I'm so sorry for not updating for a while. I've been really busy with helping my friend complete her book, getting schoolwork finished, and way more than I could think of right now. I've gotten a few requests for this story, for example some wanted explicit content and others more action. So here's the deal. I will make another story containing explicit content after I finish this story. It will have all the YJ and maybe even JL couples in it, for you who like that kind of stuff, if you don't just don't read it when I post it. Now with this story, I know that the summary said everything will go downhill, and it will, just give me time. I have to gave some good parts at first and then things can go downhill. That's my announcement for now, if anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas for near chapters please just put it in a review or PM me. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own YJ or JL or any of its characters. (Except for Mary Ella, since she's not an actual character in any of the shows) If I did then I wouldn't be writing these stories here, I'd be publishing them and making new episodes or movies!
Chapter 14: Listing the Truth
The phone rang loudly, waking up the happily married couple and their now 3-year-old daughter, Mary Ella. Zee groaned as she got up, seeing the bright digital clock on her nightstand saying 2:00 am. Dick sat up in bed, rubbing his tired eyes after a hard day's work just hours ago.
"Who could be calling at 2 o'clock in the morning?" Dick quietly yelled, anger showing in his rough voice. Zee sighed and pulled on her robe hanging on the back of the door.
"I don't know," She responded to her husband, opening the door and turning on the hallway light. She squinted her eyes as the bright light beamed down on her. Carefully walking downstairs, Zee answered the phone with a tired voice.
"Hello?" She asked to the unknown caller. She had looked at the ID before she answered, but it was unknown, literally. The ID said 'UNKNOWN CALLER'.
"Zatanna?" A labored voice asked over the phone. Zee got a sick feeling. She knew this voice, and the way the voice said her name she could already feel that either something bad had happened or something bad was happening at that exact moment.
"Yes?" Zee asked the caller. Her voice was strong, but her feelings at that moment were a mix of concern, nerves, anger, and any other emotion you could think of. Deep breaths could be heard over the line as well as metals clanging together in the background.
"Zee, it's Artemis." The caller said in between large breaths. Zee knew that this wasn't anything that Artemis had experienced before, Artemis never called. "I need help." She said. "I'm stuck in a mansion looking thing with Klarion. He wants you Zee. He has Wally, Jayden, and Tyler. I heard M'gann and Conner too, I think, but I'm not sure. Zee we need help-" The phone line went dead. Zatanna was frozen in place. Klarion. Friends. Mansion. Those three things just didn't add up too well for Zatanna, nor for anyone else.
Zatanna ran upstairs panicking and waking up Dick, once again, who had fallen asleep again when she had gone downstairs.
"Klarion! Friends! Mansion! Artemis! Children! M'gann! Wally! Conner-" Zatanna kept repeating and stating new words as Dick grabbed her and lightly shook her out of the trance she was currently in.
"Zatanna!" That got her attention. Her light blue eyes stared into Dick's darker blue eyes. "Calm down and explain to me what's going on. I don't get anything when you say random words and expect me to know what that means." He smiled. Zatanna took a large breath and told Dick what had happened. Dick stared at her wide-eyed as she was done explaining.
"We have to help them," Dick whispered hoarsely. Zatanna nodded.
"Yeah, but what about Mary Ella? We can't just leave her here." Zatanna pointed out. Obviously you shouldn't leave a three-year-old at home, but you really shouldn't leave a three-year-old magician at home, alone, anytime, any day.
"I'll call Kaldur and see if he and Raquel can come over and babysit. I'll bet Opal will have a fun time playing with Mary Ella." Dick said, smiling. Raquel and Kaldur had a four-year-old daughter named Opal. Of course, being as busy as the family was, they had moved closer to Raquel's family so they could babysit Opal at any time, resulting in no one seeing them in a while. Fortunately, the zeta tubes had been upgraded just in time so Kaldur, Raquel, and Opal could all come to Bludhaven and other places faster.
"Yeah, I guess. You call, I'll wake up Mary Ella." Zee said, not waiting for a response, but just walking up the stairs to wake up the three-year-old. Dick sighed. He hated this line of work sometimes. It didn't pay the bills, nor help his family in any way, unless you call coming home at midnight, bruised and sometimes beaten up a family benefit.
Dick called Kaldur, who had said that they'd be there in about 10 minutes. Zee came down with little Mary Ella wrapped in her favorite blanket, a cream-colored fuzzy quilt with birds stitched to the front, asleep in Zee's arms. Dick melted at the sight of his wife holding his sleeping daughter. It was a beautiful sight, not to mention cute.
The doorbell rang and Dick went to answer it. Kaldur stood tall at the doorstep, fairly awake, but with small bags under his half-awake eyes. Raquel stood behind him, holding their daughter Opal. Opal's eyes were wide awake, like her mothers, and her face lit up when she saw Zee walk to the door with Mary Ella with her arms.
"Can whe pway?" Opal asked her mother, her small uneven white teeth showing brightly. Raquel laughed as they walked into the house, following Zatanna.
"Maybe later," Her mother answered. Opal was quite content with her mothers answer. Something that Zee wishs for when Mary Ella turns Opal's age.
Raquel sat down Opal on the sofa and turned to Zee, embracing her, awkwardly, considering Zatanna was still holding Mary Ella. She smiled.
"She's so cute, when she sleeps." Raquel commented on Mary Ella. "Wish it was the same for Opal. She great around company, and around family, as well as Kaldur and I, but she just will not go to sleep for the life of me. I've considered giving her like sleeping medicine or such, but Kaldur talked me out of it."
The two women laughed at Raquel's comment. "I usually put on calming music in Mary Ella's room, then just tuck her in and she's good to go for the next couple of hours. Five hours the maximum though, If you want her to get more sleep just get some peppermint air freshener or peppermint lotion and it calms them right down, and puts her to sleep. When I do that Mary Ella usually sleeps for at least eight hours, unless she's sick or something like that." Zatanna told Raquel.
"I'll try that," Raquel smiled brightly at the advice her friend had given her. The two talked for a little bit, Zatanna telling Raquel everything that she knew about the phone call, and Raquel filling her in on recent missions her and Artemis had gone on.
"Last time we fought Klarion, Artemis and I had been knocked out. I mean we almost didn't even make it out there alive, and with Artemis thinking that M'gann and Conner there, There might not be any doubts that Queen Bee, Luthor, or even some of the other villains we've faced could be there. We have to state the truth, Zee. Even with Klarion wanting you to come, it doesn't tell anyone that he won't or already hasn't killed any of our friends. I know we shouldn't think negative, but were all adults now. We thought we lost Wally when we couldn't find him in the Arctic, thank goodness we did, everyone would've known that Artemis would've done anything to be with him again. We've almost lost M'gann during the battle between Two-Face and Joker, which is kinda hard to believe, seeing M'gann has powers and those two villains are human. And there has been some other close calls as well. We have to prepare ourselves for the worst. They might not come back in one piece or come back at all, stating that they are still alive." Raquel gave Zatanna a sad, but true, look. Zee nodded.
"One hour." Zee said firmly. "We'll leave in an hour. Gives us time to prepare and plan...for the worst." Zee stated Raquel's words. They both nodded, Raquel walking back to entertain Opal and Zee laying down Mary Ella on the Recliner. Zatanna went and told Dick and Kaldur what Raquel had recently said. Both agreed. One hour. That was all the time they could afford.
How'd you like it? Good? Bad? Tell me! Told ya it would fall! Well, I will try to update a new chap as soon as possible. Oh, and before I forget, my friend has asked me to tell you guys about her online stories. She's currently writing a Romance and Supernatural story, I think, online at , which has some really good original books on it, by the way, and wanted you guys to check it out. You don't have to, but she would greatly appreciate it. Thanks! And watch out for new chaps! 6 more chapters to go then I put this story on hold and move onto the next, like I promised. Thanks!