What is this? Another posting? Well I thought since it is Valentine's Day, I would write a special one-shot. Now some of you might ask me when in the Amelia Continuum this story takes place. Well I am not going to say until the end of Starting Over, unless you wanted me to spoil the ending. Anyway I hope you enjoy this one-shot and any others that may follow.
Summer Skye
If there was anything I hated about my job, it was the fact that I was on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That meant that if I did not occasionally leave my com-link at home, I would never have any quality time with my family. I did not make a habit of it, because sometimes there were legitimate reasons for me to go up to the Watchtower or hightail it to Metrotower. Wally did the same thing. I think that at some point or another, we all have decided that unless it was an Omega Level Alert, we conveniently left our com-links on the bedside table to have some semblance of a normal life. Well, maybe not Batman.
Another extreme downside was the call that came at two o'clock in the morning. Just about everybody in the Justice League was aware that I was not a morning person and I was notorious for downing five straight shots of pure coffee before I even reached my desk. They all had learned to leave me alone until about ten o'clock, unless they had a death wish. Apparently Diana had one when she decided that she needed to talk at two in the morning.
BEEP-BEEP
I turned over and laid my head on Wally's chest.
BEEP-BEEP
I heard Wally groan as he cradled me in his arms.
BEEP-BEEP
"Amelia," Wally grumbled.
"What?" I groggily replied.
"There is a com-link going off."
"I know. I can hear it."
BEEP-BEEP
"Is it mine or yours?"
I flipped onto my other side and sleepily hunted for my com-link. I heard Wally turn over and begin looking for his in the dark. When I found mine, I opened my eyes and through blurred vision, I was met with a red blinking light.
"It's mine," I said as I stuck it my ear. "What?" I asked in a sharp voice as I patched in.
"Amelia, it's Diana," Wonder Woman's voice said on the other side.
"Diana, do you have any idea what time it is?"
"I know it's late," Diana replied. "But I need to talk to you right away."
"About what?"
"It's personal. I'd rather not say over the com. Could you come up to the Watchtower?"
"How about you come down to my kitchen?"
"Your kitchen?"
"It's all the farther I'm going at this hour."
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
"Peachy," I replied patching out. I took the com-link out of my ear and put it back on my bedside table. Unwillingly I threw back my side of the covers and got out of bed. Wally was startled awake by my actions and he sat up in bed.
"What's up," he asked thinking it was an all-hands-on-deck emergency.
"Go back to sleep," I replied putting on my bathrobe. "Diana wants to talk about something personal."
"And it couldn't wait until later?"
"I guess not." I leaned over to him and gave him a gentle kiss. "Go back to sleep. No sense in both of us looking like we walked out of Night of The Living Dead."
I got up and clambered down the stairs making sure to not to hit the squeaky step. The last thing I need was to deal with dead tired children at breakfast. I was not surprised to find Diana already in the kitchen waiting. The Watchtower transporter was a wonderful thing. But I was surprised to see her out of uniform. It was a rare thing for Diana to not wear her Wonder Woman ensemble. The Diana I found in my kitchen was dressed casually in jeans and a sweater with her hair tied in a ponytail.
"Amelia," she said. "I'm really sorry about waking you up, but it couldn't wait. I…"
I held up my hand cutting her off. "Tea first," I said.
"But I…"
"Tea."
I took the kettle off the stove and filled it with water before replacing it on the stove to boil. Diana watched as I got two mugs out of the cupboards. "What kind of tea do you want?" I asked. "We've got green, Earl Grey, chamomile, and mint."
"Green," Diana replied. "I thought you only drank coffee."
I managed to smile though I was tired. The only interaction Diana and I really had was at the weekly briefings. We did not hang out during our off duty hours and to my knowledge we very little in common. But I respected her and the fact that she was coming to me with a problem meant she probably respected me in turn.
"There's a lot you don't know about me Diana," I said putting the tea bags in the mugs: green for Diana and chamomile for me. "So what kind of guy problems are you having that were so important that they couldn't wait until morning?"
"How did you know it was about men?" Diana asked.
The teakettle whistled. "It has been my experience that there are only two reasons why women call other women in the middle of the night: a relationship or a death. Since you come from a race of immortal women and if there had been a death in the League both Wally and I would have been called, ergo this call is about a guy," I said pouring the water into the mugs. "My is guess it's Bruce."
Diana stood up straighter when I mentioned everybody's favorite Dark Knight.
"It is Bruce isn't it?" I asked handing her the mug.
Diana nodded. "How did you know?"
"Nobody pays much attention to me, so I often see things. I've seen the way you look at Bruce at meetings, in the hall and in the gym. Beside Clark has Lois, John has Shayera, J'onn has Jia, and Wally has me. You're not close to any of the other men in the League, who else could it be?"
Diana sighed as I sipped my tea. "Shayera said that you were a good listener, but I didn't know that you were so observant. So what do I do?"
I raised my eyebrow. "I don't know. You haven't told me anything except that you have a crush on Bruce "The Batman" Wayne. I need all the juicy details before I can give you advice."
Diana looked down at her tea mug. She traced the rim of the mug with her finger as she looked for a place to start. "I didn't know what to think of Bruce when we first met. I respected his for his warrior spirit and unwillingness to give up a fight. As I got to know him, I valued him as a friend and colleague."
"When did you first realize that you loved him?"
"In Gorilla City. You know the story?"
I nodded. Wally had told me all about the first time the League had met up with Grodd.
"I was trying to stop a nuclear warhead from destroying the city. The warhead landed on top of me and Bruce tried to dig me out with his bare hands. I freed myself, but when I saw Bruce's hands I knew that deep down he cared."
"And from there it went downhill," I finished. "Diana, I think the best thing for you to do is wait."
"But…"
"But what?"
"I've been hearing the others talking about Valentine's Day and what their plans are. I found myself wanting to share that day with someone special."
Despite it being two in the morning, the wheels in my head began to turn. I think that Diana and Bruce needed a little help from Cupid, namely me. My mission should I chose to accept it, is to set up a date for Diana and Bruce. Talk about an impossible mission. I was going to need some specialists.
"Apartment 4F," I said to myself as I walked down the hall of an apartment building. "Ah ha." Having found the apartment, all I needed to do now was knock.
"What?" was the reply I received to my knock.
"Vic, it's Amelia."
The lock on the door turned and the door opened a little. A red haired man looked back at me. "What do you want?" he asked.
"I got a little conspiracy for you. Interested?"
The door closed and the chain slid in the lock. The door opened again I was face to face with Charles Victor "Vic" Szasz the face of The Question. "What kind of conspiracy?" he asked letting me in.
Vic's apartment was neat and tidy. Helena's work no doubt. There were bulletin boards full of newspaper clipping about various government organizations. Near his TV was a bookshelf full of alien autopsies, National Geographic specials, and Sci-Fi channel made for TV movies. Next to his phone were take-out menus. I sat on the couch.
"One that involves tricking Bruce and Diana into going on a date."
Vic leaned against his breakfast bar and smiled. "I like it. Do you have a plan?"
"It's in the works. But I'm thinking we need another partner or partners."
"Who?"
"Bruce's butler Alfred for a start."
"Alfred?"
"I think that the date needs to happen at Wayne Manor."
"Why Wayne Manor?"
"It's familiar territory for Bruce. He won't feel so awkward when this goes down. Plus it's kind of a fantasy for some women to have a romantic affair in a big manor house with a rich and handsome billionaire."
"Oh?"
"What? Helena's never made you watch a period romance movie?"
"No."
Note to self: Have Helena make Vic watch Pride and Prejudice. "So are you in?"
"Is Stonehenge a giant sundial?" Vic asked moving towards his computer.
"Yes?" I questioned in confusion.
Vic sighed. "So what do you need me to do?"
"Who else can cover the tracks of a conspiracy as well as you can?"
Vic raised his eyebrow. "The U.S. Government." He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out some prepaid cell phones. "Use these to call me when you've got a plan set in stone."
"Why do I need these?" I asked even more confused. "I already have a cell phone. Why can't I just use that to call you?"
Vic sighed in despair. "You've got a lot to learn about being in a conspiracy. Prepaid cell phones are untraceable. This way Bruce can't trace our phone records and discover what we are up to."
"Okay. Now you're just being ultra paranoid."
"Not paranoid. Cautious."
"You say tuh-mate-o, I say too-maht-o. Now I've got to get to Gotham. We've only got two weeks to set this up." I started for the door. "Oh Vic."
"Yeah?"
"I think that we are going to need some more prepaid cell phones before this is all over."
Vic smiled and went back to work on covering our tracks in the Bruce-Diana Conspiracy. Once outside of Vic's apartment, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed a number.
"Hello," a woman's voice said on the other end.
"Helena, I've got an idea for you and Vic on Valentine's day…"
"Of course I will help," Alfred replied pouring me some more tea as I finished explaining the outline of the plan. "I want nothing more than for Master Bruce to happy. So what do you need me to do?"
"I need the inside information on Bruce for Valentine's Day. What does he normally do?"
"He usually goes to an annual party that is thrown by Miss Valerie Gilmore."
"One of his many "lady friends"?" I asked.
"Quite so. Miss Gilmore has been trying to snag Master Bruce for years. He normally puts in an appearance and leaves shortly after his arrival to go on patrol."
That sounded so like Bruce. Maybe Dick and Barbara would be willing to give up a romantic evening to go on patrol while Bruce had a night off, as it were. "Perhaps Bruce is feeling under the weather this year."
Alfred nodded. "The flu has been exceptionally bad this year. It is a pity that Master Bruce is too ill to attend Miss Gilmore's party."
"Alfred," I said in surprise. "I had no idea that you were so devious."
"A hidden talent," he replied. "Do not worry about dinner. I shall take care of it. But might I ask how you are going to get Miss Diana here?"
"I'll leave that to Shayera. Here," I gave him one of the prepaid cell phones. "Use this to get in touch me when everything is ready."
Alfred looked at the prepaid phone. "I take it Master Victor is a part of this little ploy."
"I have no idea what you are talking about," I said with a wink.
"Of course," Alfred said returning the wink.
Shayera was more than happy to go along with the plan. I knew that if anyone could convince Diana to go on a date, it was Shayera. Wally, Ollie, Dinah, Dick and Barbara soon fell into my ranks. Even Helena got in on the act, when she and Dinah bought Diana's dress for the evening. I finally got tired of using prepaid cell phones and built some new communication devices that operated on a different frequency than the one the League used. Thus far all seemed to be going according to plan. The plan was simple. Bruce, Diana, and J'onn would be on monitor duty on the night in question. Bruce would be leaving earlier to get ready for Valerie Gilmore's party. In the meantime, Diana would be getting ready to go on a blind date with "someone Shayera set her up with". Unbeknownst to Bruce or Diana, Alfred had called and told Valerie Gilmore that Bruce would be unable to attend, because he had been unfortunate enough to catch the flu. When Diana was ready, J'onn, who was also in on the plan, would transport Diana to Wayne Manor. The man Diana was to be set up with would be none other than Bruce Wayne. If Bruce tried to get out of the date, by saying that he had to go on patrol, Alfred could shoot down the excuse, because Dick and Barbara agreed to sacrifice their Valentine's Day plans in order to ensure Bruce would be at Wayne Manor. It was perfect and thanks to Vic, Wally, and Ollie covering our tracks and providing alibis, Bruce and Diana would not suspect a thing. Well maybe.
"We'll have to get a play-by-play from Alfred when this is over," Ollie said at lunch the day before our impossible mission was to go into effect. Wally, Ollie, Dinah, and I had all met for a "double lunch date." At least that was our story and we were sticking to it.
"That's a given," Wally replied before biting into his sandwich.
"We're meeting at Wayne Manor day after tomorrow to get the details of the evening," I said. "I can't thank you two enough for helping with this."
"Don't mention it," Ollie said. "We wouldn't miss this for the world. I'm surprised that you didn't involve Superman in this."
"He's too honest for the sneaky underhanded work that need to be done."
"You know that Bruce is going to want to kill you for this," Dinah commented.
"I doubt it," I responded. "He likes me too much. I think it's obvious that the older members of the League treat me like a lovable kid sister. Everyone else thinks that I'm "Counselor Deanna Troy"."
"Maybe that's why you always win at poker," Ollie stated.
"So what are you and Dinah planning for the big day?" I asked changing the subject.
"A little dinner, a little dancing, maybe some dirty dancing later," Ollie answered looking over at Dinah. "What about you?"
"Some…" Then I realized that I had no idea what Wally and I were doing. "Honey what are we doing for Valentine's Day?" I asked Wally, who had just finished eating.
He gave me his trademark cheeky smile. "It's a surprise," was all he said.
"…I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair and send him on his way," I sang as I showered off the day's work. Some moron, I think it was Dove, had been playing Broadway over the P.A. all day and I had managed to get the entire South Pacific soundtrack stuck in my head. But I would killed Dove tomorrow. Tonight I was going to spend the most romantic night of the year, or as Vic eloquently puts it "A devious ploy by greeting card companies to get you to buy their products", with the man that I loved, but what we were doing tonight, I still had no idea.
"You and Wally have big plans tonight?" Diana asked as she walked into the shower stall next to mine.
"Yeah. How about you?"
"Shayera's set me up on a blind date."
And it's a hit. "A blind date, huh? Do you know the guy's name?"
"Shayera didn't say. She said that I would know when I got there. I'm so nervous."
Rounding 1st base… I gave her a reassuring smile. "Sometimes our greatest joys come out of left field. Wally was certain a pitch I never saw coming."
"I suppose you're right. But I wish that…"
"I know," I said gently cutting her off. "You believe that the Fates spin our threads of life, right?"
"Right." Passed 2nd…
"Your life isn't over yet. Who knows what the future holds."
Diana smiled. "Thank you Amelia. You are a true friend." Touching on 3rd and heading for Home…
I turned off my shower faucet and grabbed my towel. "It's just one of the many services I offer. Friend, mechanic, counselor," Cupid, "Have a good time tonight, Diana."
"You too."
I went to my locker to get dressed. To my surprise, the jeans and t-shirt I had worn to work were not there. Instead there was a red dress hanging up in my locker. It had a halter-top and flouncing skirt. Instead of my Converse sneakers, red high heels sat at the bottom of my locker. My gold hoop earrings and my locket rested gently on the shelf. A red jacket completed the outfit. A note was pinned to the sleeve of the jacket.
Meet me at the transporters.
Wally.
I smiled and got dressed. Just as the note said, Wally was waiting for me at the transporters. He was dressed to the nines in a suit with a bouquet of roses in his hand.
"For you," he said giving me the roses.
"Thank you. So where exactly are we going that we had to get all dressed up for?"
"You'll see. Ready J'onn!" Wally called up to the command station.
The next thing I knew, Wally and I were standing in the New York City. The city buzzed passed by me in a blaze of light. "Wally, what are we…" I looked around. Wally had disappeared. I thought for a minute that the transporter had malfunctioned, but I was suddenly swept off my feet. Wally had put on his Flash suit and raced up behind me. When he finally set me down, I found myself on top of the Empire State Building.
"What are we doing up here?" I asked Wally as a breeze blew the skirt of my dress around.
"Paris was booked solid," he joked. I smiled. "But seriously. I was watching Sleepless in Seattle the other night when I was up with Heather." Heather had caught the twenty-four hour flu bug from one of the kids in her class. "And I thought that maybe this would be a nice place to spend our Valentine's Day," he continued as we both sat down, "no kids, no end of the world crisis, just you and me."
"I forgot what you and me felt like," I replied as he wrapped his arms around me. "We need to do this kind of thing more often."
"Yeah," he answered softly.
That was the final word we spoke that night. We did not need to say anymore. We just sat there together on top of the Empire State Building and listen to the heartbeat of the city as well as each other.
"So give us the juicy details," Ollie said the next day as the conspirators all sat together at Wayne Manor. It had the feeling of a slumber party, but that was missing were sleeping bags and bowls of popcorn. But there was coffee, so I at least was happy. As agreed, we all arrived after Bruce had left for work and Tim had gone to school.
"Well," Alfred began. "It proceeded according to plan. Master Bruce had just finished dressing for Miss Gilmore's party. As he was coming down the stairs, Miss Diana arrived. Master Bruce was completely shocked and demanded an explanation. I of course told him a vague version of the facts."
"Don't worry Alfred," I said reassuringly. "Someday I'll sit him down and explain the whole thing to him."
"Why not right now?" Wally asked.
I looked at him. "Don't spoil my fun. Besides you love it every time you get the chance to make The Batman squirm."
Wally raised his hands in defeat as Alfred continued. "Once I managed to get the two of them to sit down to dinner, the evening went smoothly. They talked and laughed into the night."
"Batman actually laughed?" Vic asked in utter shock and horror.
"Oh yes."
"What's the matter Vic?" I asked. "You look as if a part of your world came crashing down on you."
"I just never thought anything could make him laugh."
"Apparently Diana can," Shayera replied.
"She did more than that," Alfred commented as he took a sip of his tea.
We all looked flabbergasted at Alfred. "Bruce didn't seal the deal, did he?" Dinah asked tentatively.
"Shall we say that I saw Miss Diana at breakfast this morning," answered Alfred.
"Well this sure worked better than I thought it would," I said. "I thought it would only goes as far as a dinner date. I never expect for them to…"
"Alfred!" Bruce's voice called from the hall. We all seized up as he walked into the kitchen. "Alfred have you seen my… What are you all doing here?"
We all looked at each other. We had been caught at the scene of the crime by non other than Bruce "The Batman" Wayne. "Nothing," was our collective answer of deniability.
"Nothing huh? You all wouldn't have something to do with my surprise date with Diana last night, would you?"
Again we looked at each other with the same thought on our minds. Lie. "No," we answered in perfect unison.
The look Bruce gave us made us feel like guilty teenagers who had just been caught making out in the closet and had been caught. "Amelia could I see you for a moment?"
Crap! I was getting called into the principal's office. But knowing Bruce, he had probably figured out that I was the ringleader and therefore the one to be interrogated. I got up and followed Bruce to his library. I took a seat and waited for him to start. I was not about to admit to anything until I found out how much he knew.
"Why?" he asked.
"Why what?" I asked back.
"Why did you set my date last night?"
"What date?"
"Amelia!"
"Okay no more mind games," I said throwing in the towel. "I had to do something. When Diana starts calling me at two in the morning wanting to have some girl talk something had to be done."
"Is that all?"
"Bruce, Diana has had a crush on you for longer than I can remember. And I suspect that you've had similar feelings. Don't think I've missed those looks you give her when you think no one's looking. We've all seen them."
Bruce sat down and sighed. "I thought I had covered it better. I guess not."
"Bruce it's nothing to be ashamed of. Love is a wonderful thing and…"
"Not when you're me! Besides dating within the team…"
"Oh shut up! We've all heard your rules of dating. Yes it's true that not all of the League relationships have worked out, but some have blossomed. Look at Dinah and Ollie. Wally and me. Vic and Helena. Even John and Shayera have made up." I got up and pointed at the portrait of Bruce's parents above the fireplace. "They wouldn't want you to be miserable. At least try to make this work with Diana."
"If my enemies knew about her…"
"Bruce you're making excuses. Diana can take care of herself. She's not called Wonder Woman for nothing."
Bruce did not say anything, but I knew that I had gotten through to him. I patted his shoulder and started for the door.
"Amelia," Bruce said, as I was about to walk out the door.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
I smiled. I watch for a minute as Bruce picked up the phone. "Diana," he said. "I was wondering…"
I smiled again and closed the door to give him some privacy. "Mission accomplished," I said to myself as I went back to the group of conspirators.