bakerstreet | (no subject)

The wedding had been perfect.

Warm. Loving. Vows exchanged without a hint of melodrama or over-the-top sentimentality. Set to a picturesque backdrop of a lovely castle out in the countryside. The weather was cool, but the dance floor had been hot. A mixture of genres and tempos represented, with not a single person unsatisfied at some point. Even the bar, with its custom drinks made special for the occasion, couldn't detract from the day. If anything, it only added to the fun.

Zatanna, herself, had shared a bottle of wine with her partner for the evening. A cute boy, if slightly nervous when standing beside her during the bridal party march. But, alas, that was the responsibility of the bridesmaid and groosman. They had to smile and place nice and try not to faint each time she flashed a smile his way.

(Okay, so may after the fourth time, she started doing it on purpose. Not her fault his reactions were so entertaining.)

But the boy was gone now, as were most of the guests. And her shoes. Where had those things gotten to? She'd bought them special for that day. Probably should find them at some point. Maybe.

Once she made it back to the castle; for the moment, she remained outside. Enjoying the brisk air against her feverish skin, beads of sweat still strung across her forehead from all the dancing she'd done. The lights in the distance of a local carnival illuminated the rapidly darkening night sky. Almost as if calling to her. She would have to go visit sometime before they moved.

Not just yet, though. Not when she was so perfectly comfortable, resting in the hammock swinging in the breeze. If she closed her eyes, she could almost hear the wind talking to her. Probably reprimanding her for that one last glass. Like it was one to judge. There were a few others swings set up along the back yard. She saw another couple passed out in the one on the far right when she first came outside. Otherwise, she was alone.

Or so she thought.

It had been a few years since the end of Jack's stay in Zatanna's world while the bridge between the two had been repaired. Two years had gone by too fast and then he'd had to return. North had warned them that while the bridge was still usable, it would always remain a tenuous connection; the worlds were simply not meant to be merged so closely. Too many trips, too frequently, could destroy it permanently and so Jack had to ration his visits much as he hated to. They'd been so close, found themselves intimate in both body and mind. But it had never really grown into an unreserved relationship with the knowledge that he'd have to leave in the back of their minds.

He alighted on the castle's stone wall, having asked the Wind to locate her when she hadn't been at Mount Justice. For a moment he couldn't do anything but stare at her, eyes closed peacefully in the hammock, trailing hem of a lovely dress moving with the breeze. A touch of makeup accentuating her face and with a start, he realized that was a couple years older than he was (or appeared to be) and caught his breath before finding his voice to speak.

"You look beautiful."

Like a voice from her dreams...because, over the last few years, that was the only place she'd gotten to hear it.

She didn't move. She didn't open her eyes, thinking this to be the remnant of yet another one. Not willing to let the memory go just yet. As if she had ever forgotten.

But she did smile in her half-sleep.

"You're biased." The same half-joke she'd always replied with every time he had ever complimented her. And the last few months before he'd had to leave had been full of them. "Save me a dance?"

"It's not bias if it's the truth," he returned, the remark part of their usual banter as though they were following a script. He stepped off the stone wall, frost ferning across the flagstones as he approached the hammock and leaned over her, bending down to press a kiss against her lips.

"Maybe I don't want to wait for the dance."

She inhaled softly at the kiss, instinctively tilting her head up to meet it. Return it with all the tenderness as if a single day hadn't passed. Only when Jack pulled away did her eyelids finally flutter open, and she stared up at him with wide-eyes and barely-parted lips.

"Jack..." The script was forgotten at once. She couldn't even improvise, so momentarily at a loss for words. How long had it been? Three years? Four? Sitting up was a bit of a challenge in her current condition, but for him, she would even risk standing. "It's you. You're really here."

"Sorry I forgot to send the RSVP," he quipped, offering her his hand to maneuver into a more upright position before wrapping his arms around her.

"I've missed you so much," he breathed, his touch turning gentle curls of frost over the details of her dress.

She was taller now. Not quite his height, but almost. When he pulled her to him, it took almost no effort to wrap her arms around his neck. Tight. Like she were still afraid this were a dream, and if she so much as dared to let go, he would disappear again.

Like he did that day.

"How is this possible?" She, too, found herself suddenly short of breath. "I don't...you said--wait," The moment was briefly lost as she did pull away just enough to meet his eyes with a questioning, if unfocused gaze. "Nothing's wrong, is it?"

"No," Jack assured swiftly, shaking his head. "Nothing's wrong, I promise. I just... needed to see you again. I know North said we'd have to spread out our visits and he probably meant-- longer than four years but he's not the one who's thinking about you all the time."

That was all she needed to hear to relax once more. Any other time...namely, when she was actually sober...she might have quested further. Or teased him about missing her so much that he had to go and defy North's very strong suggestion about waiting.

For the moment, however, her shoulders slumped and she returned her focus to him and only him. Her fingers reached up to lightly trail down his nose. his cheeks. His chin. She was amused, but a distant sadness shone in her eyes as well.

"You haven't aged a day."

She was older than him now. Not by much, but if they had to wait over four years in between visits....

"No but... I'll try not to be jealous that you got even prettier and I didn't," he returned, a mirth in his blue eyes that was likewise tempered with knowing. It was still a small difference between them but... it would grow.

He didn't want to think about that on any day, but definitely not right now. A burst of music from the reception floated out into the air and he turned to look in that direction for a moment.

"Sounds like quite a party," he said, not missing that she had evidently had some refreshments.

"I appreciate the sacrifice," she laughed at his continued onslaught of compliments and flattery. Ugh, she'd missed him so much. The ironically warm feeling that bubbled inside her every time he looked at her like that. (Then again, that could've been the wine talking.) "Though, to be fair, I'm the one in the dress right now. You'd be surprised how much it helps."

Hardly ashamed of her drunken state--Zatanna had always prided herself on being a fun drunk--she loosely pressed her forehead against his chin and closed her eyes.

"Wedding. I was the bridesmaid. I mean one of the bridesmaid. Bridesmaids."

Jack hummed appreciatively as she fitted herself comfortably against him as if no time had passed at all, a bemused smile appearing as she tried to keep her terms straight and wondered how much wine she'd had. (He wasn't judging in the slightest, though perhaps wishing he'd had the chance to share it with her.)

"Then why are you out here by yourself?"

His voice reverberated in her chest as he hummed, low and soothing.

"Off duty," she joked at first, then offered a more genuine answer: "Just needed a bit of fresh air. Dance floor was getting hot."

Jack nuzzled her hair playfully while she answered, breathing in the clean scent of her shampoo mixed with traces of perfume she wore. "Mm... are they going to be missing you any time soon?"

Her head shook loosely, hairs getting all in her face, clinging to the traces of sweat on her forehead and tickling his chin.

"Doubt it. Only thing left's the bridal toss...and you know how I feel about that."

I can't really ever see myself getting married. It's just not for me.

Echoes of a conversation from what seemed like only yesterday echoed in her mind. They had been joking around at the time, watching one of those awful bridezilla reality television shows and mocking the women who threw fits over their flowers not having enough blue in them, or one of the bridesmaids daring to get pregnant ("selfish bitch!"). It was all so nonsensical, Zatanna had initially proclaimed that 'this is why some people just elope'...which had led to the short, but oddly meaningful subsequent conversation about weddings in general.

"I remember," he answered with a chuckle, patiently and carefully combing the strands of hair back into order like it was the most important task he had before him. They had joked about anything and everything and yet before that, they'd always managed (consciously or not) to skirt around topics that dealt with their futures. Jack had always held to the traditional idea of a wedding (which was unsurprising given where his penchant for liking classics, as he insisted his sometimes dated preferences showed) but he'd never really considered it applicable to himself, for evident reasons and thus never given it significant thought.

"If they're not expecting you back... maybe once you feel up to it, I could have a dance."

"I thought you'd never ask." She held still, loving the feel of him playing with her hair like that. Her lips twitching in amusement at the offer, fairly certain he didn't mean going back inside to the dance floor. "Just one problem, though: there's no music out here."

"I'm sure you could whip something up," is the sly response and he reached inside his sweater, pulling out a very familiar pendant and letting it dangle from his fingers so she could see.

"Look what I kept," he said.

Even drunk, it took less than a second for her to recognize the pendant. Her whole face lit up, the implication obvious to her, and she glanced back and forth between him and it for a moment.

"Does it still work?"

"Guess we'll find out," Jack grinned, leaning back slightly so he could use one hand to slip the pendant over his head. Once it settled against his chest, it took the magic a moment to take hold, but then the glamour caught up and his features changed.

"Well?"

She took in every inch of the visage. HIs wild, unruly brown hair. Flush cheeks. Darkened eyes. It wasn't Jack, but it was a Jack that she could be with in public, and to her, that meant more than anything else.

"I think I like you better the other way," she teased, likely poking at his nose. Though the expression warmed considerably as her finger then slowly trailed down, glossing over his lips. "But I suppose this will do for tonight. Wanna come party crash?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, staying still as she touched his face and welcoming the warmth of her skin against hers. Though the pendant's magic diffused the cold of his body temperature, Jack still experienced temperature to him on his unique skewed scale of feeling.

When she drew back her hand, he stood and held a hand out to her. "Milady," he smirked playfully.

A single phrase, and he wasn't even fully serious, but--in the state she was in--she had to half choke back a sob. The alcohol in her system was starting to make her emotional. Damn.

"I hope you don't talk like that in front of the others," she teased right back, absently rubbing at her eyes. There were no tears, but she couldn't risk that chance. She'd missed his dorky, old-fashioned ways. "Next thing you know, you're going to ask for one of your oldies songs for the DJ to play."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, having not missed the sound that she made as she stood. "I'd have a good excuse made up for it if I did," he teased, though he didn't have any intention to do so.

"Oldies," he scoffed. "Classics, I tell you!"

Keeping his hand on hers, he started to guide them back inside.