DISCLAIMER: The Justice League of America characters are the property of DC Comics. The story contents are the creation and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2006 by Djinn. This story is Rated PG-13.

Faster than Paradise

by Djinn

Time flies, but not on monitor duty. Wally peeked into the monitor room, saw that Wonder Woman had the rotation. Not one of his favorite people or one he thought would appreciate a visit.

Somehow she must have sensed him. She turned to look at him. "Wally?"

"Yeah?" He sped over to her.

"Do you think I'm too hard on people?"

This had to be a trick question. "Uh, why?"

"You do think that. You'd answer otherwise." She leaned forward in the seat, probably completely unaware of what that did to her cleavage. Had she had to learn to compensate for those puppies when she was growing up?

She seemed to figure out where he was looking, because she turned red and sat back up. "Never mind."

"Hey, I--"

"Get out." She made Bats sound perky.

"Okey dokey." And he fled. Like a smart little Flash.

---------------------

The smell was horrendous. Bodies were strewn everywhere. This time the League had been too late. Wally looked around, saw that the others had already turned to go.

He knew J'onn had probably scanned for stray thoughts. He knew Supes could hear heartbeats. He knew Bats could probably tell if there were survivors just by virtue of being him.

But he still did a quick run-through. Checking every body he found.

He was even more depressed when he got done.

Diana was waiting for him at the door to the Javelin. "No survivors?" Her eyes were gentle.

"Nope."

"Do you always do that? Check?" She looked out, and he saw tears in her eyes. Brimming, but not spilling over. "Check on them?"

"Yeah. I always do."

"I didn't know that." She touched him on the arm, then headed inside.

--------------------

Wally heard a weird crashing sound from the kitchen. He zipped in, saw Diana weaving through the room. He caught her as she tripped and landed heavily against his chest, boobs first. She smelled like a still.

"Gonna ogle me again, mister?" She definitely sounded drunk.

"Uh, no."

"Why not? Am I not worthy of ogling?" The warrior was coming out. He'd have been more scared if the warrior could stand up on her own.

"You're totally worthy of it. But you'll probably hurt me if I try."

"Do you think I'm pretty, Wally?" She pushed back her hair, nearly fell backwards, but he caught her.

"Everyone thinks you're pretty, Diana." Men. Women. Aliens with tentacles. She was a definite hottie.

"Not everyone."

This had to be about Bruce. Big bat dummy didn't seem to want her. Or he did want her but wasn't going to allow himself to have her. Moron.

"He's not worth getting drunk over."

"I didn't get drunk over him. I was on a mission and I had to blend."

"Okay." He led her to a chair. "So how much did you drink?"

"Too much. But you should see John and Shayera. They can't even walk." She giggled. "I was trying to make coffee."

He sped to the machine, whipped up a triple espresso, and had it back to her in no time.

"Thanks. You're so sweet."

"Yeah, tell me that when you're not drunk off your ass."

She laughed and wove her way to the door. But she looked steadier already. Never underestimate the power of Amazon will over homemade hooch.

-------------

A great cheer went up from the troops fighting with the League as the alien menace was routed. Flash whipped around the battlefield, checking on the wounded, helping round up the captured enemy. He stopped finally and stood on the side, watching to see where else he was needed.

Diana flew down and landed next to him. "Hi."

"Hey."

"So...I just wanted to say thanks."

"You're welcome." He glanced over at her. "For what, by the way?"

"For the other night. The coffee. The talk. I wasn't at my best."

He laughed. "Even at your worst, you're still in control."

"I don't know. I was upset."

"I would be, too, if I were you. He's a moron."

She seemed to grow very still. Had he offended her? Was she going to hurt him?

Then she sighed. "He is, isn't he?"

"Damn straight."

"Right." She looked down at the ground.

He touched her arm, letting his hand linger. "Doesn't make it hurt any less, huh?"

"No. It doesn't." She put her hand over his, squeezed gently for a moment. "Well, back to work." And then she was gone.

He could have sworn his hand tingled where she'd touched him.

-----------------

Wally trailed Diana from the conference room.

"You're following me." She didn't sound half as annoyed as she would have in the past.

"I am."

She stopped, didn't talk as Supes and Bats walked by. Wally noticed Bruce looked back at them.

"He's jealous," he said softly.

"So what? He won't do anything about it."

"True."

She studied him. "Were you following me for a reason?"

"Do you like action movies?" At her look, he grinned. "You know, fighting and maybe samurai stuff? Or car chases and ka-bang!"

"Don't we get enough of that in the League?"

"It's escapist when it's not us."

"Do you want to know if I like them or if I want to go to one with you?"

Wow. She was making this major easy. "Whichever one you like best?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Will you hurt me if I say yes?"

She laughed. "No."

"Then, yes."

"Then, okay."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Okay," he said, taking her arm and leading her to their rooms so they could change into street guise, "you cannot critique the fighting. Just go with it, all right?"

"That will be very difficult."

"I'm sure you're up to the challenge, Diana."

He thought her throaty laugh was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard.

---------------

Wally flinched as a shadow fell across him. He'd known this moment would come.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bruce asked.

Wally looked up. Bruce was looming. Doing that hulking Bat-thing that was so damned intimidating.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, fast guy."

"Oh, horning in on your woman, you mean?"

Bruce sighed.

"What is your problem? She's amazing. And smart. And funny. And so damn sexy." Wally stood up, trying to mitigate the looming factor. "And you're walking away from her."

"I have to."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, well neither does she."

Bruce sighed again. Then he turned and walked off.

"That's it? That's all you've got?"

Bruce glanced back with one of his better glares. "Just don't hurt her."

-------------

The waves beat up against the sand of the deserted island. Wally set out the food he'd collected from all over the world. It was the best of the best.

Diana laughed as she sat down on the blanket he'd spread out for them. "Quite the feast."

"I wasn't sure what you liked."

"I eat anything."

And never gained a pound. Chicks must hate her. "Well, you say that now. But I wanted to be safe. I got all my favs."

"Thanks. It's nice." Her smile was shy.

Wally wondered how much effort Bruce had gone to for her. Other than singing in that nightclub when she'd been turned into a pig. Wally wasn't supposed to know about that, but the League could be a pretty gossipy place, especially where liaisons were concerned. He wondered how many of his colleagues knew this little picnic was taking place.

He watched her dish up a very healthy plate. He loved a woman who could eat.

"I brought wine. Or water. Or soda." He couldn't tell if she liked any of those choices. "Or I can get something else. Tea, picked fresh from Sri Lanka?" He was almost up when she reached out and put her hand on his arm.

"Water is fine, Wally." She studied him, the way Ray studied a fun new specimen. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"Gosh, what was your first clue?"

She smiled. "I'm nervous, too."

"Yeah?"

She nodded.

"Cool." He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "I uh... Can I just... I think that if we..." He stopped, unable to get it out.

She leaned in. "You think if we what?"

He stared at her lips as she formed each syllable. God, she had nice lips.

"I think if we kiss it might make things easier. You know...get it over with."

"Over with. So you only want to kiss me once?" Her look was pure "I'm a stranger in your land," but he knew she was screwing with him.

"Yeah, Princess. I only want to kiss you once."

He saw something in her eyes, realized Bruce called her that a lot. "Sorry, didn't mean to remind you of him."

"It's okay. He's not the only one who calls me that."

"But he's the only one who matters, right?" Well, him or Supes. The whole damn Trinity thing. Friends. Super-friends.

Super-duper-friends.

She leaned in and kissed him. Her lips didn't just look nice, they felt amazing. Then she backed off and went back to eating.

He just stared at her.

She looked up. "Better now? Can you eat?"

He started to laugh. "Was that even remotely good for you?"

"You weren't trying very hard."

"You took me by surprise." He dished up a plate, then stopped, frowning at her. "And how do you know if I was trying? Aren't you supposed to be the little innocent from the island of all woman--oh, holy mother of...do you have any vids?"

She began to laugh. "You're a very strange man."

"I notice you're not saying you don't have any."

"Shut up and eat."

"Am I going to get another kiss?"

"Not today. You said you just wanted the one, remember?" Her smile was very mean.

"I was kidding."

She shrugged.

"Flash-tease."

Her smile didn't get any nicer. And she leaned over a lot. He even caught her glancing up a few times as if to see where his attention was directed.

It was going to be a long freakin' picnic.

--------------------

Wally felt his footing give out, was going too fast to stop and hurtled off the cliff. Off balance and dazed from some gas he'd run through earlier, he realized he was falling fast and hard.

Until someone caught him.

"Sloppy," Diana said, hugging him close. "Tired from our late night?"

They'd gone to Paris. Sat on top of Notre Dame and just talked. Well, okay, and kissed. A lot. She really liked to kiss.

She was really good at it, too.

"You still with me, Wally?"

"Uh, huh." His face was sort of smooshed into her breastplate. "Is this your idea of CPR?"

She laughed. Which made the breastplate move. His nose was firmly entrenched in her cleavage. Even her sweat smelled good.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Do you have to ask?" He extricated his face from paradise and looked at her. "And thanks for the assist."

"Sure." She flew them over land, dropped him the short distance.

He sped away as he landed, lost track of her as the fight went on. Finally, a lull landed him next to John.

"So?"

"So?" Wally was scanning, trying to find her. There--over by Shayera and J'onn.

"So, when were you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you and Diana...?"

"As if." He grinned at John.

"Good for you, Buddy. You've lightened her up a bit."

"Oh, spoken like the original fun-lovin' guy." Wally laughed. "She's really nice."

"She is?" John made a face. "I mean I know she's all about ideals and that. But nice?"

"No, she is. And fun."

"Wonder Woman is fun?"

Wally nodded. "Really fun."

"You're so gone."

"Am not." But he was. And he knew it.

-----------------------

Monitor duty was boring as hell. Wally switched from camera to camera through the watchtower as he also checked out the events down on the Earth below.

Then he stopped. Diana was in the hallway outside the gym. Talking to Bruce. It looked like an intense conversation. Wally forced himself to switch views.

He'd always suspected this thing between them had a shelf life.

He watched three rounds of planetary screens before he realized he hadn't processed a thing. His chest hurt, felt tight. And he was having a hard time swallowing.

How stupid had he been? Trying to compete against the mighty Bats? Trying to win her?

Going and falling in love with her. So. Damn. Stupid.

The door opened.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Just do it quick."

"What?" She walked in, her stride unhurried, her look unruffled.

Man, she was cold.

"You know. Strike fast. One blow."

"You want me to hit you?" She looked very confused.

"I know why you're here."

"Okay." She moved around him, watching the screens run through their cycle.

"Are you enjoying this?"

"Am I enjoying what? You being very weird?"

"You came here to break up with me."

Her eyebrow went way, way up.

Did she not even think they had enough of a relationship to break up from? Damn.

"I think you've been working too hard, Wally."

"Nice segueway. Get me out of the tower. A little break. Some distance."

"Sort of what I had in mind." She reached out, opened her palm and a key fell down, dangling from her fingers. "I know you like the beach."

"What's that?" The key to his room at the asylum for men crazy enough to fall for her?

"It's a key." She took a deep breath. "To a villa. On the beach. In Spain."

At least it would be a nice insane asylum.

"A lovely consolation prize for our departing contestant." He pocketed it. "Thanks. I hope you two are very happy."

"Huh?" She really did look confused.

"You and Bruce."

"Wally, the villa is for us."

"I saw you with Bruce. Just now. In the hall."

"Yes. He stopped to give me this. He thinks we should get away. Take a little break. Get some distance from here."

Wally felt his world tilt--Bruce had given her the keys to a romantic hideaway? And didn't plan to take her there himself?

The man was a certifiable moron.

"Us?"

She moved closer. "Us. Unless you don't want to?"

"Will there be kissing?"

"I imagine so." Her smile was so damn sexy he wanted to leave right then. Then she ratcheted it up a notch. "Maybe more than kissing."

He had to sit down. "Really? You're not just trying to kill me with anticipation?"

"Unless you're not interested?"

"I'm interested."

"Good. I'll be in the gym. Come get me when you're off duty."

He stopped her as she turned. "Are you sure. About this?"

For a second, he thought he saw something under the sexy bravado. Something a little bit...scared.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to. Just...spending time is good." That statement was so going to get him booted from the Guy's Club. Next he'd be telling her they could just hold each other.

"I want to." But there was that hesitation again.

He looked down. "Let's just take this slow." He could feel the testosterone draining out of him.

"I'm so glad it's you," she whispered, and then she was kissing him, her mouth open, her tongue very busy, and he felt his manhood reaffirmed.

So, apparently, did she. She pushed up against him, wriggling a little in a way that surprised him--and made him a very happy boy.

"You think Bruce would trade shifts?"

She laughed and let him go. "Don't push your luck."

"Okay." He grinned at her. "You could take the watch for a minute while I pack. Save us time later?"

"I could do that."

He sped out, packed everything he thought they'd need. And a few things he hoped to hell they'd need. Then he hurried back to the monitor room.

"That was fast."

"That's my specialty." He frowned. "But...not in everything, if you get my drift. I can take my time."

"Can you?" Her smile was a mix of tease and innocent.

"Count on it." He gave her one last kiss, then slapped her on the butt as she turned to go.

"You do like to live dangerously." But she only grinned and walked out.

He smiled as he stared down at his hand. It still tingled where it had touched her. "I sure do."

FIN