A Gotham City Valentine’s Day
“Alright, guys,” Gwen told Julia and Bruce. “We’re supposed to be home by dinner, so each of you, please just pick out a set of cards.” Both children had been fussing over what to choose for their class – this was Julia’s first Valentine’s Day in the United States, and she was still unsure of the customs, while Bruce was being unusually picky, she suspected to compete with Julia. She wondered what she had been thinking when she had offered to take the children Valentine’s shopping. It had seemed simple enough, at the time – she wanted to get Valentines for her mother, Charlotte, the rest of the Wayne Manor staff, Leslie Thomkins, her best friend Tracy, and her boyfriend Sean anyway, and the kids needed to pick up a set of Valentines each for their respective classes. Granted, this meant she would have to sneak something for the kids behind their backs, but she thought she could pull it off. She had forgotten how intelligent and observant both children were. An idea struck her suddenly. “Look,” she said. “I’ve got a little more shopping to do, so why don’t I pop over to the next aisle while you guys make up your minds.”
“Okay,” Julia said.
“Yeah, okay,” Bruce agreed. Gwen wandered over, leaving the two children to mull over their decision. Honestly, you’d think they were selecting for the royal family, with how big a deal they were making over this, she thought. Bruce had rejected her suggestion of Gray Ghost cards on the basis that he had given those out two years before, and Julia didn’t seem to want to choose any character- or movie-themed set but had rejected all of the more generic collections as well. Explaining to her that each child would get the same number of cards she did, and that they wouldn’t keep them for long, anyway, didn’t seem to do any good. Gwen shoved her hands into her pockets and sighed.
The lights went out just as she reached the middle of the next over from where she had left the children. She looked up, startled. Alright, no need to panic, she told herself. Probably just a power outage. She turned to go back and check on the kids, anyway. Right at that moment, though, a voice came over the intercom. “Attention, Gotham citizens,” it said. “This is Anteros speaking.” Anteros? Who the hell is Anteros? “I am the leader of the Erotes.” The whats? “For far too long, we have been trying to attract a mates.” It sounded… odd, like it was using some kind of voice-disguising technology. Attract mates? Who talks like that? “But the women of Gotham have continued to ignore me, despite my clear eligibility. I cannot allow this to stand. Therefore, we shall hold this store, and everyone in it, prisoner. We are going to go through this store, and intend to take every woman we find desirable home with us. From now on, they shall be our mates. Any who refuse, shall see all those within sight of them shot, and still be forced to go with us.”
Gwen felt her heart beating rapidly from fear now. Maybe it was better to stay where she was, being with the kids might put them in more danger. But what if one of these nutjobs found them and there was no grown-up there to protect them? Or what if there was another grown-up in the aisle now who could put them in danger without meaning to? Or what if—?
Before she could complete that thought, someone seized her from behind. She screamed. A hand was pressed firmly over her mouth almost right away. Angrily now, she elbowed her attacker in the stomach from behind. He grunted and let go. She whirled around to find herself facing a guy in a Cupid mask. He lunged at her with a furious yell, but she jerked her keys from her pocket and slammed them into his face. He yelled again and clutched at his cheek, but then dove at her again. She kneed him, once again in the stomach, but before anything else could happen, someone came at them from behind and slammed him to the ground. Gwen looked up to find herself face-to-face with Black Canary. “Go home,” the superhero urged her. Nodding, Gwen ran over to the next aisle, where she seized the children by the hands and drug them from the store.
It was only on arriving home that Gwen heard that Black Canary, Red Tornado, and Liberty Belle had taken down the Erotes. Julia would later give her class a “Women of the Justice Society”-themed set of Valentines, while Bruce would give his a Black Canary-themed set.