A cold Jump City gust blew the snow around the black boots of a blonde woman wearing sunglasses and a red scarf on her neck.

"Boy, it's cold" she shivered rubbing her thin shoulders, waiting on the curb.

A limousine pulled up she put her hands in her pockets casually.

The window scrolled down.

"You're late." She said her baby blues narrowing behind her glasses.

"I know, miss. It's poor weather for driving, all right? Cut me some slack."

"Yeah, yeah. You have it?"

"Yes, I have it."

"Well, give it to me" she motion with her hands for him to hurry.

"Here." He handed her an envelope.

"Thank you,--" she looked off and they had already rolled down the powdered street.

She shoved the folder in the side of her black jacket.

"That café looks good." She looked at the glowing yellow sign that seemed to shine through the dreary gray streets.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it, Terra"

She stopped dead in a snowdrift.

She closed her eyes trying to walk forward. She was a famous businesswoman--now she wouldn't go back to the insane asylum for hearing his voice again.

"That's not very polite" she heard 'him' or it or whatever from behind. How could it sound so real? She was already getting a headache.

She heard the crunching snow behind her. Terra wouldn't turn around, she wouldn't.

Without thinking she passed the café and starting off in a borderline jog towards the park.

Dim light posts shine on the snow. Terrified, breaking out into a run the woman plowed forward tears starting to freeze on her flushed cheeks. Snow buzzed by her head like thrown shards of glass. Adrenaline flowed through her veins like a raging fire. Her black sunglasses bounced off in the snow, she ignored them.

A fifty-buck pair of sunglasses…she couldn't help but think a little painfully.

The snow began turning her hair to clumps of ice.

She slipped on an ice patch but managed to catch the black pole of a light post. In an instant the snow slowed floating carelessly, calmly.

She closed her eyes calming her fast heartbeat. In resolve she turned around. Planting her feet prepared to denounce insanity.

"I—" her eyes went wide in shock and pending fear.

A man she had never seen before was standing in the snow. He had dark brown hair. He was dressed in a long black coat. That wasn't it though, that wasn't what scared her.

His one blue eye stared right through her.

"S-Slade?" she stuttered.

"You were looking for me?" he said almost innocently. He came forward closing the gap between them.

This wasn't right, Terra thought fiercely as Slade's voice came out of that man. He was supposed to be ugly, hideous. Like evil conniving things were. To say the least--this man was definitely not hideous.

"Ya-you you're" she pointed a little shakily backing up "I—" she started. He walked forward, closer.

"Don't come any closer!" she managed.

"Very, well" she heard the crunching snow quiet.

"Don't talk either!" She snapped.

He closed his mouth looking a little amused.

Realizing she hadn't looked him in the eye yet Terra looked up. The blondes' eye twitched.

"Wipe that expression off your face, I'm not the same. I've changed and--" she cried out in protest as she backed into a bench that had been buried in the snow she rolled off the seat as she tried unsuccessfully to right herself and landed face down.

She heard footsteps in the snow and almost had a heart attack before she knew it he had reached a black gloved hand down. That wasn't the first thing that she noticed though. It was the small smile on his face. She looked confused and bewildered, but none the less she took his hand.

"You haven't changed at all, Terra." He said as he helped her up. She dusted off her bum nervously, though it was already wet.

Instinctively she backed away a couple steps from the towering form before her. Managing to look up into his eyes, well eye. You had to be a confident man to wear an eye patch like that he was undoubtedly, confident.

"Are you really…?" she was about ready to go into a cataleptic shock. She was wringing her red scarf in between her hands.

"Terra, don't stutter and babble it's annoying. And unbecoming of you." He looked at her in the eyes with his. Before she knew it his hand had put a lock of her wet, and cold blonde hair behind her ear. Now she was confused again. She was just about to believe it was him when he talked like that then…stop thinking!

"Why are you here?" Terra asked, with confidence this time.

He looked at her smugly. She had never imagined seeing his face would be even more scary and exciting than his frightening mask had been, assuming of course she hadn't totally lost it and he wasn't real. "I became bored. I caught wind you were looking for me, and I wondered why a girl 'with no memory' would look for me."

She blushed despite herself.

"You don't need to explain, at least, not out here. We could go to that café you were eyeing earlier?"

"I…yes, that would be" she searched for a word "Okay."

He smiled again throwing Terra off guard again she glared at her black boots.

"Hopefully, other people can see you" she mumbled.

"Terra, would you please look at me when you talk?"

"Since when do you care?" she snapped bitterly.

This time she looked straight at his face instead of anger she only saw a smooth collective face that might as well be a mask, though she did notice that he didn't say anything.

"Well?" she prompted. A flash of anger seemed to pass his face as fleeting as it may have been she must have seen it.

"I suggest we keep the past in the past, dear" he said calmly.

Terra couldn't help but feel nostalgic when he called her that. She gazed at him silently soaking in the familiar term of endearment.

Her reverie was interrupted by Slade's voice.

"Here we are" he held the door open for her she was a little surprised. Bad guys weren't supposed to be gentlemen.

"Uh, Thanks" She walked in happy for the warmth. She took her coat off she was still wearing her black skirt and jacket, her business suit. He took her coat from her hands and hanged it up beside his own. It was so weird to see him wearing a suit, no tie but a white shirt underneath she noted. Slade kept up with fashion the world just flipped upside down.

"Let's find a seat, Terra" he was giving her a look probably because she was staring at him like he was an alien invader.

The blonde quickly followed him and sat in booth across from him.

Slade ordered black Terra ordered heavy cream and sugar, and a donut.

"Why were you searching for me?" she almost choked on her donut she coughed and took a drink of coffee, which burned her tongue.

"I don't know." She answered simply.

Slade leaned forward a little intimidating.

"'You don't know?'--That's your answer?" He raised a dark eyebrow a little skeptically.

She nodded squirming a little. A moment of silence passed.

"I thought we were leaving what was in the past, in the past?" she said with a little annoyance.

Slade raised both eyebrows a smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "You have me there, but I was curious." He shrugged.

"You really want to know?" she said finishing off her donut.

"To put it plainly, yes" he stated leaning back casually, which made Terra notice that he had a small scar on his neck. She cleared her throat. Preparing herself.

"I wanted to…I wanted to turn you in. I wanted to go to the police." She stopped gauging his reaction "And be the hero."

To her surprise he didn't laugh. Instead he looked her in the eyes seriously with a puzzling expression."

"Aren't you going to laugh? Of say something like: you foolish girl?" She threw her hands up in the air contemplating the ridiculousness of the situation.

"No, I'm actually impressed."

She took a double take. "What?"

"You did exemplary work. Like these folders for instance" he held the manila envelope up.

She felt a little angry that he had taken something out of her pockets but she realized it didn't matter.

"I'm could have killed that poor man but I decided…that if I found the source it would be a better prize. I was surprised to find you on the receiving end of such valuable information."

"What is it?" she said curiously leaning forward.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm paying the tab."

"Oh, I can pay the tab" she said quickly.

"Forget it. I'm not telling you. Besides it's not current. It's in the past" He gave her a powerful stare that said 'You'd better listen' she wished a little that the mask was there to filter it.

"Er…yes It's probably not important." She said quickly giving him an assuring smile.

"Of course." He gave her a small smile.

"Were did you get that scar?"

"Which one?"

"The one on your neck" she said raising an eyebrow.

"You don't want to know." He answered simply.

"Actually, I do."

Demurely he leaned forward resting his chin in the palm of his hand "Maybe, I'm not going to tell you."

"Maybe, I'm going to leave." Smugly she stood up.

He leaned back looking across the room at a brunette who smiled back flirtatiously.

Terra's mouth was agape, she plopped down a little undignified.

"You" she uttered, dumbstruck.

"Back so soon?" he smiled in self-satisfaction crossing his arms across his chest.

"So what do you do for a living?" she asked tracing the tables edge.

Later at the cafe…

The door to the "Pebbles Café" opened Slade held the door for a decidedly cheerful Terra.

"This has been a crazy night. I never thought…" she drifted off looking at the man walking beside her. He gazed at her as if expectant. She looked away quickly.

"I guess this is goodbye," she said after a moment looking back at his placid face.

She began to walk the opposite way.

"Stop, Terra wait" he said loud but quiet at the same time.

She took a deep breath turning around to face him and had to put her stomach back were it belongs when she realized he was standing inches away.

He reached in his coats chest pocket.

"S-Slade" she stammered

This is it…I'm done for I shouldn't have talked about my cats! He'll find them and kill them too. I'm sorry fluffy!

She cowered closing her eyes.

"Terra? What are you doing?" she opened one eye just as he pulled out her sunglasses she had lost earlier. He unfolded them and gently placed them on her stunned face.

An ebony limousine pulled up he reached down and opened the back door. Terra woke from her daze..

"Wait!" she cried out desperately he stopped leaning on the open door looking at her.

"Here, tomorrow the same time?" She said not believing it, not believing what she was doing, what she was saying. What had happened.

He held the door--for a scary, and oddly almost hopeful moment she thought he would say 'no' or farewell and leave without a word.

"Would you like to come with me?" he went to the outside of the door holding it open for her to get in.

"What?" she said nonplussed.

He tilted his head in annoyance.

"Do you want to come with me or not?" he said a little coldly making her nervous she crossed her arms insecurely.

He relaxed his tense shoulders and tried to put on a less intimidating demeanor.

"It's your choice you don't have to." He reassured trying to soften a bit.

She hesitated chewing her bottom lip.

"Good bye, Terra" He tried to leave but found she had grabbed his elbow.

"I'm coming"

"Do you want to?"

"Yes"

He stood up motioning her into the car.

She all but jumped forward and dropped smoothly into the back seat.

She looked up at Slade and smiled at him with real trust for the first time. The man almost took a step back at that.

He tilted his head a moment studying her face then giving her a small smile back, after a moment he stopped smiling.

"Are you going to let me get in, today?"

"I sense sarcasm."

"You do." He stated

"Well?" he prompted

Terra jumped.

"Yes, of course" She moved over quickly disappearing into the limousine.

Slade climbed in swiftly after her shutting the door behind them.

Outside the café a group of people advanced up the sidewalk.

A green boy, an alien, a robot, and a pale woman with purple hair.

"Really, this place is great, Raven you'll love it." The green boy said cheerily to the casually dressed Raven "I really am sorry that your Goth café was destroyed--" Beast Boy added in an apologetic voice.

"By you" she added morbidly.

"Come on! I've already apologized a million times! I forgot—"

"That you were in a building?" she interrupted sarcastically.

Starfire broke in: "Why, may I ask. Do you not forgive him Raven! I am quite tired of hearing him apologize."

"Fine. I forgive you." She took a deep breath and sighed "…Beast Boy"

Beast Boy groaned "It's not the same…" he sulked.

The four Titans entered the café

"I wish Robin could have joined us." Starfire added despondently.

"You know how Robin is, Star" Cyborg said shrugging sympathetically.

"Yes, I suppose I do. Well, no sense in sulking let us find seats!"

Outside the café across the street Robin sat in the back of a black limousine a serious expression on his face.

"Alfred, did you see them?"

"I did sir. What is it you're thinking? Why is that couple so important?"

Robin stared at the flashing red dot on his tracker.

"I'm contacting the Titans, Alfred. This may be my lucky day…after all these years."

"Very well, sir."

END