused on the moment. She probably drank a little more than she should have, but she was enjoying herself more than she could remember since coming to the Man's world. Being with Kal like this, stirred so many new and exciting feelings within her. She'd always noticed that he was quite handsome, but tonight he seemed so much more than that. Dancing with him, she found herself reluctant for it to end. She felt slightly giddy, as their bodies had been pressed so close together. Now feeling his strong hand holding hers, she was content to just silently walk with him.
As they past a small park, Diana noticed garish lights and heard the sounds of laughter. It was a small carnival, she realized. She had never been to one before and found herself excited at the idea.
"Kal, look," she said, stopping them with a squeeze of his hand. He pulled himself from his thoughts, glanced over to her. He followed her gaze and saw the carnival.
"I've never been to one, can we," she asked with some excitement.
"Sure, Diana, it's your night," he replied. He figured it wouldn't hurt to let her have some fun before they got back to the hotel. They made their way over and slowly walked along the midway. Clark had to smile as he watched Diana's eyes scan over every ride and attraction. He bought her some cotton candy when he found out she'd never even heard of it.
"Is it really cotton," she asked, giving the confection a weary look.
"No, that's just the name." he chuckled, taking some and popping it in his mouth. Diana tentatively took a piece and tried it. A smile spread across her face.
"It practically melts in your mouth. The texture is so unusual and sweet," she said, taking a larger piece and eagerly eating it. They started walking again, as Diana devoured the large swirl of cotton candy.
"You better slow down, Diana, all that sweetness will make you sick."
"I'm surprised at you, Kal," she said between mouthfuls. "Don't you know we Amazons are made of sterner stuff than most?"
"Okay, I tried to warn you." He smiled. Do to it being rather late, there weren't many people still at the carnival. As they slowly walked down the midway, one of the barkers spotted them.
"Hey, big man! Why don't you impress your gorgeous lady," the barker shouted, tossing two softballs in the air. Clark just smiled and continued walking.
"Oh, come on, big man, don't be chicken! Win the lady a prize!"
"What is he talking about, Kal?"
"It's a game, Diana," Clark replied. "You take the softball and knock over the three metal milk bottles and win one of those stuffed animals. He's trying to goad me into playing to win you something."
Diana stopped and looked at the man and then the game. It seemed simple enough.
"Looks like your lady is interested, big man! You wouldn't want to disappoint her, would you, pal," the barker taunted. Clark saw Diana's interested.
"If you really want one of those stuffed animals, I'll win it for you," he said.
"That won't be necessary, Kal, it seems simple enough. I'm more than capable of winning any of those trinkets myself."
"I never doubted it," he replied.
"So what's it going to be, big man? You're not afraid, are you?" the barker laughed. Diana found she didn't care for the way the man was talking to Kal.
"You're a rather rude little man," she said. "If you're so interested in losing I will be more than happy to oblige you. I will win my own stuffed animal. I don't need any one to win it for me."
"Oh, she's a feisty one you got there, big man,' the barker said with a smile. "Okay, gorgeous, three shots for a dollar."
"Diana, he's just trying to goad you into it," Clark softly said to her.
"He's succeeded," she replied. Clark could see the determined look on her face and knew he wouldn't talk her out of it. He handed over a dollar and stepped back to watch.
"Here you are, sweetheart, don't break a nail now," the barker taunted.
"Your manner is most irritating," Diana said, accepting the softballs.
"Come on, gorgeous, let's see what you got," the barker continued to taunt her. Diana gave him a look that made him automatically step back and gulp in apprehension. Seeing this, Diana smiled and tossed the first softball. She only used a fraction of her strength, but her aim was perfect. Two of the metal milk bottles fell instantly and the third began to spin and tip.
"I believe you owe me a prize," Diana said triumphantly to the barker.
"Not so fast, gorgeous, you have to knock down all three," he said, pointing to the stand. Diana looked back at the bottles and was surprised to see the third bottle almost defy gravity and slowly spin back to its original position.
"That-That shouldn't be possible," Diana exclaimed.
"And yet, there it is. Nice try, sweetie, but you'll have to do better than that." The barker chuckled. He set them up, continuing to taunt her as he did. With a grumble, Diana took aim and tossed the second ball with a little more force. Again her aim was perfect, but as before the third bottle didn't fall.
"Maybe this isn't your game, sweetheart," the barker said. "You'd probably have better luck with the squirt guns getting water in the clown's mouth."
He set the bottles up again. His laugh only irritated Diana more. Her fingers curled into a fist.
"I will put something in your mouth, clown."
"Diana," Clark said, intervening before things got out of hand.
"All right, Kal," she said, stepping back. "I just don't understand why the third bottle isn't falling. My aim is perfect."
"Well, it is a carnival, Diana," Clark offered. "Those bottles are probably weighted at the bottom so they don't fall down."
"He's cheating?" She gasped in annoyance. Before Clark could say or do anything, Diana turned around and threw the last softball with all her might. As before her aim was true. The difference was that this time, she knocked down the bottles, the stand and half the back wall of the concession. The whole structure swayed and threatened to fall. The barker's mouth hung open as he looked from the hole to Diana.
"I believe you owe me a prize," she said with satisfaction.
"Sure, sure, lady, anything you want," he quickly said.
"I want the big pink elephant up there." She pointed to the huge stuffed animal at the very top.
"That's only if you knock them down three times in a row," the barker objected.
"Kal, give the rude little man another dollar so I can have three more tosses."
"No! No! You can have the elephant!" The barker quickly changed his tune, scrambling up to get her the elephant. He handed it to her and stepped back. Diana turned and looked at Clark with a big smile.
"That was fun," she said. Clark just shook his head and laughed.
Metropolis - Underground Club
Zatanna and Dinah were the center of attention as they danced to the blaring music. On the overcrowded dance floor, they both gave themselves over to the music. If they were aware of the many eyes roaming over them with interested, they gave no outward sign of it. It had been the same reaction they received since they started. It was certainly doing wonders for Dinah's ego to being getting so much interest. This was the third club they'd been to and it was wall to wall with people. The party atmosphere seemed to follow them from club to club, as most of the patrons vied for their attention. They hadn't paid for anything all night. Between dances they'd indulge in a fair share of shots and some harmless flirting. It felt like old times to Zee, far away from the turmoil and worries of the recent months. Doing her show and then going out to party felt so easy and comfortable. There weren't any life changing questions or fateful decisions to make, just the familiar. Even as she tried to give herself completely over to the moment, something was vaguely nagging at the back of her mind. She pushed it away and tried to concentrate on just enjoying the momentary excitement.
Malta
Morgaine Le Fey sat in front of her crystal ball whispering an incantation over and over. The mystic vapors swirled and spun under her expert hand, giving her flashes of events from all over the world. Normally she would have let her curiosity have free reign to scan the images, looking for the stray threads of larger events that might prove beneficial later, but not this time. She had a specific target in mind. She had been awakened from her slumber by a strange ripple across the mystical plane. It was no ordinary disturbance, but the front edge of a storm of some massive coming disturbance. Her instincts told her Nathan Occult was involved. He was shielding himself from all prying eyes, but Morgaine wasn't just anyone. She had been alive for centuries and knew many spells that no other living being did. The incantation she was using was in the old language, from the time before. As the arcane fog began to part, the dim images of a vast chamber began to flicker into focus. It was one of the dream chambers, she realized. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the soldiers of Cthulhu gathered around a central island.
Their hideous, gelatinous bodies sent a shiver even through her hardened mind. They were the harbingers of doom and hell on Earth. As she let her gaze move closer, she suddenly realized they were chanting. It was a horrible, gut wrenching sound out of some nightmare. Suppressing her revulsion, Morgaine willed herself to take in the entire scene. Focusing on the small island, she saw Nathan at last. His body stretched out on it's back at the center of a pentagram. surrounded by the ancient symbols. With each round of chants from the soldiers, his body writhed and twisted, bending out of all natural shape. In alarm, Morgaine suddenly realized what he was trying to do. Nathan wasn't trying to raise Cthulhu anymore; he was trying to become Cthulhu! As if sensing her presence, one of the soldiers turned and slithered towards her. Before she could break the link, it reached out across the plane for her. Morgaine scrambled back as its tentacles erupted from the crystal ball. She shouted the words that should have closed the doorway, but the soldier fought against it. One of the tentacles brushed against her face and she screamed in horror. In the next instant, two beams of red sliced through the tentacles and the doorway closed.
"My face! It touched me!" Morgaine screamed in panic. Zod was there next to her, calming looking for any sign of damage.
"You are unharmed, Morgaine and the beast is gone," he reassured her. It took her a moment to calm herself down and only after rushing to the mirror to see for herself. She turned and looked at Zod, the fear very apparent on her face.
"It's worse than I ever imagined, Dru. He no longer just seeks to raise the Old Ones, he wishes to be come one!"
"Then our time grows short," Zod said, his voice as cold as a knife-edge. "The day of reckoning draws near."
Washington
Lois Lane had come to this news conference expecting the usual Congressional blowhard trying to make a name for himself, but had been completely shocked when Congressman Tanner began to speak. He was asking for a congressional investigation of Superman's resident alien status. Is this guy serious, Lois wondered? He's trying to tie two hot button issues, illegal immigration and superheroes together? As she listened to him go on she found herself getting angrier and angrier. Did this ass really think he could make political points by attacking Superman? Finally she couldn't keep quiet any longer.
"Congressman Tanner, are you really trying to say you think Superman, the greatest hero on the planet, should come to Washington so you can see his green card?"
A ripple of laughter went through the press core. The congressman gave her a look of annoyance but never let his smile slip.
"Ah, Miss Lane from the Daily Planet, this wouldn't be your well known bias towards Superman coming through would it?"
"No, just my contempt for pompous windbags," she countered. The smile on his face slipped at this.
"Very amusing, Miss Lane," he said coldly. "I would think you of all people would realize what a potential threat Superman could be for this country. Have you forgotten so soon the whole Darkseid invasion?"
"No, congressman, I haven't," Lois replied. "You seemed to have forgotten who saved the day during that invasion. Superman."
"And the attack on your own offices recently, Miss Lane? Where was he then?"
Lois was caught off guard by the question and stammered for a moment. "So-So he's responsible for every tragedy that happens, Mr. Congressman? Is that what you're saying?"
"No, but if we can't count on him, what good is he," Tanner said. "What if next time, he lets you down Miss Lane?"
Lois found she had no answer for him. Hadn't Superman let her down by not trusting her?
"Next question," Congressman Tanner said with an even bigger smile. The other reporters started firing questions at him as Lois stood there deep in thought.
Watching all of this from backstage was Lex Luthor and Grace. They both were smiling.
"I told you it would be money well spent, Lex," Grace said.
"And he came so cheap, too." Lex laughed.
Metropolis
Clark and Diana were back at the hotel waiting for the elevator to arrive. Out of the corner of his eye, Clark saw Carmen smiling at him. She winked and started to reach into her apron.
"NO!" Clark immediately shouted. Carmen shrugged and moved on.
"No what, Kal," Diana asked in confusion.
"Oh, um, I was talking to someone else, Diana, sorry," Clark fumbled to say, not wanting to explain. She looked at him with a questioning gaze. "I'll tell you about it some other time."
The elevator arrived and then stepped inside. They were the only riders, except for the enormous stuffed elephant Diana had won.
"So are you transporting back up to the station tonight," he asked, trying to get his mind of Carmen's insinuations.
"No, Zatanna has graciously invited me to spend the night in her hotel room," Diana replied. "I will probably go back to the Embassy tomorrow."
The elevator doors opened and then walked slowly down the hall towards Zatanna's room.
"Well, here we are." Clark said with a smile.
"Yes."
"Good night, Diana. I hope tonight helped ease your nerves about dating," he offered.
"Yes, it has," she smiled shyly, still holding the stuffed elephant.
"I'm glad," he replied. "I guess I'll see you around."
He was just about to start back towards the elevator, when Diana stopped him.
"Kal, isn't it appropriate for a date to end with a good night kiss," she asked.
"Ah, well, um, I suppose," he said, surprised by this.
"This is the end of our date, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to kiss me?"
"I-I wasn't really planning on it," he said, wondering where this came from.
"Why not," Diana asked, a little insulted by how quickly he dismissed the idea.
"I guess it didn't seem appropriate," he offered.
"Appropriate?" she said, more of her annoyance slipping through. "Is it so much of a unpleasant task you can't wait to leave?"
"I wasn't suggesting.." he started to defend himself, but she cut him off.
"Is the thought of kissing me good night such a burden?" She was plainly annoyed and angry with him. For not the first time, Clark wondered how he kept getting himself in these situations.
"If it's such a repugnant thought, then please leave, Kal."
"Oh, hell, come here," he said in exasperation. Tugging the stuffed elephant from her arms, he pulled her to him and kissed her. Diana was caught completely off guard by this and at first stood frozen in the spot. As she felt his lips against hers, more of the feelings she'd been experiencing all night came rushing back to her. Without thinking she found herself putting her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. She had very little experience at kissing, but this one seemed to be very good. Little tingles spread all down her body and she felt a little dizzy. As quickly as it had started it was over. Diana found herself flushed and out of breathe.
'Satisfied," Clark asked her.
"Ye-Yes,' she managed to say, swaying a little as he stepped back. She could still feel her lips quivering from his kiss as she looked at him.
"So are you still worried about your next date?"
"Next date? No, no, I-I'm looking forward to it," she instantly said, smiling at him.
'Well, I'm glad," he smiled back. "I hope tonight helped. You and Bruce should have a wonderful time."
"Who? Oh, yes, Bruce, right, absolutely," Diana stumbled to say.
"Good night, Diana," Clark gently said and then started back towards the elevator.
"Good night, Kal," Diana whispered, watching him leave. He waved from the elevator and then the doors closed. Diana felt more than a little confused as she picked up the stuffed animal and went into the hotel room.
Metropolis – Underground Club
Zatanna was still on the dance floor, but Dinah slipped away. As the music continued, Zee finally noticed her friend wasn't there and started to look around for her. In the crush of people it was difficult to move. As she made her way towards the side of the dance floor, Zatanna ran into a bachelorette party. They were all doing shots and Zee found one shoved into her hand.
"To Stacy!" The women shouted and then downed the shots. Zee went along with it, but then found herself in the middle of the group. The bride to be hugged her and the rest were ringed around them jumping up and down laughing. The memory of Zee's dream came back to her and she began to panic a little at the eerily familiar situation. Whether if was all the shots or her imagination playing tricks on her, she wasn't sure, but she thought she caught a glimpse of the back of a man in a tuxedo and a woman in an elegant dress. It was just like in her dream when her parents had slowly moved away from her. Zee was suddenly desperate to reach the two people and pushed and shoved her way through the bachelorette party to get to them. Fighting against the packed crowd she couldn't seem to make any progress. A hand reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
"Time to dance, baby," a drunk guy said to her. He tried to pull her back to the dance floor, but she pulled away.
"Give us a kiss," another drunk said, for which he received a punch in the face from Zatanna. She finally made it through the crowd only to see the couple walking out the front door. Scrambling madly, Zee pushed her way outside after them. The couple was leaning against the wall kissing as Zatanna came rushing up to them. They turned and gave her a look. They were just two young people dressed in vintage clothes. She mumbled sorry, as she moved away from them. Two hands came up and stopped her from behind. Zatanna whirled in a panic ready to fight, but found Dinah standing there.
"Hey, it's me, relax," Dinah said, holding her hand up in surrender.
"Oh, um, I'm sorry, Dinah," Zee managed to say.
"Are you all right?"
"I-I don't know." Zee admitted.
"Come, let's get you out of here,"" Dinah said with concern. They started walking away from the club, but Zee couldn't shake the unsettling feelings.
"Is there anything I can do," Dinah asked.
"What? Oh, no, no, I'll be all right," Zee replied. "Where did you go by the way?"
"Oh, I got a text message," Dinah said, a smile spreading across her face.
"I take it was good news?"
"Oh, yeah. I came back to tell you I was leaving, but you were already making that mad dash for the door. I think I'd better stick around for awhile, just to be sure."
"No, that's okay, I've had enough of the clubs tonight," Zee said.
"Are you sure? We could stop for coffee or something?"
"No, that's okay, you go where ever you have to go, and I'll be fine."
"Do you want me to walk back to your hotel with you?"
"No," Zee said, as another idea came into her mind. "I'm not going back there right now."
The Watchtower
Wally and Shayera were laughing as they entered the cafeteria. She had been amused by his little gag with Ollie and had pulled a similar one on Dinah before she left for the night with Zatanna. She was just filling Wally in as they made their way towards the espresso machine.
"So she bought it," Wally asked with a laugh.
"Absolutely! You should have seen her face, it was priceless!"
"I can't believe how gullible those two are," Wally laughed harder as they sat down at a table. They continued to laugh and chat about it for some time. The sight of Ollie walking into the cafeteria made this both smile.
"Hey, Ollie, how's it going, pal," Wally called out.
"What? Oh, hey, Wally, Shayera," Ollie said. He seemed distracted and down. The two of them noticed this and quickly went over to him.
"Is everything alright, Ollie?"
"Yes, you seem upset," Shayera added.
"I guess I am," he admitted. "Dinah and I broke up earlier tonight."
"What?!" Both Wally and Shayera shouted in shock.
"Yeah, I know t sounds crazy, but I tried that trick you recommended Wally and she seemed like she knew it was coming. I've never seen her so angry. The next thing I know she's breaking up with me. I don't know what I'm going to do."
A look of horror passed between Wally and Shayera.
"I'm-I'm sure it's just a mistake, Ollie,' Shayera said quickly.
"Yeah, Yeah, a mistake, that's right." Wally added in agreement.
"I don't think so." Ollie shook his head. "I think it's really over this time. Excuse me, I think I need to be alone."
The two of them stood there in stunned silence as Ollie slowly walked out of the cafeteria.
"This is not good," Wally said.
"It's all our fault for playing those stupid jokes," Shayera exclaimed.
"We have to fix this and fast."
Metropolis
Clark slowly walked down the hallway to his apartment still a little confused over the whole night. He opened his door and a smile came to his face as he saw Zatanna sitting on his couch.
"We-We need-need to talk, Clark," she said, her speech a little slurred.
"Have you been drinking," he asked in amusement. He could see a bottle of vodka sitting on the table in front of her.
"Yes, a little bit," she admitted. "Oh, you're almost out of Vodka, by the way."
He closed the door with a laugh and went over and sat down next to her.
"So I take it you and Dinah had a good time tonight?"
"Yes, it was fun," she said, moving closer to him. Her eyes moved over his face and then stopped at his lips. "Is that lipstick?
Clark reach up and brushed his lips. Some of Diana's lipstick must have come off.
"Oh, yeah, I guess it is," he admitted.
"What the hell, Clark," she shouted, pushing against his chest. "Who's is it?"
"Ah, Diana's. I kissed her good night," he replied.
"You kissed her good night?!" Zee climbed up on her knees on the couch so she was looking down at him. "You're not supposed to be kissing her! You're only supposed to kiss me!"
She wobbled a little and Clark quickly reached out and steadied her.
"Easy there," he gently said. "How much did you have to drink tonight, any way?"
"Don't-Don't change the subject! What the hell were you thinking kissing Diana?"
"It was just a good night kiss, don't worry about it." Clark brushed a few of her stray locks from her face and smiled at how adorable she looked. "Diana's got feelings for Bruce and she just wanted a practice kiss before their big date."
"Practice, huh, is that what you call it now," Zee grumbled, swaying a little more.
"It was a practice date, remember? You're the one that set it up." Clark informed her, gently pulled her closer. "You said to show her a good time."
"Yes, I wanted her to have fun, not you," Zee countered, slapping him on the chest. "So was it good?"
'What? Was what good," Clark asked.
"The kiss. I suppose she's a better kisser than I am," Zee grumbled. "Those Amazons are so competitive at everything, probably even that too."
"Hey, look at me," Clark said, gently turned her face towards his. She had a pout on her lips as she looked at him.
"The only kissing I'm interested in is with you, Zee," he said, lightly kissing her on the lips.
"Rea-Really," she asked, her voice soft and vulnerable.
"Absolutely, you're kisses are magic, remember?" He smiled and she moved closer to him. Her pout had turned into a smile, as she slipped her arms around his neck.
"That's right, they are and don't you forget it," she said with a sultry voice. She leaned in and gave him a scorching kiss that practically took his breath away.
"Better than Diana," she asked
"Diana who," he replied, leaning in to kiss her again.
"Good answer, Clark,' she whispered and then snapped her fingers above her head turning the yellow light to red.
"I though you wanted to talk," he asked.
"Later," she moaned, as she molded her body to his and kissed him again.
