Chalant Candlelight

Chapter 20

(Zatanna's POV)

He jumped from his post into his flight as I stood up from my seat in shock,

"it's him." I mouthed, my hand covering my lips. That was my kidnapper,

"What is it? Are you okay?" Mags asked with concern,

"I-I've got to use the restroom," I utter,

"Let me take you." He began to stand up when I stopped him,

"No, I can find it alone."

"Zatanna we're in Gotham City. You're not going alone."

"I've got my magic."

"You got kidnapped from an upscale event, what makes you think you stand a chance on street level?"

"This time I'm not in a dress and heels." I point to my shorts and sneakers.

"Suit yourself but if anything happens or anyone approaches you, call me, okay?"

"I will." I nod before squeezing out of the aisle to the main area and ticket booth, before seeing the entrance to the backstage, guarded, of course. A quick magic spell disguised me with a matching outfit to the clowns, once I was behind the curtains I was able to remove the spell from myself.

I looked around for where the crow would be exiting, then I waited in a trolly of costumes nearby. The crowd exploded that's when I knew the final act had finished and the Crow exited the through the curtain bowing as he did. I stay hidden watching him as he sat down at a vanity, the angle made it impossible for me to see his face as he began removing his makeup after removing his mask, I leaned as far out of the trolly as I could to see his face but I just couldn't get the angle. I leaned far enough that the trolly lost balance and I had to quickly lean back in to keep it from falling, this made me concerned he would approach so I snuck out of the tent to the backyard where all their trailers were. I crawled under a trailer pulling out my phone to call Mags,

"Zatanna, where are you? everyone's leaving." He sounded concerned,

"I'm fine, I have to rush home, my father had an emergency, please understand."

"I can take you home."

"No, I know it's out of your way so I got a taxi."

"Okay, I hope everything is okay." He understood and we hung up.

When I did I saw the legs of the man walking across the grass passing the trailer I was under, I crawled to the edge watching the back of him as he entered his trailer. I followed quickly behind using a spell to unlock the simple lock after I heard his shower running. I quietly entered in seeing the steam billow out of his bathroom, he had the door open but I stayed out of sight getting on the side of the wall, and standing on the couch that met the side of the bathroom wall, I waited for him to finish his shower. My heart rate spiked when I heard the water turn off and the shower door open, I prepared to jump him.

He exited the bathroom slicking back his wet hair with his hands. I didn't hesitate to jump off the couch barreling into him, my thighs wrapping around his neck as he gasped in shock while I basically throttled him before he slammed me down on the couch ripping me off of him and holding both my wrists together pressed to my chest with one hand, the other slicking back his hair, I look from his towel covered waist up his tattoo and scar covered abs, chest, then his neck and lastly my eyes look him in the face for the first time,

"Dick Grayson?" I tilt my head, dumbfounded,

"What the heck are you doing here?" He shouted in my face, scaring the pants off me,

"I- you kidnapped me!" I remembered after getting lost in his eyes for a little second. He let me go, quickly taking some boxers, shorts, and a teeshirt to change into out of my sight. I sat up and he came back and sat down. as we just stared forward at the floor for a moment,

"When my father told me about the rumors that you were in the circus, I thought that meant you were the kid selling peanuts, not the star." I say breaking the silence, "I guess there's a lot I don't know about you."

"Zatanna-" He attempted to cut in but I didn't let him,

"I guess kidnapper, and jewel thief can be added to the list." I cross my arms then he turns his head to look at me making my heart skip a beat,

"I didn't want to do that." He became shy,

"Then why did you?" I began to sound cross, anger filling my voice when I remember the panic he put me through, "What? A sick joke? A quick buck? What?"

"Z-" He started,

"-Don't Z me." I stood up, and he followed, "I was freaking out, you have no idea how scared I was!" I yelled at him, seeing him shrink at my words,

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"What did you expect to happen? You kidnapped me!"

"I didn't have a choice!" He yelled back at me, finally raising his voice at me. I stopped dead in my anger. We both heard the door open when a young woman, our age entered up the steps of the trailer,

"Grayson, I heard yelling, is everything okay?" She asked, her curly dark hair, wet and braided back, I could tell she had just showered, and judging by her muscular core I could tell she was one of the divers from the show,

"Zatanna, this is Yuliya Romanov." Dick sighed, introducing me to the beautiful performer, "Everything is fine, Romanov."

"Is this about the necklace?" She looked back and forth at me and him anxiously,

"I'm the girl he kidnapped to take it," I said snarkily,

"Oh please don't be angry at him,"

"Yuliya go back to your own trailer." Dick attempted to stop her from explaining,

"It was my fault it happened in the first place, he was just doing it to defend me." She admitted,

"What do you mean?" I looked at Dick and then back at Yuliya, I could see Dick tense up a little,

"There's this foul older woman, who has used a lot of us in the circus for her own crimes, she blackmails us and threatens us, I had gotten caught up with her, and Dick, well he rushed in and saved me, he worked for Missy tirelessly for months, living in total exhaustion, and she had stationed her goons all round to keep us under her thumb."

"Yuliya-" Dick once again tried to get her to stop, seeing that this was a subject of shame for him,

"Dick didn't want to do the necklace heist but it was the only way for us to finally be free from her. Please, if you're mad at anyone be mad at me, I'm the reason you were kidnapped." She said very solemnly and profoundly. It eased all my anger seeing that Dick was being selfless for someone close to him. Was I jealous that it was an attractive girl, definitely, but I couldn't hold that against him,

"I see." That is all I could say,

"Are you angry?" Yuliya asked,

"How could I be? Dick didn't have a choice." I gazed into his eyes,

"Well, thank you so much, you don't understand how glad I am that I could meet you and formally apologize, I know it killed both Dick and me inside to have to be a part of that woman's evil plots."

"It's okay."

"I have to go, Lee wants me to help the costumers tonight." She remembered with a gasp before leaving just as quickly as she had come in.

There was silence for a moment before I spoke again,

"Is she always so..."

"Fast-talking?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah." He sighed taking a seat back on the couch,

"I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry." He slowly looked back up into my eyes,

I noticed the little gap in his plush lips when he was done talking. I stepped closer, I couldn't resist when I leaned down putting my lips to his, he didn't back away so I went in for more, slowly finding my way onto his lap, straddling his waist, my hands in his hair, and his hands on my waist.

"Wait," He stopped me by slowly removing his lips from mine, his eyes slowly opening, "Don't do this,"

"Don't do what?"

"Don't tempt me with something I can't have."