Ice

A/N: This is a direct Raven POV of the events briefly touched on in Chapter 4 of Bound. I wanted to give the backstory I had cut for the sake of story flow. I think it does nicely as a standalone oneshot but there are definite important connections to Bound. I have posted this from my phone so apologies again for the horrific formatting. As always, enjoy, read and review!

Fury hotter than any fires of her father's hell filled Raven as she flew away, tears scalding her pale cheeks. She had rolled the dice and trusted, the gamble was an utter fail.

For the second time in her life, Raven felt the sting of betrayal. What Malchior had done hurt her but in time she had come to realize it was simply the nature of the beast with him. His betrayal had been for a cause. This was a thoughtless, reasonless betrayal. Somehow, it stung worse to know that there hadn't even been an ulterior motive.

Raven flew high up through the air, the saline drying on her face as quickly as she could produce it. She needed to get away somewhere and let this out. Raven knew suppressing the anger she felt would only give it a stronghold that would allow it take over. A curtain of black energy engulfed her as she teleported herself to her sanctuary.

It was a tiny island off the coast of Jump City. Little more than rocks and a few sparse trees located 20 miles out to sea. It wasn't so far out that she would have trouble teleporting to it but it was far enough away to escape the empathic noise of a city of people. It was also far enough out that Raven could let her powers rage without consequences.

As she touched down on the island she let out an almost primal yell. Black lightning crackled all around her. Raven drew in a tremendous amount of power and searched for a target. She spotted a neighboring island about 100 yards away. A simple spur of rock about 50 feet in diameter. With a shout she took aim and unleashed the power she wished she could use on the traitor who broke her heart.

The dust settled reveal nothing left of the tiny island. Raven sat on the cool rock of her own island, spent from her outburst. She let the memory wash over her again.

Her current boyfriend was different than one would expect for Raven. He wasn't Gothic or withdrawn. Nor was he a metahuman. Daniel Armaros was a director for an art gallery Raven frequented. He was not, himself, an artist but rather a shrewd business man hired to ensure the profitability of the gallery.

They had met at a showing she visited. It was an exhibition on Renaissance art and the influence that the occult had on it. Right up her alley, in other words. He had spent the night talking to her. He hadn't been intimidated and was clearly intelligent. At the end of the night he asked her out for dinner and took down her number.

While he was not Raven's first relationship, he ended up being the longest. The fact that her demeanor and her choice of career didn't intimidate him made her attracted to him all the more. When she was him she felt like just a woman. Not a hero. Not the daughter of a demon. Not a creepy, purple haired freak. Just a woman.

After 6 months she made the decision that Daniel would be her first lover. She was tired of fear and decided to roll the dice. Another 4 months down the line and here she sat, contemplating the outcome of her bet.

She wept again as the image of him leaning over the woman who was perched on the desk in his office sprang into Raven's mind. She had come to his job to speak to him about taking a vacation. She had cleared the time off with Robin already. She rounded the corner to see him, face buried in the neck of a brunette she had never seen before. The woman's legs wrapped around Daniel's hips. Raven had exploded the lights and windows in the room before seizing a firm grip on her powers and teleporting outside.

Suddenly, the emptiness and quiet of the island felt oppressive. She already felt alone in her soul, it was disconcerting to have her environment match that. She decided to head back to the tower to finish her reflections.

Raven landed on the roof of the tower and sat down on the edge of the roof. She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked out at the city lights to one side and the darkness of the ocean to the other. Perched as she was on the roof the empath sat directly between the contrasting elements. It was a good metaphor for her soul she thought. Provided you ignored the fact that the darkness in her was always fighting to be free with a malicious will all of it's own.

Raven wasn't sure when Garfield arrived on the roof. She was distracted by her own thoughts until she heard footsteps walking towards her. She didn't need to turn her head to know who it was. Her empathic senses felt the distinct touch of his mind. That, coupled with his seeming sixth sense when it came to her being in emotional distress, meant that before he ever came into sight Raven was aware of him.

Garfield sat on the ledge next to her wordlessly. He stared out at the night sky with her. His old juvenile need to break any silence longer than five minutes had disappeared long since. This was not her first break up. This was not his first time sitting on the roof next to her, watching the lights of the city as moved across the sky.

She swallowed hard trying to push down the emotions still inside from her difficult night. She opened her mouth to say something to Garfield. To tell him what happened, to explain the pain he saw etched on her face. She could make no words come out. She saw him studying her, as if she was a puzzle he was determined to solve.

He had little chance of figuring her out. She couldn't even figure herself out. One minute she was icy, cold repressed emotion and detachment. The next she was fire, fury, passion and craved to live, to belong.

As the sky began to lighten and change from to cold gray, Changeling broke the silence. "I don't know what he did, but I'm sorry he hurt you."

There was the fire again. Garfield always managed to pull it out from her. This time it wasn't rage or anger but the burn of being hurt, the burn of letting herself become light and then losing it all.

As Raven burst into tears at the gentleness of his tone, she felt a wave of surprise, anger and sorrow wash over her from the shapeshifter. She felt his arms engulf her and turned her face into his chest. She allowed herself to be comforted for the first time. Raven sobbed for the pain of what just happened. She sobbed for the fact she would never be normal. She sobbed for a childhood she would never have and a heritage she would never be free of. She let the fire out of her soul. The flames burning her soul took the form of the tears staining Garfield's chest.

Finally, the last of the tears finished trickling out. Raven's breathing returned to normal and she shifted back from Changeling's chest to look at him. As their eyes met he cupped her face softly. The air heated and became heavy. Time moved like molasses as he moved his face forward infintismally.

Raven's already seared spirit cried out in panic at the waves of emotion coming off of Changeling. The battle between demon and human, fire and ice raged inside of her in the split second it took for him to lean forward. Raven reached a hand out to his chest and pushed him back. She teleported away before he had time to react.

She leaned against the door in the sanctuary of her room. No one brought out the fire in her more than he did. The world and her emotions were more vivid with him. Raven decided that she couldn't risk rolling the dice again. Not now, not with Garfield. Raven made a conscious choice. She plunged her soul into the cold. She couldn't chance the burn again. The battle was over. She would be ice.