Invitations
"Mood - Indigo"
Gotham
The lights were off in the theater. The crowd grew quiet as a spotlight illuminated the center of the stage. Nightmare by Artie Shaw and his Orchestra began. Only a few in the audience probably knew it was homage to her father. The curtains billowed, as if a gust of wind had taken hold of them. Suddenly the scents of jasmine and sandalwood came out of nowhere. The audience began to murmur, a little nervous, yet excited. Another gust of wind hit the stage curtains and they wafted open, rolling silently towards the sides of the stage. Fog drifted off the front of the stage and moved up the aisles. At first the audience didn't see anyone, but then a lone figure suspended fifteen feet in the air appeared.
She was wearing a black cape of some sort. The figures arms shot out to the sides, the black cape fluttering in the air. Bruce leaned forward for a better look, as did Clark.
"That looks like it belongs to you know who,' Dinah whispered.
"Yes it does,' Bruce grumbled.
Further down the row, Clark leaned forward trying to see if he could spot any wires holding the figure up. As he scanned the stage, he suddenly felt a rather intense stare coming from his left. He slowly leaned back and nervously glanced over at Diana. She was facing forward, but her eyes were riveted on him.
"Just trying to see how she's doing it,' he offered. He kept his voice low, so only she could hear him.
"It's a magic show, Kal, let's leave it a mystery, shall we,' Diana replied, pitching her voice so only he could hear, but managing to keep the inflection of her meaning.
"Right."
The figure on stage slowly landed, as the song came to an end. Her back was to the audience, but there was no mistaking whose cape she was imitating. Her arm came up, swirling the cape around her body and then she began to spin. Faster and faster she went until she was just a black blur on the stage. With a flourish, the cape floated away and standing center stage was Zatanna. She was wearing the Robin outfit sans the mask and had a big smile on her face. The outfit was original made for a young man, so she filled it out in a completely different way. Few in the audience were complaining, well, perhaps one.
"Who were you expecting?'
She playfully winked at the audience. The tension broke and the crowd began to laugh and applaud.
"That costume looks very realistic, doesn't it,' Dinah whispered to Bruce.
"She said she only wanted to try it on,' Bruce grumbled under his breath.
Zatanna did another spin and suddenly she was in her traditional outfit. Two decks of cards appeared in her hands and she flung them out over the audience. The cards twirled outwards reaching up to the balcony, then crossed over and headed back towards the stage. One by one, they ended up perfectly in her left hand. The audience applauded, but then gasped as she fired several out at the audience. They headed right for Wally, Shayera, Dinah, Bruce, Clark and Diana.
"Oh, Jeez,' Clark gasped, starting to dive towards the floor. Diana had more enough of his play-acting. She moved with incredible speed and snatched both cards out of the air with one hand, while jerking him back into his seat with the other.
"Stop making a fool of yourself," she whispered. "You already made your point, now you're just showing off."
"You're no fun,' Clark teased under his breath. Out loud he said,' Thanks for saving me, Wonder Woman, you're my hero!"
"You are welcome, Mr. Kent,' she said with a rather forced smile. Around them people were all laughing at the poor sad sack sitting next to Wonder Woman. Clark gave her an apologetic look and then adjusted his tie as if he were nervous. Diana turned back towards the stage.
"No more showing off, Kal, or we will be having a long talk when we get home,' she said, so only he could hear. "I doubt you will think I'm your hero then."
"Right, sorry,' Clark replied. He actually was a little nervous now.
Further down the row, Shayera sighed.
"You can stop hiding behind my wing now, Wally, I caught the cards."
"I wasn't hiding,' he said, moving back into his seat. "I was, um, worried about you. I could have dodge them anytime, but I wanted to make sure you were safe."
"From behind me?"
"It just seemed that way to the untrained eye,' he offered.
"They are playing cards, Wally, I don't think I was in any danger,' she snidely said.
"You'd be surprised,' Wally replied. "You could have gotten a nasty paper cut. Those take forever to heal."
"So you're my savior,' Shayera sarcastically asked.
"I don't like to brag, but yes."
"Right, let's just watch the show."
Zatanna had continued firing cards all over the theater. The only difference was the other cards got right up on the patrons and then stop and returned to her. There was nervous applause as the last one came back to her hand. She smiled at everyone.
"Fasten your seatbelts, folks, you ain't seen nothing yet!"
Gotham Heights
Lashina moved silently through the house, examining everything. It was tastefully decorated, she had to admit, but she didn't like it. It was rather obvious that the 'Princess' had decorated it. So she's good at that too, Lashina thought, I dislike her even more. She moved into the kitchen and checked out the refrigerator, but there was nothing that interested her there. She glanced at the pots and pans hanging from the rack, but those definitely didn't interest her. Opening the freezer part of the refrigerator, a smile came to Lashina's lips. An almost full bottle of vodka lay on its side. She pulled it out and then found a glass, before heading back into the living room.
She dropped down into one of the large chairs and poured herself a stiff drink. She knew she had plenty of time, so she could relax for a while. She slipped off her steel whips and laid them on the couch next to her. She pulled the knot from her ponytail and let her hair flow out and down around her shoulders. Picking up her glass, she put her feet up on the coffee table and sat back.
As she took a drink and let the cold liquor slide down her throat, Lashina smiled as she thought about her plan. It had taken much longer than normal, but she thought she had a perfect one. Her first instinct was to confront Wonder Woman and have it out with her. While Lashina believed she could beat the Princess, she knew that wouldn't get her what she wanted. This situation called for cleverness, guile and deceit, qualities Lashina had learned from Granny Goodness at the orphanage. Lashina had always excelled in her studies.
Her plan was actually very simple. She would offer Kal-El the one thing no hero could resist, a damsel in distress. She would tell him she had escaped Apokolips and wanted to change her ways. She would tell him she wanted a second chance and had come to him to help her. Lashina knew that was something he couldn't refuse.
She might not understand why he wanted to be a hero, but she certainly understood what motivated him. Lashina knew that Kal-El believed there was good in everyone and that everyone deserved a second chance.
Lashina also knew it would drive the 'Princess' crazy and that just added to her enjoyment. Since she's first met Wonder Woman, Lashina had taken an instant dislike to her. That dislike had grown with ever passing encounter. They were opposites. Diana had grown up in a paradise, surrounded by love and had everything handed to her in Lashina's mind. Lashina had grown up in a living hell and had to claw and scratch for everything she got. They were two sides to the same coin, one representing the light and the other the dark.
Lashina knew she hated Diana. It had gone beyond simple dislike the moment she heard about this bet. Lashina had always assumed the Princess was naïve, but she had figured out a way to spend a whole month with Kal-El so she wasn't that naïve. In her mind, Diana was taking something that rightfully belonged to Lashina, Kal-El. Two people couldn't share the passion they had and then simply forget it. Kal-El might deny it and say he was brainwashed, but Lashina knew there was still a part of him that wanted her.
What had stopped him in the past had been his notion that she was a villain. Lashina's plan would take that obstacle away. Diana might have his heart and mind, but Lashina had his body. Give the right stimulation to the body and the head and heart will follow. The most important thing to Lashina was that if she couldn't have him, Diana didn't. It seemed they had always been on a collusion course, natural rivals, opposites and enemies.
They would fight, it was inevitable Lashina knew, but not now. She would play the helpless refugee from the big bad world of Apokolips and steal Kal-El away from the Princess. Once he was hers, then Wonder Woman would feel the sting of Lashina's wrath.
Sometimes the simplest plans are the best, she thought. She had informed Darkseid directly that she wished to make Kal-El life miserable, and the Dark God had agreed. The truth might be different, but as long as Darkseid was happy, Lashina didn't have to worry about anyone else. She had already proven no one else was her equal on Apokolips. When Bernadeth had betrayed her and left her for dead on this backwater planet, they thought that was the end of her. She had mounted an attack on her home world with only a handful of humans to assist her. The Furies, Granny Goodness and the rest had fallen before her. It was only Darkseid that had stopped her in the end.
With Kal-El at her side, perhaps even the Dark God would be unable to stop her. Those were thoughts for another day. There was much work to be done and it would start tonight.
Gotham
The show had been a smashing success and people were still talking about it as they exited the theater. The television crews, bloggers, entertainment and print reporters were already filing their stories along with the video and stills. They would mention that Wonder Woman had attended, but none even thought about the clod that had the good fortune to sit next to her. If you asked them, they wouldn't even remember his name. They would give a vague description of him, large, clumsy, but would be hard pressed to describe his face.
Princess Diana would be one of the leads for the story. Bruce Wayne and Dinah Lance would certainly make all the media outlets, along with Flash and Hawk Girl. The three women would get more coverage, as what they wore would be the topic of many reports. Who they were with or weren't with would also be a topic of gossip.
Zatanna was feeling wonderful, as the show had gone just as she planned. No one saw the continuous rehearsal and countless hours of work she put in to make it seem so effortless. A small afterparty was taking place backstage for friends and celebrities. Everyone turned and applauded as she walked in. Zee stood there beaming before waving them off.
There were probably sixty to seventy people mingling around. Diana had met several celebrities and politely chatted with them, but her eyes were scanning the crowd. She didn't see him, but somehow knew he was here. Diana glanced around the room as she sipped her drink and noticed that many of the League members had arrived for the afterparty. They had to work or couldn't get tickets, but had shown up to support one of their own. It was something she always liked about being part of a team, that it became more than just a working relationship and something of a community. She noticed Bruce and Dinah were off to the side engaged in some discussion. Before she could get his attention, another celebrity approached and she politely began a conversation.
Bruce had to admit, he'd enjoyed the show. It had been awhile since he'd seen her act, but it was still amazing. Her dad would be proud. Normally he would have stopped back and congratulated Zatanna and then slipped away as the crowd gather, but something stopped him tonight. Somehow he knew it was important for Dinah to be here, to take the time off from work and just enjoy herself.
It was a strange position for him to be in. In many ways, Bruce knew what his flaws were, but he had pushed them to the side, as he got deeper into his mission. Attachments created distractions, so he always tried to keep everyone at arm's length. He knew his single-minded focus on the mission had also cost him greatly on the personal side of his life. Relationships that might have blossomed into something amazing, he'd sacrificed for the greater cause. Each year he because more the Batman than Bruce Wayne, and that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
Watching Dinah of late had been like taking a trip into his own past. The drive, the single-minded focus, the cutting herself off from relationships all were hauntingly familiar to him. She was fast approaching a pivotal moment in her life, just as he had all those years ago. He still remembered it as if it were yesterday. Gordon had just made commissioner and installed the Bat-signal on the roof of the police headquaters. Their first meeting had been to discuss a new villain that was causing trouble in Gotham. It was still hard for Bruce to believe that was the first night he heard the name, The Joker. The rest as they say, is history.
Dinah hadn't gone all that way yet. Some would say it was hypocritical of him, but Bruce knew what awaited her if she followed his path. He never wanted that for anyone, especially not Dinah. If Ollie wasn't going to step up, that meant someone else had to. As strange as it seemed, Batman wasn't the one to do it, Bruce Wayne was. The very person he'd almost stopped being, he would have to become again if he was going to change Dinah's path.
He couldn't do it alone, but then Dinah had friends. One of them had set them up on this date. Others had been in the audience. All these thoughts were running through his mind as he chatted with Dinah, always keeping the topic on the show and not on her investigation.
"So do you always dress like this when you don't want to go on a date,' he playfully asked. "Cause I have to tell you, it seems rather counterproductive."
"How so,' she asked, taking the bait.
"You look amazing, so a man's going to want to ask you out again,' he replied.
"I never figured you for a leg man, Bruce,' Dinah countered. "I wear a short dress and suddenly you can't stop talking about it."
"I'm sure there's a lot of things you don't know about me."
"That sounds like a challenge."
"Take it anyway you want,' he said with a smile. Before she could continue, Zatanna came over to both of them.
"So what did you think," Zee asked with a big smile. She glanced at Dinah's dress and whistled. "Hot, but how do you sit down without flashing everybody?"
"Very carefully,' Dinah joked. "The show was great, Zee."
"Yes, it was, although I didn't care for the opening that much,' Bruce added.
"Just thought I'd add a little local flavor to the mix,' Zee offered.
"By stealing costumes that someone told you not to,' he asked.
"Don't listen to him, Zee, he's still out of sorts about what Clark did before the show began,' Dinah said.
'What he do,' Zee asked.
"Why don't you tell her, Bruce?"
"No."
"Oh, come on, tell me please, please,' Zee begged.
Bruce looked at the two women and saw they weren't going to stop. He gave a sigh, as he knew what the reaction would be.
"He sat on me,' Bruce said, barely above a whisper. Zatanna's face lit up and she practically bounced up and down with joy. Pulling her lower lip between her teeth she tried to keep a straight face.
"Could you repeat that,' she said, a small giggle slipping out.
"You heard me, I'm not repeating it,' Bruce grumbled.
She couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing. Zatanna has one of those laughs that are infectious, and soon Dinah was joining her. Bruce gave them both a look, but this only made them laugh harder.
"I'm never going to heard the end of this, am I?"
Across the hall, Diana had just finished a conversation with a producer. He was pitching a commercial for make-up to her, but she politely told him she didn't wear any. He seemed to be having a hard time processing this and walked away mumbling to himself.
"Hello Diana."
She turned to see a man smiling at her. It took a moment for her to place him, but then it dawned on her.
"Jonn! I'm so glad you came,' she said with a smile.
"Well, I couldn't make the show, but I thought for once I'd come to the party."
"I'm glad you did."
'Are you enjoying your evening, Diana,' Jonn asked.
"The show was very good, yes,' Diana offered.
"Yes, I heard,' Jonn replied. "I don't see your 'husband' is he here?"
"Yes and no,' she said.
"I see.'
Standing in the back of the room, Clark Kent was taking it all in. He spoke to only a few people, as most were busy trying to talk to someone famous. In some ways he preferred it like this, having been in this position too many times to count. He knew he'd gone a little overboard earlier and Diana wasn't happy about it. For some strange reason he wanted her to see him like that. He wanted her to understand that the man she was living with wasn't who he was most of the time.
As he looked at her across the room, he wished it didn't have to be that way. He would like to be like Bruce, standing there chatting away with Zatanna and Dinah. He couldn't though. Maybe it all stemmed from guilt, he wasn't sure, but Clark felt a desperate need to protect those close to him. The memory of Jonathan Kent death and not being there to save him still haunted Clark. So few people were close to him, that losing any of them was a wound that would never heal. Clark knew that given how long he might live, they would all disappear much to soon as it was, so he wanted to do everything he could to keep them safe as long as possible.
Maybe that was why he got so caught up the last two weeks. Living with Diana, he didn't have to be the mild mannered Clark Kent he usually was. No one knew them in the suburbs, so he could relax and just enjoy himself. It was such an unexpected change in his life. He was so used to acting a certain way that not having to was amazing. For a while he forgot, but reality came rushing back to him. Tonight he had to play the role again. Maybe the reason he'd overdone it was so Diana would see and understand.
Glancing around the room, there was a twinge of envy. Diana, Shayera and Zatanna didn't bother with secret identities. The same went for John. Maybe they'd made the right choice, Clark would never know.
"She looks lovely, doesn't she?'
Clark turned to see John Constantine standing next to him. He was smoking and he saw Clark's confusion, so he gestured with his cigarette towards Zatanna.
"Yes, she does,' Clark finally said. "She's quite the showman."
"Her friend has a pair of legs on her too,' Constantine said with a smirk. "Mr. Wayne is a lucky man."
"Yes."
"Course you got nothing to complain about, do you,' Constantine said, turning to look at Clark. "You're with the most beautiful woman in the room, right mate?'
"You mean Wonder Woman,' Clark replied, falling back into his persona. "I just sat next to her, is all. We're not together. I wish."
"Yeah, I heard what everyone else heard in the theater, but my eyes tell me different. I've got a nose from these sorts of things,' Constantine countered. "Don't worry, I can keep a secret, brother."
"You really have the wrong idea."
"Okay, have it your way, I'm just here for the free food and booze anyway,' Constantine said, chugging down his drink. "Still, she is a damn handsome woman, isn't she?"
"Yes."
"How did you get in,' Zatanna suddenly shouted, as she came over to Clark and Constantine. Thankfully, no one except them heard her over the noise of the crowd. Clark looked from one to the other. He had always thought they were friends, but right now he wasn't sure.
"Amazing show, love,' Constantine offered. "Nice party too."
"Yes, it is, but you weren't invited,' she fired back.
"Well, since you did give me a ticket to the show, I sort of invited myself."
"Shocker,' Zee sarcastically replied. "Free stuff and you appear, what are the odds?"
"You wound me,' Constantine said. He turned his attention to Dinah as she came walking over. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"No."
"I'm Dinah Lance."
Zee gave her a look, but then introduced Constantine.
"That's John and this is Mr. Kent, the reporter."
"Yes, we already met when he sat on my date,' Dinah said with a big smile. Zee and Constantine couldn't help smiling at this.
"That was well done," Constantine offered.
"Purely an accident,' Clark said.
"I don't think Bruce believes that,' Dinah said.
"God, I would have loved to be there to see the look on his face,' Zatanna giggled.
"I think that calls for a drink,' Constantine said, as he grabbed a couple off a passing waiter's tray.
Across the hall Diana had finally spotted Clark. He was standing with Zatanna. She was just about to go over, when out of the corner of her eye she saw Bruce heading her way.
"Diana,' he said, as he stepped up next to her.
"Bruce."
"You look lovely tonight."
"Thank you."
"You wanted to talk to me about something yesterday,' Bruce began. "If you still want to, I'm all yours."
"If only that were true,' she replied.
"Meaning?"
"Nothing, it doesn't matter now,' Diana said with a shake of her head. "So did you enjoy the show?"
They did their best to engage in small talk, but it wasn't something that came natural between them. Wally and Jonn mercifully came over and the four of them stood talking about the evening and the show.
Bruce took a sip of his drink as Wally related to Jonn and Diana his heroism at saving Shayera from the deadly cards. His eyes shifted over to where Zatanna and Dinah were standing. He made a mental note that Constantine was there as well. Something about the man bothered Bruce. He knew Constantine was generally on the side of good, but he didn't like him. The fact that he was a friend of Zatanna only added to his dislike.
His eyes shifted to her, and watched as she laughed and ran her hand down Clark's arm. She's such a flirt, he thought. He didn't even have to hear what she was saying, because if she was talking, she was flirting. Bruce hadn't even considered the idea of her with Clark before, not really, but seeing them standing together he suddenly realized it was a possibility. They had certainly spent enough time together when Clark did his interview with her. It was frustrating that she had put up some kind of magical barrier so he couldn't hear what they were saying.
Bruce didn't like the idea of Zatanna with Clark either.
Diana was half listening as Wally and Jonn went back and forth about the events from earlier. Jonn was skeptical of Wally's version. She took a sip from her glass and glanced out the corner of her eye. Clark was still talking to Zatanna and Dinah. They seemed to be having a wonderful time, she noticed. Whoever the man with them was, he seemed to be telling stories and they were all laughing. Diana noticed immediately the way Zatanna kept brushing against Clark. If she didn't know better, she would have thought Dinah was flirting with him too.
That dress Dinah was wearing certainly seemed to capture everyone's attention. Was Kal a legman, she wondered? He'd certainly flirted with her while doing his ridiculous act before the show. Diana had thought they were clear on this topic, but apparently he hadn't thought she was serious. He'd flirted with Shayera as well, she hadn't forgotten that either. They were definitely going to have a talk when they got home.
"So what do you think, Diana,' Wally asked.
'What? What do I think about what,' she replied, startled by the question.
"What was the best moment of the show for you?"
She looked at Wally and Jonn and then noticed Bruce was glancing over at Clark and Zatanna's group.
"I would have to say when Clark sat on Bruce."
His head snapped back and looked her right in the eye.
"I didn't find that very amusing, Princess,' he said, his voice very calm and controlled.
"That's what made it funny,' Wally said with a laugh. Diana couldn't help but laugh now, as the look on Bruce's face was priceless.
Across the room, Constantine was telling Dinah about one of the times he'd needed Zatanna's help and she was laughing. Clark was listening, but his eyes were looking across the room. Diana and Bruce were together. He didn't like it.
Gotham Heights
Lashina was exploring the house, getting the lay of the land. She was upstairs and had just discovered there was only one bedroom. It had a very big bed in it, but she definitely didn't like the idea of them sharing a bedroom. She remembered hearing Supergirl say that Kal-El had promised not to do anything with the 'Princess 'while they were living here, but she found this hard to believe.
They were a man and woman sleeping in the same bed; something was going on, Lashina thought. Grumbling to herself, she went over and looked in the closets. His clothes were sort of ordinary, but then she had seen him wearing that sort of thing before.
Rustling through Diana's closet, Lashina was surprised by what she found. They were rather conservative in her view. She had always been of the mind that if you've got it, flaunt it, hence her current outfit. Perhaps this will turn out to be another advantage for me, Lashina thought.
Gotham
The after party was over. Zatanna, Dinah, Shayera and Constantine were heading out for more partying. Dinah hadn't wanted to and tried begging off, but the others had insisted. Bruce slipped away when no one was looking. Wally and Jonn were heading back up the station. Wally was going to change into civilian clothes and meet the others later. Diana was in her limousine, alone again.
When it reached the outskirts of the city, she had it pull over. She would fly the rest of the way. Diana thanked her assistant and took off. A few minutes later she arrived at the warehouse where her car was waiting. Ollie owned it and it was basically empty. It was sort of a launching point for her and Kal, a transition point between the outside world and the suburbs. It was the last place they could use their powers before entering Gotham Heights.
She arrived and noticed immediately he wasn't there yet. Late again, she thought. Diana started to pace, running over the events of the night in her mind. She wondered if she might have been too forceful when she talked to Zatanna earlier. Diana admitted she could have started with a better question than was Zee trying to sleep with her husband. Zatanna had been rather flabbergasted and quickly denied it. Their conversation didn't take as long as Diana thought it might. She did notice that Zatanna steered clear of both of them after that.
The sound of a rush of wind made Diana turn and watch as Kal landed. He smiled at her as he strolled over towards the car.
"Interesting night, " he offered.
She didn't say anything at first and just stood looking at him. She wasn't smiling.
"Diana?"
She still didn't answer him.
"You're angry with me, aren't you?"
The frustration she'd been feeling since he'd told her they couldn't go together added with what she saw as his antics all night seemed to come to a boil. She smacked him, and then smacked him again.
"Ow, hey!"
"What? Are you going to stumble and fall on me now,' she spat out at him and then hit Clark again. "There's nobody here for you to shamelessly flirt with right in front of me, is there!"
She was getting angrier by the second. In self-defense, Clark finally grabbed both her wrists and held them down at her sides. They were pressed against each other and he could see the fire in her eyes.
"Diana, I explained this before we left,' he started to say, but Diana wrenched her hands away and then kissed him. He was caught off guard by the kiss and the fiery passion behind it. He found himself responding before he even knew it. His arms circled her and pulled her tight. Diana poured all the passion and anger boiling inside into the kiss. When she finally pulled away, he was stunned and more than a bit aroused.
"We're married, Kal, that means we're in a relationship,' Diana forcefully said. "When we get home we are going to have a long talk about this. Now get in the car, I'm driving!"
He stood there, still stunned over the kiss. She glared at him, then turned and marched to the driver side and got in. Almost reflexively, he walked over and got in the passenger side.
Gotham Heights
They hadn't spoke since the warehouse, both deep in their own thoughts. Something had happened between them and they were both trying to process it. They walked up to the front door and Clark put his key in the lock. They entered and Diana moved over to turn on the lights. They both stopped in their tracks as they saw who was in their living room.
Lashina got up from the chair and walked straight up to Clark and kissed him.
"Thank heavens I've finally found you, Kal-El,' she said. "I've left Apokolips and need your help. You are the only one that can save me!'
"Lashina?'
Clark was more than a little confused and her name came out of his mouth as a bewildered question.
"Lashina!"
Diana said the name with a completely different inflection.