Story: Dragons, Demons, and Other Wonders of the Heart (chapter 12)

Authors: Allaine

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Chapter 12

Chapter 12

        "Wow," John said after Flash and Wonder Woman had completely vanished from the teleportation pods.

        "I'd be surprised by the very concept," Hawkgirl replied, "if I wasn't too busy trying to wrap my brain around the fact that Batman actually accepted the invitation." She looked at the Green Lantern. "Interested?"

        "With four other members of the League, it'd look funny if you and I said no," he said. "Besides, I've seen the damage you do when we go out. At least after you've had a few drinks, the rest of the League will be there to hold you down."

        "Ha ha," she said. "I wonder who Flash will bring."

        "We've already got an award-winning reporter, a European princess, and a career cat burglar on the guest list," John pointed out. "Knowing Flash, he'll want to top all three."

        She nodded. "What do you think we should wear?"

        "It's not like we have secrets to keep. I say we dress to kill."

        Hawkgirl waved her mace. "John, we are dressed to kill."

        "I wouldn't say kill. Maybe dressed to dish out a serious beating." He cocked his head. "You seem pretty sure this party's going to take place."

        "Why wouldn't I?"

        "Well, he did say that he hasn't spoken to J'onn yet. Don't you think he'll feel left out?"

        "You can't think he'd insist that Flash call it off? You know how gracious he is. Perhaps a little too gracious," she added. "He said something to me the other day, and I really think we should start taking turns monitoring the Justice Lords. It's not fair to make him see himself in a cage every day."

        "No reason why we can't bring that up next meeting," John agreed after a moment. "We can switch so nobody has to deal with evil twins. But you're changing the subject. How will we feel if we have this party and he's the only one not there?"

        "There's no reason he can't come by himself."

        "Except maybe the sight of everyone with a date will remind him of his wife."

        She smiled slowly. "And maybe he'll bring a friend."

        John stared at her. "Okay, Shayera, what don't I know?"

        "It's personal."

        He folded his arms.

        "Oh, all right. J'onn told me about this female friend he made. Apparently he might have feelings for her. You know, the romantic kind?"

        "J'onn's got a girl? You're kidding me." Then he looked guilty. "Not that a girl wouldn't be lucky to have someone like him."

        "It's all right," she said, embarrassed. "I said those exact words, only I said them to his face. He told me he might find out how she feels about him. What if we can convince him to bring her to the party?"

        "Does she know about him? That he's a Martian, I mean?" John asked dubiously.

        "She does, he said. So introducing her to the League wouldn't reveal any secrets," Hawkgirl told him. "And with us there, it would make it easier for J'onn, put him in a comfortable setting where this woman can hear from us the kind of man he is."

        "You might be right," John finally agreed.

        "In fact," Hawkgirl said excitedly, "I should contact Flash and let him know that I'll tell J'onn about the party. Since he's shared with me his feelings for the woman, I can better convince him to invite her too."

        "If they're a couple," GL mentioned. "She might not be interested."

        "If she's not interested, then J'onn can find someone much better than her," she said, convinced.

        "Do we have a name for this woman?"

        "No," Shayera said. "It will be a surprise for everyone."
        "So what do you think?" Diana asked.

        "I think," Audrey said after a moment, "that you should have spent more time showing me the bedroom."

        Diana grinned and let Audrey's long blonde locks run through her fingers. "Later," she promised. "Really, what do you think?"

        "The apartment is very nice," Audrey said more seriously. "Not furnished quite as lavishly as women of our class might expect . . ."

        "I'm trying to create an image here," Diana pointed out as they sat next to each other on the couch, Audrey's legs in Diana's lap. "When I invite friends over, I don't want them to see the penthouse suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel."

        "Yes, but you own the building now. So you obviously come from money."

        "A lot of money," Diana agreed. When Hippolyta had banished her from Themiscyra, the Amazon queen had made sure that Diana brought treasure enough to make her life in Man's World comfortable for some time. At the time, Diana hadn't foreseen that she would obtain a two-story building in a relatively safe part of Washington, D.C. and convert the top floor into living quarters. "But I don't exactly own the building. I do have a mortgage."

        Audrey looked quizzical. "Why would you pay all that interest when you could buy it outright?"

        "Again, like I said, it's about creating an image. Even with the clothes and the glasses and the hair . . ."

        "Must you pull your hair back so tightly when we're out?" Audrey pouted. "You know how much better you would look if you wore it down."

        "As my fashion advisor, I trust your judgment," Diana said, "but as I was saying, I'm trying extremely hard to present myself as Diana Castle, not Wonder Woman. Even with the changes to my look, I'm still the same height, same figure, same face. I still have the same voice. If someone were to look closely enough, they would see me behind the disguise. That's why I need to be this other woman who can't afford to buy the building outright. I want people to say, 'An Amazon princess would never live in a so-so apartment over a martial-arts studio, she would never work a real job and have a real mortgage.' According to the bank records, I'm someone with a good credit record, not a fat bank account. Whatever it takes to make this new identity believable, I'll do," she added quietly. "A paper trail won't be enough. I need to make this work. Because . . ."

        "I know," Audrey said softly. "For me. For us. I'm sorry I have to make you go through all this trouble, Diana."

        "It's no trouble," Diana assured her, squeezing her hand. "I needed to build a life like this anyway."

        Audrey smiled at her, but then she sighed. "I spoke to my father today," she said. "He feels it is time I returned to Kasnia, and he's probably right. I have overstayed my visit."

        Diana nodded sadly. It was going to happen sooner or later. The problem with Audrey being in Kasnia meant that their time together would be limited. On the street or in a restaurant, no one in Metropolis knew who Audrey was. In Kasnia, everyone knew, and they would have to meet privately again. "When?"

        "The fifteenth," she said. "He knows we have plans for the holiday."

        Diana caught her breath. She'd almost forgotten, and now it seemed like the perfect time to mention it. "Audrey," she said. "By Hera, please tell me you don't have any obligations for the night of the thirteenth."

        Audrey looked at her oddly, and then she smiled naughtily. "If you need sex that badly, there's no reason we can't do it now."

        "Audrey!" Diana sighed. She was a wicked girl, and Diana had completely fallen for her. "Can you be free that night?"

        "For you, of course," Audrey said, "but I'm not busy anyway. What's so important?"

        "How would you like to go to a party?"

        "You know I so rarely decline an invitation, darling," Audrey reminded her. "What kind of party?"

        "You won't believe it, but a Justice League party."

        The Kasnian princess blinked. "A what?"

        Diana chuckled. "Somehow Flash got the idea to throw a pre-Valentine's Day party on the Watchtower, just for the League and our dates. I think he's met someone, and he wants her to show her off to the rest of us. Still, I know how much you'd like the chance to have me on your arm, not having to hide our relationship in front of others . . ."

        Audrey's face glowed with delight. "Oh, Diana, what a marvelous idea! Will everyone be there?"

        "I don't know about J'onn yet. He'd be the only one without a date. Otherwise, it will be the entire League, plus Lois Lane and - " Her lip twitched. "Catwoman."

        "The woman from Christmas?" Audrey asked, a startled reference to an unfortunate first encounter with the infamous thief on the Watchtower.

        "Yes, her."

        "How scandalous," Audrey replied, clearly thrilled by the idea. "I hope there will be pictures. Of course you realize we'll have to go shopping beforehand."

        "You've bought me dresses already, Audrey."

        "Yes, but it's a special occasion," Audrey pointed out. "And I saw that woman in purple. We will have to look our best. You can't allow yourself to be outshined by another woman."

        "I don't think I could outshine you," Diana murmured.

        Audrey flushed happily. "If you really want me to shine, you could kiss me, you know."

        Diana didn't respond with words. She leaned forward and captured Audrey's lips with her own.

        A moan worked its way up Audrey's throat as she felt her body temperature rise. She moved her legs, letting them drop from Diana's lap onto the floor, and pushed back against Diana so that their bodies were pressed tightly against each other, their breasts rubbing back and forth. Diana's hand traveled downward and pressed against the small of Audrey's back. Meanwhile Audrey's hand caressed Diana's cheek as inside their tongues dueled with one another.

        When they separated for air, it was Diana's cheeks that were darker now. Her eyes seemed a different color as well. "That extended tour of the bedroom you wanted," she breathed, her voice husky.

        "Now," Audrey growled.

        "Now," Diana agreed. Somehow they made it to their feet. It was a miracle they found their way to the bed.
        "You seem quiet, Wally. Is something bothering you?"

        Flash started as Raven's disembodied voice carried over the library stack. He moved one aisle over to where the empath was inspecting book covers. "You know what's the one thing faster than me?" he asked glumly.

        "What?"

        "A wooden ruler."

        She looked puzzled. "Excuse me?"

        "A wooden ruler, in the hands of a trained nun, will always strike your knuckles before you can move your hand."

        "I am sorry, Wally, but I don't understand what you mean."

        "I went to Catholic school when I was a kid," he explained. "We were taught by nuns. Back then, the nuns were allowed to smack you with a ruler if they caught you doing something wrong. I remember Sister Rosemary said I'd be a ne'er-do-well all my life. Wonder what she'd say if she knew who I become."

        "You seem to be doing quite well," Raven murmured. "However, I fail to see the relevance of your remark. Do your school days weigh on your mind today?"

        "Sort of. Librarians remind me a lot of my old teachers. If I open my mouth, I'm afraid one will materialize and make shushing noises."

        Raven smiled slightly. "I apologize for bringing up such memories, but I highly doubt an ordinary librarian could appear faster than you could DISappear."

        He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. You know, when you said you were going to a place you love best, I kinda thought you meant a park or a church or something. I didn't realize you were such a reader."

        "This place reminds me of my childhood as well," she said softly. "Anyway," she added in a slightly louder voice, "books keep me company when Koriand'r is away. I do not think a book will cause me to become too emotional. Except, perhaps, the romance novels I see at the hospital."

        "Wait," Flash said, "even romance novels are off-limits?"

        "I am a demon's daughter," she replied quietly. "I think I am not made for love. My experience is that love excites passions in one's heart. And I was taught to guard against passion."

        Flash was appalled. "Didn't your teachers ever consider the fact that love might be good for you?"

        "How so?"

        "Well - when you're in love," he said hesitantly, "there's a person in your life that means more to you than anything else. You said your father can't make you free him, he needs you to help him with your own free will, right?"

        She nodded, curious.

        "He has to influence you. If you were in love, how could he ever have a hold on you again? The person you loved would mean more to you than anything your father could offer."

        Raven looked down. "Love can bring heartbreak, can it not?"

        " . . . yeah, it can."

        "If my heart was broken," she murmured, "then I would be most vulnerable to my father. So you see, I dare not love another." She shrugged, content with her simple logic. "Friends like you and Koriand'r must do." Raven touched his wrist briefly and turned back to her books.

        Flash rubbed the back of his head. "Not cool," he muttered.
        "Sorry about all the takeout," Mercy apologized. "I don't really cook. If I hadn't been asking you to extend your hours the past few days, you could probably be eating a lot better."

        Koriand'r shrugged as she expertly used chopsticks to lift white rice into her mouth. "It's not a problem, Mercy," she said after she swallowed. "My job is to protect you. Technically it's a twenty-four hour job, and you have every right to request me to stay as long as you wish. Besides, it's not as if I would be doing anything better. Just sitting in my apartment. It would be easier if Raven was with me in Metropolis but . . ." She sighed. "We both have our careers now, it seems."

        "Still, you're single, you're beautiful - " Koriand'r's face colored, but Mercy shook her head. "Hey, you were a model, how do you think you got the job? Speaking of which, you're also a little famous. You should have no problem picking up somebody for the night."

        "Tamaraneans are very free with their emotions, but we also prefer to focus on one special person, Mercy," Koriand'r said. "I do not wish to go searching through hordes of men who want to be near me because of a swimsuit photo. Besides, if there is an emergency and I need to come here, it is easier if I'm not shoving someone from my bedroom."

        Mercy chuckled. "I do appreciate your enthusiasm for this assignment, you know."

        Koriand'r only smiled at her and continued eating.

        "I mean that," Mercy continued quietly. "I mean, I watched Lex's back for a good part of my life, and I'm not sure if he ever appreciated me."

        "That man did not strike me as someone who appreciates anything but his own greatness," Koriand'r replied, wrinkling her nose.

        Mercy nodded. "There were a couple times when it was my life that was in danger, and Luthor just turned away." She especially remembered years before, when she'd almost been smothered by flying metal as Superman defeated Brainiac within the walls of Lexcorp. Luthor had turned his back on her that day. Later he'd garnered several valuable patents from the damaged remains of Brainiac's body, and it occurred to her now that if she had died that night, Luthor would have considered it the loss outweighed by the gains. She frowned as she glared into her dinner. "I can't believe it took me so long to turn away too."

        Of course, if she'd left him sooner, then she wouldn't be the head of Lexcorp, would she?

        Then again, she wouldn't be engaging in a suicidal course of refusing Luthor something he wanted, either.

        "At any rate," she continued, "when I hired you, I decided I wasn't going to be like him."

        "You are not like him," Koriand'r assured her. "You are both people who excel at business, it is true, and I've seen you can be hard in the boardroom. But when we are alone, you are not cold like him. You do not act as if everyone secretly amuses you. And you've allowed me to see you when you're vulnerable."

        "Just as long as you don't tell anyone I was," Mercy huffed.

        "I'll try not to," Koriand'r said dryly. "Speaking of letting your guard down, how are your plans for the thirteenth coming?"

        "Fine," Mercy lied glibly. She had mentioned to several people that she had romantic plans for the night before Valentine's. She had none, in fact. She hadn't dated another man in a couple years. But Mercy didn't want people thinking that the CEO of Lexcorp couldn't find a date. Unfortunately, Koriand'r had overheard, and Mercy had been forced to offer her the night off in order to keep the secret. Hopefully Luthor wouldn't choose that night to make a move. "What about you?"

        "Well, actually, I do have a date."

        "Really? Anyone I know? Someone else at Lexcorp?"

        Further discussion was postponed when the front door exploded.

        Koriand'r was immediately up, her feet floating an inch above the floor as spheres of light surrounded both fists. "Mercy, stay back," she warned her.

        "I can fight," Mercy hissed.

        "Then you won't be completely doomed if they get through me. Until that happens, as your bodyguard I'm telling you to stay."

        Mercy reluctantly hung back as Starfire moved into the living room. What she saw bewildered her.

        There were three Mercys in the room, standing in a triangular formation. The door lay in splinters behind them. All three were dressed in a short, dark gray, tight-fitting uniform, boots, and a visored cap. "Where is she?" they all said in Mercy's voice.

        Mercy peered around the corner. "You bastard!" she gasped. "That's what I looked like when I worked for Lex!"

        Six eyes turned to look at Mercy. "Ah, Mercy," they said. This time a man's voice emanated from their lips. "For a moment I thought we had the wrong apartment."

        "Luminus," Starfire realized, recognizing the voice.

        Mercy's skin paled as her eyes widened. "Lytner, what are you DOING here?!" she yelled.

        The three "chauffeurs" smiled. "Why does it look like we're here?" They took an aggressive fighting stance.

        Starfire looked back coldly. A full-blown melee with her starbolts would have the unfortunate side effect of demolishing Mercy's home, and as long as it wasn't too dangerous, she would rely more on her fighting ability. "I've read the files on you, Luminus. They say you've been quite the scientist all your life."

        "I have."

        "So you couldn't fight your way out of a xathine purse."

        "A what?"

        She didn't reply. She just darted forward, grabbed one of the solid-light holograms by the head, and concentrated. The energy she generated made the light dissipated, but the body threw a punch to her chest regardless, and she realized this was definitely not like fighting people.

        Starfire realized a few other things as she fought. One was that Luminus was indeed not a good fighter. Punches were telegraphed, kicks were blocked easily. Undoubtedly the real Mercy had been a better fighter. Another was that even though Luminus was directing their attacks, they weren't really able to form a coordinated attack all at once, and so the odds were closer to two-to-one.

        The problem was that mere fighting wasn't having much of an effect on their forms, and finally exasperated with burns on her forearms, Starfire lost her temper. Her job was to protect Mercy, not her home. She unleashed three direct hits with her starbolts at close range to all three holograms, and as quick as that, they were gone, splashed into a billion invisible pieces.

        She blinked and looked around, the fight ending so quickly.

        "Are you all right?" Mercy asked from the other room, rising slowly.

        Starfire smiled. "Why wouldn't I be? I was trained by the Warlords of - "

        A massive beam literally came from nowhere, erupting from empty space two feet to Starfire's left. It caught her fully, blowing her all the way across the room so that her body slammed against the opposite wall.

        "No!!" Mercy screamed, horrified. She ran forward, heedlessly.

        Starfire slumped forward on her knees, blood dripping from her mouth and down her chin. Her eyes looked ahead without seeing, and she slumped onto the floor.

        Mercy stared for a few shocked seconds before whipping her head around. "Luminus, you shit! Where are you?! We had a deal!!"

        Edward Lytner slowly materialized to her right, clad in a strange bodysuit that covered everything but his face. "That's the one thing a hologram is constrained from doing, you know," he mused. "Being invisible. I can, however, create the illusion that I am invisible. Neat, isn't it?"

        "I paid you what you asked, you prick!" Mercy shouted. "Why did you come back?"

        "Lex wants to know if his check got lost in the mail," Luminus said conversationally.

        She stared at him. "Still acting?"

        "You will give Luthor what he wants, Miss Graves," he warned her. "Or you'll end up like her. Dead."

        She looked back at Koriand'r's still form. She'd thought her decision was suicidal. It got someone killed, she thought, anguished. Just not her.
        Flash leapt forward as Raven crumpled to the floor with a silent cry. "Raven! What's wrong?"

        "Koriand'r!" Raven cried out. Then she vanished from his arms in a puff of smoke.

        He stared at where she'd been. Koriand'r was in trouble. That meant Mercy Graves, which meant Metropolis -

        "Keep it down, sir. This is a library!"

        Flash turned to the librarian who'd materialized behind him. "What are you going to do, rap my knuckles?"

        Then he ran out of her sight before turning on the jets and speeding out of the New York Public Library.

        As he ran he got his communicator out. "Supes! Come in, come in! We've got a serious problem!"

        "Flash! What is it?"

        "Where can I find Mercy Graves at this hour? I think Koriand'r is in trouble."

        "I'll be right there."

        Flash grimly took two seconds to change into his uniform. Koriand'r had to be all right.

        After all, they had a date.

        To be continued . . .

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