Sarah's cab driver dropped her off in front of a simple, brownstone building in a neighborhood full of gourmet restaurants and late-night cocktail bars. It was an affluent part of Metropolis, with a cultural and intellectual hub that hosted the best performing-arts institutions and universities. Sarah would have loved to afford to live here, but for now, Chinatown was the best she could do.

She brushed away small flurries of white snow drifting down into the street that was illuminated by white and colored Christmas lights hung throughout the windows and doorways. She went up the stairs and followed the sounds of people talking down the wide corridor, and seeing the door to the apartment number Zee had given her was slightly open, she walked in and scanned the room apprehensively, her sharp senses picking up on conversations here and there while upbeat Christmas music played in the background. The large, brick-lined room was dim, but candles were lit, and more lights were strung around haphazardly.

There was a couple dozen people throughout the apartment chatting and laughing with each other. Some wore glittering party outfits while others wore ugly Christmas sweaters with bouncing headbands and giant ornaments for earrings. There was the smell of burning candle wax in scents of pine and candy cane mixed in with the raw vegetable platters and ranch dip. The mood here was blissfully cheerful and bright, the opposite of Connor's party several weeks ago where she had first met Zee.

Sarah shrugged off her jacket and placed it on a coat rack while looking over the room again. She didn't feel anything hostile or out of place with anyone here, she just didn't have anyone to talk to. She sighed and was about to move towards the open bar when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She stared at the straight back of a tall man with full, blonde hair. He turned then, as if sensing her gaze on him, and her breath caught, her skin tingling with fear and fascination.

He wore a fitted grey jacket with the collar turned up over a black button-down shirt that gaped open at the neck enough to show pale skin, straight legged black slacks, and black shoes. It was simple but he still looked stunning. His neck was as long and white and graceful, though the muscles and tendons were prominent. His hands were long, uncalloused, and slender. He was taller than she was, with a broad chest and wide shoulders accentuated by a narrow waist and hips.

And now that she saw him fully, she realized that the most daunting thing about him was not his physical perfection. It was his feral combination of strength, agility, and outward intelligence that was palpable across the room.

His remarkable face brightened at seeing her and a cool smile grew on his full lips. "Brecht!"

Her knees became weak at all of that strength and masculine beauty suddenly directed at her. "You remember," she said quietly, not being able to think of anything else to say.

"Of course," he said. "I apologize for running out without even introducing myself. I'm Ethan."

His voice wrapped around her like an embrace. The smile never left his face and his eyes never stopped reaching into hers.

Her heart was beating hard in her chest. Finally, she managed, "Sarah."

"Lovely name."

She inhaled sharply now that she could hear his voice without the rumbling of a tram. It was familiar, resounding, she could almost feel the sound of it tremor in her bones. Something tugged at her memory - but just when she thought she had caught it, it slipped through her fingers like smoke.

Sarah mentally noted that he exuded a far bit of confidence and stood out among everyone else. And when he started to move toward her, graceful and commanding, she almost took a step back, but she held her ground. Physically, she knew she could take on any man who tried to lay a hand on her. Her reaction was solely from the compelling pull she felt towards him that she couldn't quite place, and admittedly, a little trepidation.

"Thank you," she tucked her hair behind her ear, her nervous habit.

One corner of his lips curled up into a playful smile. "Any plays yet?"

"Since we met?" she raised her brow. "Several, and all award winning."

He blinked slowly, then laughed under his breath at her sarcasm.

To say that Sarah felt a little overwhelmed at this man's presence was an understatement, but that didn't mean she completely forgot who she was.

She shook her head, smiling. "No, not yet. But I'm ready to get started again. I've been away from work for too long."

Ethan paused to look at her. "Gotham?" he asked her.

She glanced away and shrugged her shoulders. People everywhere trapped in their homes, afraid and uncertain, were left unspoken.

"Hopefully now it's all over," An odd look of vulnerability, of tenderness, came over him. "But nothing is ever really over. Certain things, and people, stay with you."

Sarah was taken aback at the quiet tone of his voice. And the way his eyes softened. He wasn't looking through her at all, but still delving into her, searching and sensing with his gaze...

"I noticed you have an accent," she quickly changed the subject. She did not want to talk about Gotham anymore. "You're not from around here."

Ethan half-smiled again. "You're right, I'm from across the pond."

"Where?"

"I'm a Southern boy from London."

Sarah saw and heard the truth she had recognized in dozens of people she had come across. She was once a great actress, surrounded by those that were equally great. She could see a lie before one even spoke it. Ethan was not lying to her.

"Hmm," Her invisible walls crumbling. "Lots of theaters there…"

"Ah ha!" Zee's lilted voice exclaimed, and she suddenly appeared behind Ethan. "We've found our Holly King!" She triumphantly placed a crown of fake green holly and red berries on top of his blond head. "And I see you two have found each other." She looked delighted with herself. "Marvelous!"

Zee was dressed in a deep green velvet pantsuit with a maroon velvet jacket over the ensemble. It looked rich and luxuriant on Zee, unlike the velour tracksuits Sarah saw so many women wearing around the city now.

Sarah could also see that Ethan was trying very hard to conceal his annoyance with Zee. It wasn't so much the ridiculous crown she placed on his head, but the way she rested her elbow on his shoulder so carelessly that tinged his otherwise genial mood. Sarah watched the two of them carefully, and she could see that there was nothing sexual going on between them. He wasn't running his eyes over her like many men, and women coveting her outfit were; theirs was purely platonic, although there was a bit of tension between them, but she couldn't quite place what it was.

"What a coincidence that Zee is acquainted with Ethan," Sarah mused to herself. For now, she decided she would simply go with it because she still didn't sense any danger, or even a touch of unease.

"Can I bring either of you a drink?" Zee offered, her blue eyes sparkling.

As much as Sarah wanted to soothe her nerves with a drink now, she felt it was best to keep her wits about her. She was becoming attracted to this stranger and she didn't want her senses to become dulled by alcohol.

"No thank you," Sarah demurred.

Ethan flicked his eyes over to her elbow that was still on his shoulder. "I'll pass too."

Zee smiled impishly, shrugged her arm off, and raised her cocktail glass up to the both of them. "Merry festivus!" she exclaimed before she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Ethan turned back to Sarah and one of the holly leaves fell over his eyes. Sarah bit her thumbnail between her teeth but couldn't keep the laugh from growing on her face. She finally had to look away to laugh even harder.

"I'm sorry…" she turned back to him and was relieved to see that he was cracking a small, self-deprecating smile.

Sarah laughed even harder, but suddenly stopped herself and looked around the room. She saw that people were starting to throw them curious glances, especially the women. Ethan did look ridiculous, but she also noticed that he was sidling closer to her, and it wasn't from the amount of people crowding into the apartment.

She was secretly finding herself thrilled with his attention and wanted more of it.

She looked out the window and then gave him a side eye. "I know it's cold outside, but…"

"There's more privacy," he finished.

She blushed as he went to the window before her and slid it open.

Ethan brushed the crown off his head and extended his hand out. "After you."

"Thank you." Sarah slid through the window and sucked in her breath from the cold air. She turned to watch Ethan move through the open window with the grace of a long-limbed cat. He closed the window behind him, but she could still hear a jazz rendition of "We Three Kings" playing inside.

Ethan briskly rubbed his hands together, cupped them around his mouth and blew into them to warm up. And as if on cue, Sarah suddenly felt the air become a little warmer. She brushed it aside but kept her arms over her chest for added warmth.

Ethan noticed she only wore a fitted sweater and promptly shrugged his coat off. "Take it," he held it out for her by the arm sleeves.

Sarah shook her head. "I'm alright."

"I insist."

Sarah realized that he wasn't smiling, nor was he demanding, it was chilly, and he wanted her to be comfortable. She sighed and turned around so he could pull the soft and heavy jacket up into her arms and around her body. She trembled, admiring the rich, warm fabric as she settled it over her shoulders and pulled out her hair from the collar.

The smell of cloves and a lush, caramel scent, almost like brandy suddenly overwhelmed her senses, and the warmth of his body still imbued into the jacket enveloped her. She closed her eyes briefly before she turned back around to him. It was like he was already touching, and taking her into him…

"It looks good on you," he complimented. This time there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he cast his gaze over her.

Sarah exhaled and kept her face tilted upright so she wouldn't be tempted to breathe in his scent. But seeing as he was a whole head taller than she was, it was easier to look at him this way. She swept her eyes over his face again – striking with well-defined angles, and his own eyes were fixed on her.

"Tell me more about London," she told him.

"Have you been?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. What is it like living there?"

Ethan leaned against the guardrail and gazed out into the street. "It rains a lot. And it's very old, but modern. It lives and breathes history, art, theater, royalty…" He looked down at her, appraising. "Something tells me you would like it."

Sarah laughed softly in response and forced herself not to rub her fingers over his jacket cuffs.

"But this city doesn't have London sunrises," he continued looking upward. "I remember one day in Highgate many years ago, I don't think I'll ever forget the light in the sky that morning."

She listened, nodding, straining to keep her focus on his words and not the movement of his lips, on the high, sculpted angle of his cheekbone, on his curiously mismatched eyes…

"Your pupil!" she blurted.

"I'm sorry?" he frowned.

Sarah flushed with embarrassment at her outburst, but she couldn't contain her surprise. "Oh… no, I'm sorry, but I just noticed that one of your pupils is larger than the other." She discovered that his right eye was a bright blue, and his left was dominated by a dilated pupil bordered with a grey-green sliver of iris.

His eyes had struck another chord within her. But for the moment, she was absolutely horrified at her outburst. "That was so rude of me. I am sorry," she apologized profusely, and turned red in her cheeks when she saw that he was studying her own face – her pale skin now rosy, her nose, nearly sensual lips, the line of her jaw up to her long, wavy black hair. His look on her was almost physical.

"Well, then," he finally said, "your eyes are the most brilliant color of green I have ever seen. And I mean that."

Her smile widened sheepishly. "Why did you leave London?"

Ethan finally looked away and shifted his weight. "It's quite expensive, and I had to make a living elsewhere."

Sarah's smile shifted into a small frown. "That's a shame. It seems like you liked it."

He leaned down and rested his forearms on the rail. "I've lived in other places since."

Sarah followed his stance, suddenly more intrigued as her natural curiosity started to come out. "Where? Doing what?"

"No," he laughed and waved her questions aside, "that's quite enough about me. Tell me about you. Where do you come from?"

"Upper State New York," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Although it's not nearly as exciting or close to a living, breathing creature of humanity as London." Her voice started to take a teasing lilt to a British accent., and she was still pleased to see that he was laughing at her. She smiled and paused to look out into the street like he had done. "I left in my early twenties and came here to study theater, moved to Gotham for a couple of years, then moved back here." She mentally brushed aside the past five years, living from day to day, the same dull routine blurring into the next month and then the next year.

She turned her attention back to Ethan. "So, what brought you to Metropolis?"

"No, no," he chided, laughing. "I told you enough about me."

Sarah stood up straight. "But that's all there is!"

Ethan looked up at her, all pretenses dropped from his face. "That's not true," he said. "You seem like a fascinating woman." The way he said the word 'fascinating' was a soft sigh of the tongue.

"Careful, Sarah," she warned herself. "He's trying to charm you… Let him."

She shook her head ruefully. "I don't think I'm nearly as worldly as you."

"Nonsense! You teach young artists," he said before his lips tugged into a playful smirk. "And you read Brecht."

"Yes, I can read," she said in a mocking voice. "But what is that compared to seeing the world?"

She paused and was aware that he was watching her lean onto the rail and look up at the top edges of the buildings. She realized then she never got the opportunity to travel these last few years, she was simply trying to survive…

"Is that what you want?" His voice was soft yet probing.

She answered quickly so she wouldn't feel the lump in her throat. "Maybe."

"What do you want?"

"You…" she was startled that it came to her mind so quickly. She turned to him, almost abruptly, as if he had somehow heard her thoughts.

But more than that, this was another question he was asking her that she hadn't asked of herself in a long time. In just a short time he had cracked open a lock that she kept hidden inside herself for years. Besides the handsome stranger beside her, she wanted her memories to stop coming back to life in the present, she wanted her night terrors to end, and she wanted to know if Bruce was alive…

Ethan's eyes started to drift over her face again; he was still patiently waiting for her to answer when a rowdy group of partiers in suits and holiday outfits came around the street corner, laughing, yelling, and holding onto each other. They both stared down at the group as they went past the brownstone building and further down the street.

"Oh no…" Sarah murmured aloud.

Ethan raised a well-groomed brow. "What is it?"

"What time is it?"

He stood at full height and glanced at his wristwatch. "Almost 10:30. Do you need to be somewhere?"

"No."

He smiled down at her, and the streetlights reflected the gleam of his teeth. "Good."

She shivered and knew it wasn't from the cold, but she couldn't help but smile back. "But I do need to make a quick phone call." She dug her phone out of her jean pocket. "One second." She put a hand up to him. "Don't move."

He shook his head once. "Not a chance."

Sarah raised her brows before she turned around and dialed Toby's number. Several ringtones later and Toby answered with a muffled, "hello?"

"Toby?" She made sure to keep her voice low.

"Sarah? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Listen, I'm going to stay out a little longer."

"Everything's okay, though, right?"

"Yes!" Sarah's voice rose slightly to a pitch but then she took a moment to recompose herself. "I'll be home in a few hours. Everything okay with you?"

"Yeah," Toby assured. "Elektra has been my shadow. And there's finally some good stuff on TV."

"What stuff?" she asked incredulously.

"Samurai Jack," Toby scoffed, "relax."

Sarah sighed into the phone. "Fine. Don't wait up."

There was a momentary pause on the other end before Toby said, "Have fun, sis."

Sarah smiled and flipped her phone shut. She tucked it back into her pocket before coming back to Ethan's side. She was pleased to see that he was patiently waiting for her. Despite not having his jacket, the cold did not seem to bother him, and merely had his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry," she said. "I had to take care of that. My little brother is staying with me for the holidays."

He laughed softly. "Nice of you to check on him."

"He's a teenager," she said morosely, "but I shouldn't leave him alone for too long."

Ethan suddenly shifted his weight and grinned. "So," he looked down momentarily before raising his eyes back to her, "can I assume there's no boyfriend?"

"No," she blushed again and glanced away. "I mean, you assume correctly."

"I had to ask."

"I'm glad you did."

At Sarah's reply, Ethan looked at her with something akin to surprise, though Sarah couldn't see why. Was he flattered? Well then, that was satisfying, she supposed.

But then the air suddenly felt very still between them. Snow fell gently, and it brought a strange hush to the street – no cars, no voices, or sirens, even the music inside seemed to stop. It was that moment when two people stood regarding each other and that silent, invisible pull of mutual attraction became evident.

A burst of laughter suddenly erupted from inside the party. Sarah tore her gaze away to see that more people had arrived and were completely engrossed in conversation. She saw a woman pop an hors d'oeveur into her mouth and laugh aloud. At that, her stomach growled, and she realized she hadn't eaten since early afternoon.

She looked back at Ethan and inclined her head toward the party inside. "I am a little hungry."

"Oh," he lunged at the window and pushed it open. "I'm a master at fixing a plate."

"How do you know what I like?" she asked in mock suspicion, even if she was secretly pleased at his eagerness to serve her food.

Ethan paused and sat halfway on the sill, considering. "I suppose I don't. Well, you can tell me all about that too."

He moved through with ease and turned back around to offer Sarah his hand. She braced herself on the window frame and stared at the pale, elegant hand that beckoned for her to take it. Again, she felt a memory tug at her mind – a slender hand presenting a gift for her. A rare gift. But she wouldn't take it. Out of pride? Defiance? That sounded like her.

Now, her fingers tingled with the desire to touch his skin. But she couldn't. Not yet. And without looking up at him, she ducked down and moved through the window as quickly as possible.

She missed the look of disappointment on his face as she moved past him toward the long table piled with food.

There were picked over platters of dill dip, pigs in a blanket, cheesy Christmas tree bread, deviled eggs, and cookie jello shots. Sarah tucked her hair behind ear and helped herself to a little of everything – except for the jello.

Ethan came to her side and observed her growing plate. "Everything is to your liking, then?"

Sarah took a bite of a stuffed mushroom. "Yes," she replied with her mouth half-full. "You're quite observant." She winked at him good-naturedly and continued to fill her plate.


They sat on an empty settee and talked through the night, completely focused and curling towards the other, laughing and teasing, though Sarah was still wary of touching Ethan. Thankfully, he seemed to have caught on to that and never put a finger on her, and she realized slowly that he was being just as perceptive of her as she was of him.

Sarah had eventually got out of him that he had been to Madrid, Stockholm, Buenos Aires, Dubrovnik, and many other cities.

"What do you do exactly?" Sarah asked him.

Ethan shrugged. "A little bit of everything."

"Oh," she raised her brows, "one of those international bankers, neurosurgeon, test pilot, cowboy kind of guys?"

"Basically." He waved his hand. "No. I wish I could be that cool. I'm an executive global recruiter for private companies." A light smile grew on his face. "If you're up to it, I'd like to tell you all about it sometime."

Sarah could barely hide the delight in her face when he suggested seeing each other again. She recalled that with Bruce it was hard to open herself up to him initially because she knew that something was off about him, so she had been wary. And with other men, Sarah always felt unsure and sensed a slight tinge of disappointment even before anything started.

With Ethan it immediately felt different. Though she kept her guard up, he remained attentive to her and didn't make her feel uncomfortable. But she was beginning to feel a slow, visceral sensation of needing to be closer to him, even though they had just met.

She knew what spells and magic felt like, but this was not the ethereal pull of desire or sensing something that was against her will. It was guileless attraction, fascination, and fear – diving headfirst into something that could either be exquisite or absolutely heartbreaking.

Before Sarah could answer him, she noticed some people were starting to leave the party. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was well past 1 am.

"I have to go," her lips twisted into a frown. "It's getting late."

Ethan gave a little pout but nodded, understanding. "Can I call you a cab then?"

Sarah rested her head on her hand propped on the edge of the settee. "That would be nice, thank you." She admired the fact that he didn't invite her over to his place right away, nor did he offer to walk her home, which would have been a red flag to her - knowing where she lived.

He recoiled to his feet and offered his hand to help her up, but she still ignored it. He followed behind her and they stole away without saying goodbye to anyone, giggling softly as they did so, as if they were young teenagers ditching a chaperone.

As they walked down the brownstone stairs together, Ethan took this chance to take an exaggerated step in front of her and blocked her way down. "I really enjoyed meeting you tonight." He seemed full of uncoiled energy. "Can we do this again sometime?"

His face was eager and for a moment looked far younger when he smiled, his eyes glittering under the colored strings of Christmas lights. Sarah shifted back and paused, scrutinizing the way he was blocking her path, and even at the step below her, Ethan barely matched her height. Although nothing about him frightened her, he nonetheless made her tense with anticipation and longing.

She smiled shyly and pretended to think about it for a moment, but then her cheeks turned rosy once more and completely gave her away. "Of course," she said softly, "I would love to." She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen and a loose receipt. "Don't lose this," she began to scribble her number down. She held it out to him and thankfully had her gloves on when he reached out to take it with a small smile.

Ethan folded the receipt carefully and pushed it into his shirt pocket. "Not bloody likely."

Sarah clutched her coat around her body then suddenly looked down. "Oh… oh no!" She ran her hands over the lapels. "My jacket, I left it inside, I still have yours…"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Keep it. I'll run back in and grab yours, and we'll exchange when we meet again."

"That's very nice of you." She inclined her head to him. "Well then, until next time. I hope you remain the same perfect gentleman."

At that, Ethan smiled wolfishly at her, and Sarah's skin prickled at the sight, her breath caught in her chest as her face grew hot. Her body was reacting, but she still wasn't sure of what.

And for one brief moment, she caught a flash of darkness, temptation, and cruelty, and she could see herself falling into all of it.

She swallowed a gulp of air as she took another breath. But it wasn't just air; it was a breeze, a breeze that turned into such a wind she had to push her hair away from her face. And there was a sound that came with the wind. She knew that sound, she had heard it before.

The diamond beneath her sweater suddenly became warm against her chest. She reached her hand up instinctively and clutched it to her.

Ethan also furrowed his brow at the wind that picked up around them. He brushed his hair off of his face, but he followed her movement with his eyes. "Are you alright?"

She opened her mouth to speak when her taxi finally pulled up to the curb. Relief filled her. Though she was disappointed that their night together had to end, she could not risk a relapse now.

"I'm fine," she assured as she swept past him without waiting for a good night kiss.

Undeterred, Ethan followed her to the cab and sprang in front of her to open the door for her.

She stopped and smiled at him, a full beaming smile that reached her eyes. "Good night."

He smiled back, this time softly, inclining his head to her. "Good night, Sarah."

She dove into the backseat of the cab before he could see the red flush on her cheeks at hearing him say her name for the first time.