The morning after

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Noise.

What the hell is that noise?

Lifting her head, one of her pillows sliding off of it, Bette groans at the light that stabs into her eyes. Her mouth is dry and tastes something like a gym sock. Her stomach feels all sloshy.

Water. She needs to drink some water. And to make that noise stop.

As she gets out of bed it occurs to her that someone is buzzing her from the front gate. She makes her way over to the pannel, showing her who it is out there and then pushes the button, "'llo. C'mon in...." She sounds really groggy.

Making her way into the kitchen, she finds a pair of sunglasses and slips them on while fumbling around for a glass to get herself some water.

Bizarro Baby Shower

[mesohappy-mecry.livejournal.com]

All is quiet at the Kent household late one night.

Then suddenly an extremely perceptive person just might notice a slight purple flash, and there hangs a package from a string outside their door.

The package dangles from the string in such a way that it makes a -knock- -knock- sound, as it hits against the door.

Berlin, Germany 1945

[an-unknown.livejournal.com]

The sunlight hit his eyes the second he stepped out of the bunker and it gave the world around him a surreal look. Not even five minutes ago, the Unknown Soldier had completed his last mission of the war. He was going home. After years of continuous struggle, danger, and lose, it was over.

The sound of Allied aircraft overhead brought him back to reality, and glancing around he realized just how far from the bunker he had walked. His honed combat instincts kicked back in and he prepared to take cover as the bombs started to drop. That was when he heard the cry. The little girl was scared stiff and even as the bomb exploded causing the wall to drop behind her, she refused to budge. Instantly, the muscles in his legs began to move and without a moments hesitation the Soldier throw his body into the kid knocking her out of harms way just in the nick of time.

As the concrete and metal crashed down around him, he thought briefly of the irony of surviving to the very end to lose it all, and then with a grim satisfaction realized that at least his country wouldn't need him any more.

The plaque upon the tomb of the Unknown Soldier reads:

"Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's army who died to give you liberty."

(no subject)

[middle-amazon.livejournal.com]

( A note left for Roy Harper )

Bewitched, San Francisco

[jla-villains.livejournal.com]

It's a packed night, probably because the band is jumping. Tala, Queen of Evil, counts the money in her head every time a drunk wizard or demon buys another round.

She's been good to to her deal with Fate -- Faust and his company aren't welcome anymore, and he stays out of her hair. Worked out rather well.

But the sad truth is, she misses ...

There's a distortion in the center of the bar. Someone's opened a portal. But that shouldn't be ...

Tannarak barrels through, obviously thrown, landing in the center of the floor.

"Tannarak!" screams Tala, running to her long lost lover. He's near-comatose, beaten to a pulp. Tala looks up to see a green man with a goatee and a cape, brandishing a magic sword that she recognizes at once.

"Well," says Wotan, as the music stops and all eyes turn toward him. "Tala. Lovely to make your acquaintance. I've brought you a gift."

He nods to the beaten energy vampire.

"Demons and villains. I come baring glad tidings. The Ninth Age of Magic is coming to an end ..."

The villains and demons listen with great, great interest ...

"But what shape will the tenth age take? Will we be scurrying from the light like cockroaches?"

There's murmurs all around ...

"No," he says simply. "Because we will shape the tenth age. Some will join us. Others will stand in our way ..."

A demon seems bored already, and throws a bottle at Wotan. Shining Knight's sword slices outward, shattering the glass and scattering the shards sagely away from the wizard.

"Those that stand in our way," he says, stepping toward the now cowering demon. "Will be dealt with."

The sword slashes the demons face.

"I am your new lord now, your new master."

Assent is mumbled throughout the room. Tala says nothing.

"And we will begin," continues Wotan, "With the one whose mystic presence lies at the center of this age, one hated by all in this room."

Energy crackles from Wotan's hand, and an image of Dr. Fate forms.

The grumbling grows more affirmative. Tala smiles thinly. Soon, the demons are hollering.

"Good," says Wotan. "We have much to do."