THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SOME MAGIC

He's getting impatient.

"We're wasting time."

He's always impatient, even on Christmas Eve.

"I'm losing patience."

...See?

"What contacts did you use?" he asks me directly, obviously annoyed.

"I stopped by for lunch here today and overheard very suspicious men talking about a meeting here", I say back, with a convincing tone. "I decided to tell you about it to catch them in the act, instead of charging in like a bull without a plan."

He nearly grunts at me, before turning his head back towards the building we're staking out, in total annoyance.

It's dinnertime, Christmas Eve in Gotham, and the city is completely covered in snow. We are standing on the roof of a bakery, across the street from an Italian restaurant that Bruce frequents quite a bit. I used this location as bait for him, given that he and James Gordon meet for coffee every Christmas Eve night. This information was costly to obtain, as I now owe Tim Drake a secret trip to Themyscira, under STRICT supervision.

However, my plans seem to be running smoothly, so far. In a few moments, two SUVs marked falsely as government vehicles will quickly pull up to the restaurant, ready to raid any meeting taking place inside. What Bruce doesn't know is that the owner agreed to this farce weeks ago, and his serving staff will be the ones inside of the marked vehicles. They will rush inside and quickly set up the place for two, while wearing what seem to be official suits. After the setup, they will all exit and drive away with what would seem to be a suspect, leaving the restaurant all alone for me and Bruce to investigate afterward.

I asked the owner to set up a specific menu for two tonight, and I went through great lengths to put this menu together. First, we will start off with a leafy green salad with grapeseed oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. I enjoy fresh garlic bread with my salad, so I insisted a basket be ready upon our seating. The main course will be Bistecca Alla Siciliana, and Italian steak. It will be served with prosciutto and parmesan cheese mashed potatoes, as well as breaded green beans. I know Bruce does not drink, so we will enjoy a spiced cider with our meal. However, if he should be so willing to partake, I have a bottle of Nero d'Avola on stand-by.

"This is a dead end."

Hera, this man ruins the most beautiful thoughts.

"Five more minutes", I say to him, in control. "Then we can go."

The chef's people are late showing up in the marked vehicles. Promptness was important, since I was dealing with Bruce. If he feels he's wasting the slightest of moments, he'll take off as though a bell rang for him to return home. With every passing second the cars are not here, I grow more anxious. Proper execution must play out in order for this to work perfectly. I want to surprise him to show my appreciation of him. Maybe by seeing all that I've done for this, he'll be able to accept that...

"Diana, you there?"

My comlink comes on in my ear, as a familiar voice calls out to me.

"Zatanna?"

"Diana, I heard you were in Gotham tonight. I can really use your help right now, its urgent."

No, no not now...

"What is it?" Bruce says looking at me, somewhat concerned by the crushed look on my face.

"It...It's Zatanna", I finally say. "She's in Gotham and is in trouble."

Bruce finally shows enthusiasm when hearing that his long, dear friend is in need of help. Does he not know all trouble I went to...no, no this is serious. I have to focus and not allow a minor situation upset me since a serious one presents itself. I am Diana of Themyscira, member of the Justice League. My duty must come first, so I focus and respond to her call.

"Where are you?"

Bruce and I arrive within minutes to the main art theater in Gotham Square. The cold night is not affecting me much, but Bruce has to stay moving to keep warm. I forget that sitting as long as we did was as taxing to his body as it was to his patience. We arrive at the front entrance of the theater, where Zatanna told us she would be.

"She's not here yet", I say, still greatly disappointed at how the night has gone.

"Her show let out forty minutes ago", Bruce says. "She could still be inside."

"Hang on..." I say to him as I notice something.

I'm appalled for a moment, as I see a streetwalker standing in front of this respected theater, attempting to sell herself, and completely oblivious to our presence. She's huddled in the corner, her back to us, either trying to stay warm or some other unspeakable act. The scent of her cheap perfume attacks my senses as I approach her. In this cold weather, she stands in only a fur coat, wearing high heels. It disgusts me how women are in man's world. There are many exceptions, but I cannot help but to be overcome with anger when the worse examples are directly in front of me.

"Excuse me, young lady", I say walking towards her, with a very stern voice. "You being in front of this theater is greatly inappropriate. I suggest you find your way home before you are arrested for solicitation."

As she turns around, I'm overcome with a feeling that Shayera has often referred to as 'humble pie'. The girl that I just accused of being a whore is actually Zatanna, with an angry look on her face. This night is getting worse.

"Zee..." I try to start. "I...I'm so..."

She briskly walks up to me, her teeth almost chattering, and legs shaking from the cold. Then she nearly makes contact with me as she readies to let me hear it.

"Can it!", she says, pointing a finger at me. "You know, it's bad enough that I have to take it from creeps who try to put a hand on me, or shout nasty things at me during shows. All with my performance smile on, mind you."

"I do apologize", I finally say with as much remorse as I feel. "You didn't have your hat on, and the smell of the coat you're wearing had me...."

"Yeah, yeah", she cuts me off. "It's ok, this is from Denise who runs promotions for the theater. I begged her to borrow this since I usually travel without stepping out into the cold."

Zatanna's ability to overcome her own anger is almost as fast as her ability to get angry. Had I been someone else she did not like, I doubt I'd never be able to apologize enough to her. Bruce walks towards us, completely in his 'mode'. Does he not know that of the few people in the world that sees through his tactics, the two who might see through it the most stand in front of him?

"Why are you not wearing your hat?" he asks her, almost interrogating.

"That's why I called you guys", she begins. "Tonight was a benefit show for Gotham's orphanages, and group of kids came backstage for pictures and autographs. I NEVER put my hat down for anything, but I let this cute little girl wear it while I was posing for pics. I turn around to get my hat from her, and she's gone, along with a few of the kids that made it to the show."

She called us here because her hat...was stolen by children?

"Where the police no help?" I ask, trying to hide my sudden annoyance at the situation.

"Psh, yeah, right", she starts. "No offense, Bruce, but if I called the cops, they'd probably just put me on hold and signal for you to handle it. I figured I'd cut out the middle man altogether, since old Brucie here owes me one, and oddly so do you, Diana."

Bruce grumbles for a second, as Zatanna leans in towards him, with a playful grin. I takes me a bit longer to realize what she's talking about, and I close my eyes at the horrible memory of being a pig.

Bruce, Zatanna and I are searching the streets of Gotham in his car, the Batmobile, as it's often referred to, sometimes mockingly. He insisted that we search for the hat this way, so we could refrain from drawing more attention to ourselves than we already are. The only problem is that the car is built for only two passengers, and we are three. I'm forced to sit with Zatanna on my lap as she tries to make herself comfortable. The legroom I have is bad enough, as I don't need a petite woman sitting on me like a child in this machine. this car could probably kill ME if it were to crash.

"This is so gonna get you a ticket, Bruce", Zee finally says as her behind slides across my lap annoyingly.

"We're almost at the orphanage", he says. "Try to relax."

We decided to go to the orphanage first, as the children from there were present for Zatanna's benefit show. For as much money as she commands per appearance, I am surprised how much she does manage to do for charity. Perhaps I should stop assuming all the women from man's world are as selfish as the common ones you tend to hear about.

"Batman, you there?"

The screen from the dashboard comes in, as Tim contacts the car from the cave, I assume. It's hard to tell with Zatanna and that unnecessarily large fur coat blocking my entire view of the dash and windshield.

"Yes, I'm here", Bruce says, while keeping perfect attention to the road.

""""I finished my patrol already'', he continues, not noticing me or Zee yet. ''I was thinking I should...WHOA! Hello, you have Diana AND Zatanna with you???"''

"He sure does, handsome", Zatanna says in a flirtatious voice. "Too bad you're missing out."

"''That is so Bogus'', Tim says, who seems to be hormonally shaken.

"I apologize, Tim". I say, trying to peak my head out from behind Zatanna. "There was an emergency with Zatanna and..."

"It's no biggie", Zatanna says cutting me off, then proceeds to flirt with Tim. "So, how you doin', Boy Wonder? It's been a while since I've last seen you. I can't believe how much you've grown up. You get any cuter, and I may need a new birdie to pull out of my hat someday."

I hide my head behind Zatanna again in shame, as I can feel the car slightly jerk to the right as Bruce was made as uncomfortable by her comment as I was.

''I, uh...'' Tim starts as his voice cracks, then he coughs to try to hide it. ''I guess I'll just catch up with you later, Bruce. Bye, ladies....''

The monitor cuts off the embarrassed boy immediately, as my head slumps back against the headrest. Zatanna turns her head back towards me, while my eyes stare at the ceiling of the car.

"You missed out on little boys while growing up, Diana", Zatanna says while looking at her fingernails, obviously pleased with herself. "When you get older, you begin to understand why certain men never seem to grow up."

"Fascinating", I say, showing my agitation far more than I intended to.

Zatanna prides herself on how she is able to affect men with her sexuality. Someone as young as Tim must be like stalking a crippled animal to her. I'm glad Bruce never fell to her will as I assume many men have before. She thwarts my hopes with her next comment, even more excessively flirtatious than before.

"I even had me my own Tim when I was younger, ain't that right, Bruce?"

The car jerks once again as Bruce is made completely uncomfortable with Zatanna's innuendo. I feel myself at a loss. We should be eating dessert right now...

*****

The cold winter night gets colder as we arrive at the orphanage. Wayne Enterprises sponsors public housing across Gotham during the holidays, offering food, clothing and gifts for children. This orphanage was among those that was supported by Bruce Wayne, and it was even decorated beautifully for Christmas time. Zatanna looks up in amazement, as her face begins to resemble a child's astonishment. I do also, but maintain a straight face along with Bruce.

The lights flickered in beautiful sequence on the building, along the outer gate and even on the solitary tree that had been planted in front of the orphanage as a symbol, not many years ago. A big, beautiful wreath rested nicely on the grand door, outfitted with lights as well. Normally, Bruce avoids this much exposure with a relentless passion, but even he seems to be at peace in this setting.

"There's a courtyard out back with an ice rink and snow mounds the kids play on", he says walking past Zee and I.

He takes the point so briskly, leaving me wondering if he is overcome with some sort of positive emotion by the holiday decorations around us, or maybe he wants to end this hunt as quick as humanly possible. Zatanna and I follow him around the building, as a shoveled sidewalk guides our way. The smells emanating from the building suggest fresh cookies and hot cocoa are on the premises, waiting for all of the children to return from outside. I wonder about what Zatanna said in the car, about my childhood lacking young boys. Perhaps attraction among children that is so innocent is what really embodies the spirit of the holidays. I have seen kids hold hands before at such young ages, and even I understood how important it was.

"If we find it here, I'm taking at least eight cookies with me", Zatanna says, struggling with the cold.

We reach the edge of the building heading towards the back. Trying to hide ourselves as best as possible, then we see what appears to be the entire orphanage at play in the snow, and on the ice rink. I am hit with a strong sense of emotion by seeing all of these children without families enjoy this moment. I almost want to say something, but I remain silent and calm, simply looking over each and every one of them as I search for Zatanna's hat. My concentration is broken by Zatanna, who herself couldn't hold in her emotions.

"Oh my god, this is the most adorable thing I've ever seen", she says almost overcome by what she sees. "Bruce, I bet your boots have fold away skates on them. I'd kill to see you go and skate with the kids."

We both look to our sides to see his reaction, but Bruce is nowhere in sight.

"I think the exposure was too much for him", I say.

"What a Grinch", Zatanna says, dismissing him. "I'm going over there. If I can't find my hat, I'm at least pegging a kid with a snowball for old-times sake."

She begins to make her way towards the children, as her high heels magically navigate across the sidewalk, as if it were mocking the snowy surface. I follow behind, dressed only in my mother's armor, unaffected by the elements. The children do not notice us at first, as they continue at play. I look to the door that leads the children back inside of the building from their playground. A young woman is standing there, with such a warm look on her face. She notices me, but does not show any form of surprise or excitement right away. Instead, the woman who couldn't be much younger than Zatanna smiles warmly at me, and gestures a showing of thanks that we are here right now.

"Thgirla, s'ti emit rof emos nuf!!!"

I turn from the woman to see Zatanna in the middle of the playground already, surrounded by cheering children. They all huddle around her, many of them hugging at her waist. Even the ones that were ice skating have started to change their shoes to join Zatanna. She plays it with a straight face, but I know this will begin to aggravate shortly. A child's excitement will always cloud their better judgment. Since I'm an adult here, I will knowingly and willing take some of that attention from her, even if I'd like to see her tackled for making me miss my dinner.

"Hey, it's Wonder Woman!" a small girl shouts, noticing me.

I quickly fly the twenty or so yards to where they all are in the middle of their playground. Zatanna has a look on her face that screams of an eventual loss of patience. The kids that were once hugging and tugging at her like the celebrity she is, are now standing in awe after watching me land from flying to be by them. I wonder if Zee now thinks she's been upstaged.

"Wow, you can fly?" a little boy asks, with his small head barely sticking out of his winter coat.

"That's Wonder Woman", another boy says, this one with glasses foggy from playing in the cold. "Her abilities are flight, super strength, and she can do some magic-Amazon stuff with her armor and lasso. Any dummy knows that!"

How quickly one forgets that the public sees us in many ways. To those threatened by us, we are studied and monitored, always reminded that we are no absolute power. To those that gossip, we are mere celebrities, open for praise and humiliation. However, in the eyes of the young, we are their very imagination come to life. So much of what we are go against a lot of what people truly believe. Yet, children will always welcome us with awe and familiarity once meeting us, as though a relative of great importance had returned home for the first time.

"I'm impressed", I say to the young boy who obviously pays close attention to us.

"I have a few cards from the Justice League series 2", he responds, as I walk to meet him. "Can you confirm if John Stewart is the only Green Lantern in this sector?"

"You have such strong attention to detail", I say as I put my hand on his head. "And I can say that John Stewart is a fantastic Green Lantern, who guards his sector with great pride."

Zatanna finally frees herself from the surrounding that were in the process of expressing their joy in her presence. Unfortunately, we came for a different purpose, and I see that Zee is ready to begin her questioning.

"Ok", Zatanna starts. "I saw each and every one of you at the benefit show today, is that correct?"

The kids respond resoundingly with a chorus of excitement and agreement.

"Well, I know that a couple of you managed to come backstage for pictures with me. Unfortunately, when a couple of those kids left my dressing room, my hat went missing."

A unified gasp went around the kids, then all turned their attention to two young boys, who had been noticeably nervous when Zee and I showed up.

"They did it!" one shouted, while pointing at them.

"Yeah!"

The kids start shouting, blaming the two young boys as they drop their heads as low as they possibly could. Zatanna and I calmly motion to the kids to stop, as they part for us to approach the two. They couldn't be any older than nine years of age, the two boys. We stand in front of them, trying to show an understanding front.

"Hello", I say to them, in a friendly tone. "What are your names?"

They slowly look up to see Zatanna and I calmly smile at them. They both immediately brighten up to see that we are not furious with them as I'm sure they've envisioned. Surprisingly, they both appear to be twin brothers, the poor kids. Neither of them seem capable of anything truly malicious, but you would believe they were guilty of grand larceny from the look on their faces a few seconds ago. Their spiky, blonde hair and bright faces are framed by glasses they both wear.

"My name is Joshua", the one to the right says, in a gruff little boy voice. "That's my brother Calvin."

I smile down at them, as they return the look I'm giving them. Zatanna kneels down next to Joshua who is standing still next to Calvin, as she begins to speak.

"Did you two take my hat?" she calmly asks them.

They both nod.

"Why would you do that?" she asks. "Did you just want to have my hat? I could have given you one of my spares if you had asked."

Spares? She has spares???

"Spares?" I quickly ask her. "You have spares???

She clears her throat fast and looks up at me with a half smile.

"Well, I do, I mean sure, but that one's special", she finally stutters out. "My father gave me that hat years ago. I've had duplicates made, but I've always held that one close."

She quickly turns back to the boys, as her nervous energy begins to calm within her. I'm starting to have a suspicious feeling towards her situation. I fold my arms in aggravation, trying not to let it show in my face, as the children around here will definitely tell there is something wrong, tipping off Zee in the process.

"Ok boys", Zatanna starts again. "Lets get that hat so we can all get ready for Christmas."

She puts on a smile and gives the two boys a hug to reassure them that she is not angry. They continue to smile back, then Calvin speaks up, grabbing Zatanna's hand.

"It's this way, we were gonna use it", he says in a much softer, higher pitched voice than his brother's. "C'mon, we'll show you!"

They both begin to run, with Calvin dragging Zatanna along with him. I turn to the other kids who still remain in awe of us being here. I use this moment to speak to them directly.

"Now remember", I start. "Anything worth having is something you should work towards earning. To take from someone who works hard for what they have is wrong. I hope everyone remembers this."

They all respond in unison, as I see the young woman who runs the orphanage appear in the doorway, ready to call them all back inside.

"Yes, Wonder Woman", the children say.

"Now, you go back inside, the cookies and cocoa should be ready for you. The boys will be in shortly."

They all turn in excitement and begin to high-step their little legs into the snow to make it inside, completely ignoring the paved way on the sidewalk. One of the children stops as everyone is going back, then turns to me as if she forgot something.

"Will you come back soon, Miss Wonder Woman?" a little girl no older than five asks me.

I smile, then kneel down to her. Her dark, beautiful hair is braided with beads, as pink earmuffs give her a heartwarming look. I remember Vixen showing pictures of her as a child that resembled this little girl so much. I reach my hand out to her mitted hand, and she takes it happily.

"Little sister, I will come back to see you as soon as possible", I say to her as her eyes brighten, while she begins to jump playfully, as if she were cheering.

She runs up to me to give me a hug, as snow kicks from her small legs trying to navigate through the mounds. If I let her run back to the group, she would never catch up. So I extend my arms around her, and cradle her as I begin to lift from the ground. I fly her to the door, as she puts her arms up and screams in excitement. The other kids look up as we fly over them, doing the same.

"We flying, WE FLYING!"

We land as she continues to shout that she is flying, while the other kids begin to surround us. I put her down as her voice reaches a high pitch, trying to scream. She hugs my legs, then turns to the woman who has the door open for the kids.

"Miss Sarah, did you see, did you see???" she asks her, overjoyed at the moment she just experienced.

"I sure did, Alicia", Miss Sarah says to her. "Go inside, sweetie. It's time to warm up with a snack and get ready for bed."

"K, Miss Sarah", Alicia says. "Goodnight, Miss Wonder Woman."

The bright smile she gave me was unlike any I had seen. The simple joy she displayed in her excitement is something that will never be forgotten by her. Ever. I smile back as the rest of the children wish me goodnight as well. After they all let in, Miss Sarah looks up at me, with the warm look she has held all night.

"You know they will look forward to seeing you again", she tells me.

"I expect as much", I say back with a slight laugh. "I assure you, this will not be the last time I am here. I come to Gotham quite much, and hope to do so even more."

She smiles to me, bidding me farewell, as I remind her Calvin and Joshua have yet to come back. In fact, they were taking quite a bit of time to retrieve her hat. I lift off the ground again, waving back to Miss Sarah as I leave her. I fly to where the tracks of Zatanna and the boys have gone, leading them to the small wooded area in the back. I land in front of the large trees, already seeing the three of them huddled around a big box.

"Diana", Zatanna says to me as she waits for the boys to open the box. "They put it in here when they got back."

"To keep it safe", Joshua says, as his fogged glasses look at me.

"From the other kids", Calvin chimes in, while opening the box.

The boys work feverishly to open the box, arguing among themselves on how to open it right without destroying it. Calvin finally unseals it, revealing Zatanna's hat at long last.

"Thank goodness", Zatanna huffs out, extending her hand to the boys. "Thank you for caring for it, even if you took it without permission."

She tries to add a humorous tone with them, but they look back at her extremely saddened in the face. They get up and brush past us, walking towards the orphanage.

"Wait", Zatanna walks in front of them. "What's wrong? What did you two want with my hat?"

The boys look at us, and motion for us to follow them. Confused by them, Zatanna and I follow to wherever they lead us. We walk from the wooded area to behind the shed that doesn't look as kept up as the rest of the orphanage grounds. We reach a fenced in area, that is surrounded by dead branches, fallen from the large trees surrounding us. The boys find an opening at the bottom that seems large enough for me and Zee to fit in, and they climb in.

When we follow them, we reach the other side to see a frozen oasis of land completely hidden away behind the shed. You would really have to dig to notice this spot, even if it is rather small. The boys run up to the middle of the small area, where there was a very large, greatly cared for mound of snow that had been crafted.

"A snowman..." Zatanna almost gasps out. "Did you two make this by yourselves?"

In true form of what a snowman is, its design is magnificent, beyond what a child should be capable of doing. Zee and I walk up to it, as it is as tall as I am. the detail and smoothness is something that she notices as well, taking it in with complete awe.

"Our dad helped us make it", Joshua said.

Zatanna stop inspecting the snowman, then look at each other with brief concern. I straighten my face to respond to him.

"But, this is an orphanage", I say to him, completely confused.

"Yeah, he comes in through here..." Calvin says while running to an opening on the opposite side of the fenced-in area. "He told us to look for this and he'd have it here for us."

Calvin runs back, as he and Joshua both inspect the snowman, seemingly out of habit. The care they show for it is almost as tragic as what they say next.

"Dad's not allowed to see us right now", Calvin starts. "He went to jail a while ago, but he's out now. We stayed with our grandma for a while, but she's in the hospital now. We saw her yesterday and told her about the snowman."

"So you two haven't been here long?" Zatanna asks.

"No way", Joshua says. "We've been here since Halloween, and we're waiting for dad to get a house so we can go live with him."

I...I don't know what to say right now. Zatanna doesn't seem to be handling this much better, as her faced looks flushed from the emotion she's holding back, while watching the boys constantly check the snowman.

"Dad will be here tomorrow", Joshua says. "For Christmas. Our most favorite Christmas song is Frosty The Snowman, and I thought her magic hat would bring our snowman to life, but it didn't work."

Zatanna lets out a sob she had no chance of holding in. I'm also emotionally vulnerable at the moment. Tonight was supposed to be a wonderful chance for Bruce and I to begin a special bond that we had been hinting at with each other lately. Now, I stand in a hidden spot behind a toolshed on the grounds of an orphanage, where I feel I would be the worse person if I even dared to leave right now.

Zatanna can take it no longer, as the boys kept checking on the snowman. She walked up to them, grabbing their hands, then lead them back to where her and I were standing. She turns them towards the snowman, then walks back towards it. She takes her hat, and places it on his head, then walks back to us with a sad look on her face. She stands behind Joshua, and places her arms around him as she slowly sits down with him on her lap, unaffected from the cold. I do the same with Calvin, cradling him against me as I sit down on the snow.

"Gnis", Zatanna says barely under her breath.

The snowman does not magically come to life, as the boys had hoped like in the popular song. Instead, a beautiful recording of the song can be heard from within the snowman, as we look along. The boys sing it calmly, not joyous, nor without pain. Perhaps a calm moment they haven't been able to experience in a very long time. The boys and Zatanna sing along quietly, as the song loops in place, just before the boys begin to fall asleep in our arms.

On the ride back to the theater, we are all quiet in the car. Bruce had seen everything that had happened, while managing to sneak atop the toolshed. Zatanna has a crushed feeling in her heart, that is keeping her quiet. We both promised the boys and the rest of the kids that we would return after the New Year for more winter fun with them. I promised I'd try to learn to skate by then.

"Do you know about their father?" Zatanna finally asks Bruce.

"Yes", he calmly says. "He was held until his trial in November, where he was cleared of all murder charges. Unfortunately, his past warrants got him another month in jail. He had been out for a couple of weeks now, trying to get his old job back and an apartment. He can't file for custody until he has a steady job and housing for them."

"What of the mother?" I ask.

"She overdosed three years ago, leaving the boys with their grandmother, their father's mother. She is currently recovering from surgery and was deemed unfit in her condition to be the boys' legal guardian during recovery."

We sit quietly for a moment, as another sad story involving children who deserve better sinks into us.

"I helped the father find that spot", Bruce says again. "He even had me help him with that snowman, and get a note inside for the boys to find."

Zatanna and I look at him with surprised looks on our faces, as he gives us a smirk.

"Zee knows how well I made them when I was younger", he says while focusing back to the road.

Bruce made us both feel better, especially myself, giving us the back story on the boys and their father. I have to remember that they are not the only unfortunates in that place. I intend to have

my influence be apart of their lives to some capacity. Zatanna looks at me from in front of me, as we pull up to the theater.

"Thank you for helping me out tonight, Diana", she says. "With what we saw back there, I would have ended up running away from that place. I do a lot of shows for them, but I hate orphanages. I hate that when we leave, those children go back to not having a family."

"But their smiles were genuine", I remind her. "Plus, they have each other, especially those two young boys. Even as they face the same crisis, they will always have each other to lean on."

She nods, and gives me a hug as the top of the car opens up. The smell of her jacket still invades my senses, which explains why Zee is embracing me a lot firmer than usual.

"Thanks again, Di", she says slinking out of the car, then leans back in. "See you later, B-man."

"Zatanna", Bruce says acknowledging her, while not bothering to look at her. "Thank you again for everything."

"No problem!"

She leans back out as I turn to Bruce confused.

"What were you thanking her for?"

We pull back up to the restaurant we had been staking out earlier in the night. Bruce had not said a word since thanking Zee, before we drove away. I'm at a loss, with my plans completely ruined, and my emotions running rampant after meeting the kids from the orphanage. Bruce opens the hatch and quickly jumps out. I slowly follow, as I'm sure he wants to check the place for anything the police might have missed. Normally, I have no problem assisting him, but I'm worn out from the night's events. Tomorrow being Christmas, I have duty with the other non-observing members aboard the Watchtower, so I have to...to...

That smell...

"Bruce, what's going on in here?"

Following Bruce, he leads me to the door, as the windows have fogged up from the inside.

"I thought we should stop here", he says with a smirk. "I hear the food's great."

We walk in and my entire setup is waiting for us, with a small single table sitting at the center of the dining area. The walls previously decorated in Christmas lights and tinsel provide a great ambiance for what I was hoping tonight would be, and everything I encountered while in fear of those plans being canceled.

"Bruce, how did you...?"

He removes his mask, as it rests on his back. The bright face of Bruce Wayne stares back at me, almost as boyish as the boys back at the orphanage. He walks up to the table, pulling out a single chair for me to sit on. The formality is enough to make me feel like a girl, as I happily take my seat. He scoots me in, as he gracefully moves around the table to his seat, then stares back at me.

"That whole thing..." I struggle to start. "With Zee...was that...?"

"Yep", he says, smiling.

"You knew about what I...?" I struggle again, as my tattered emotions barely can handle anymore.

"Yep", he says, Hera that smile.

He raises his gloved hands, and playfully claps his hands together. From the kitchen, Alfred emerges with a tray over his right hand, and a cloth neatly resting across his raised arm. In his left hand, a green bottle is carried that I cannot make out what it is yet. He arrives to our table, ready to serve us.

"I believe I told you how inappropriate that was, Master Bruce", Alfred starts. "Ever since you were five years old, you found that amusing."

Bruce does his quiet chuckle that is his equivalent to a burst of laughter.

"I have to apologize", Bruce says to me as Alfred places wine glasses in front of us. "I don't drink, so we'll have to stick to your spiced cider."

His smile is met by my smirk, as Alfred pours the spiced cider into our waiting glasses. He stands quietly as Bruce raises his glass to me. I then raise mine, while he stares at me quietly. Whatever he wishes to toast to, it must be something I have to read in his eyes. If they're telling me what I think they are, I'll drink to that. We touch glasses, then take an earthly sip from our glasses. Delicious.

"And for the lady", Alfred starts again. "I believe a basket of these were insisted upon."

He lowers a basket of warm, crispy garlic bread onto the table in front of us. My eyes light up as I selfishly reach for one without hesitation. Before I bite into the single piece, I grab it with my other hand to tear it apart, giving me time to speak.

"Tim snitched?"

"He caved", Bruce says, sipping again, as I take a bite. "His trip to Themyscira is on hold until he learns about blackmail."

I laugh slightly as Bruce seemingly enjoys his spiced cider, since he's motioning to Alfred for more.

"When did Zatanna fit into all of this?" I ask, knowing she was in on it.

"I asked her to come up with a diversion", he says, grasping his newly-filled glass. "What I wasn't counting on was her hat to get stolen, she really is attached to it."

"The boys", I say, not coming down from the moment, but aware of what issues are on my mind. "You have done something special for them, for their father."

Bruce sips and nods, not afraid to drink greedily from his glass.

"I knew he was innocent when he was charged for the murder. I worked for weeks to find evidence that cleared him. Now, it's just a matter of him being able to find work and the courts allowing him full custody, despite his past record."

"And I assume somehow that Bruce Wayne will ensure he is an employed citizen of Gotham?"

"He'll get a call from the Wayne legal department on the twenty-sixth", Bruce slyly says, then gulps the remaining half of his cider, while motioning to Alfred with his free hand for another refill. "Alfred, check on our salads. Yeah, a security desk job and a low-rent apartment at a good neighborhood for schools should help them a lot. Even his mother's insurance will be renewed by our company, so I imagine their Christmas is going to be very memorable."

Alfred left for the kitchen as he spoke. His speech is much like his charming press conferences and charity speeches he gives so frequently. The playfulness in his voice heightens all that he has set out to accomplish, as if his charity was nothing more than a reflex of a limb.

"I have to say how surprised I am that this night worked out like I did", I say. "When Zee and I sat with those boys, Hera, I felt my heart press against my chest. You know I promised them I would go back to visit them."

"I know", Bruce says, as Alfred returns from the kitchen with our salads. "What do you got in mind?"

Mmmfph, the aroma from the salad is heavenly. Mixed with the bread, my night is saved.

"I was thinking...of something close to charwity", I say while shoveling salad and bread without manners, and slurring my speech. "Awong da wines ov...along the lines of creating more awareness for adoption, perhaps starting a charity of my own."

"Philanthropy", Bruce says after finishing a fork-full. "Not an easy venture. Got any partners in mind?"

His devilish tone is now hidden behind more chewing, while I continue to eat myself.

"There are many of options I can look into", I say, with a fork of salad near my mouth. "Maybe someone who knows this city enough, while running charities himself."

"Uh-huh", Bruce says, chewing without manners. "That seems smart."

I smile and focus on eating. I feel my mother will appear magically and strike both of us down for our table manners. I can hear him devouring his salad and bread, as though he had caught his prey and hid atop the mountain to feed upon it. He manages to filter a belch into a table napkin, before I feel him get up from the table.

"Where are you going?"

He walks into the kitchen for a moment, leaving me alone in the dining area. I suddenly hear the old speakers of the restaurant click and pop as they activate, as a medley begins to play. Bruce then emerges from the kitchen, holding two plates in his now un-gloved hands. He places them both down next to me, then moves to bring his chair by me. He sits closer to me, as the music continues. The Sicilian steak I wanted to have sits in front of Bruce and I, perfectly cooked, and served with all of the trimmings I requested. I look up to him, as he rests his left arm on the back of my chair, moving closer to me.

"It's wonderful", I say, reaching for my fork and knife.

Bruce laughs and does the same. We sit and enjoy our steak in comfortable silence, letting the sounds of Christmas music play. This particular song is not romantic by any means, but after tonight, it will hold a special place in my heart.

Thumpity, Thump Thump, Thumpity Thump Thump