Welcome to the next chapter of Fate's Intertwined! Read it and leave a review ;)

"It was a mistake to put this team together." The masked man snarled into his walkie talkie.
A distinctly female voice came through and with a laughing tone said, "Jealousy is not becoming on you Jason."

Jason Todd, the Red Hood, scowled and snapped back, "This isn't jealousy Starfire. This is about you and Roy not being available when I need you to be."

There was silence for a moment and Jason's scowl deepened when the voice of his friend Roy Harper crackled from the walkie talkie. "You gave us the day off Jason…now if you don't mind Star and I are gonna get back to our…activities."

Snorting in disgust Jason turned off his walkie talkie and clipped it onto his belt. It would have been more efficient to use a commlink but both Starfire and Roy had complained about not being able to hear his voice due to the mask. Immediately casting his fickle friends from his mind Jason returned to the task at hand. It had recently come to his attention that a local politician, Martin Bassert, had recently begun dabbling in human trafficking. Determined to stop this before the situation worsened Jason was now conducting a preliminary surveillance on a factory owned by the man near the Tipaini River.

Easily the young man made his way up onto the roof of the building and unclipped a small pair of binoculars from his belt as he crouched down to peer over the edge. Pushing the mask up Jason lifted the binoculars to his eyes and murmured, "Alright Bassert, let's see what you're up to." For several moments Jason didn't notice anything unusual-except for the absence of security guards. With a factory of this size it was normal to see some rent-a-cops roaming the premises. Pressing a small button on the side of the binoculars caused them to zoom in more and Jason carefully made another scan.

Just as Jason was putting the binoculars away movement from the river caught his eye. Frowning he put the binoculars to his eyes and focused his gaze on the dark water. To his astonishment large chunks of concrete were slowly floating by. "Where the hell did these come from…?" Going upriver led to New York and while there were several small towns and farms along the way to the best of Jason's knowledge the only way these giant pieces of concrete could have gotten in the river was if one of the factories along the way had been destroyed. A slight frown tipped his lips downward; if he remembered correctly there was also a Casino along the way but odds of the wreckage coming from there were slim to none. Jason's astonishment turned to dismay as he realized with a push of the zoom button that there was a body half on, half off on one of the pieces of concrete.

Springing into action Jason quickly got off the roof and stripping off his jacket, mask, and belt he dove into the murky river water. Thankfully the current wasn't too strong and in several powerful strokes he reached the block of concrete and discovered an unconscious female. With grim determination he slid his arm around the girl and began the slow return to the river's edge. With a grunt Jason pushed the girl onto the shore and dragged himself out. Immediately he moved over her body and leaned over so that his ear was close to her mouth. After a few moments he was satisfied that she was breathing and with a sigh he stood up and walked over to his things. Grabbing the walkie talkie he pressed a button on the side and growled, "There was an expected surprise. Ready the medical bay for when I arrive." Without waiting for a response Jason put back on his clothing, picked up the sodden girl, and made his way back to his vehicle. Martin Bassert would have to wait.

Tegan felt empty. Several days had passed since the ill-fated birthday dinner and the young woman could hardly believe that her best friend, Selene, was really gone. She and Aaron had left the broken building behind and gone straight to Selene's house where they had had the difficult job of informing Selene's parents what had happened. Grief stricken her parents had thrown the two friends out; blaming Tegan and Aaron for being bad influences.

With nowhere to go Aaron had suggested that the two of them pool their resources together and get a hotel room. Still in shock Tegan had only nodded. Soon after they were in a reasonably priced hotel room with two beds. At the moment Tegan lay on her bed in the generic room alone. Today was Selene's funeral and Aaron had left to attend. Too distraught by her friend's loss Tegan couldn't make herself get up.

The curtains were drawn and in the darkness of the room Tegan stared at the ceiling with a mix of grief and rage. It was only now, days later, that she could fully grasp what had happened. Selene had been in danger and the Justice League, the so called upholders of justice, had failed to save her. Tegan squeezed her eyes shut trying to fight tears. No...that wasn't quite right. She had put her best friend into danger by taking her to that ridiculous casino. There was only one thing she could do. Tegan would have to kill the Justice League...and then kill herself. That was the only way Selene's death could be truly avenged. The tears trickled down her face and Tegan felt overwhelmed. The Justice League was a super powered group and so many others better equipped than she was had failed to take them down. How was she supposed to do anything? As she turned over to bury her face into the pillows Tegan heard a quiet knock on the door.

Tegan's first reaction was to ignore it but when the person on the other side persisted she let out a small groan and rolled out of bed. It was most likely Aaron. He must have forgotten his key to the room. Fresh tears filled her eyes as Tegan thought about how if Selene were there she'd make a snarky comment about their slightly dorky friend. The tears spilled over as Tegan pulled open the hotel room door and came face to face with John.

Surprised Tegan took half a step back. "J-John! What are you doing here?"

"I told you I would find you..." John replied the expression on his handsome face serious. "May I come in?"

Tegan nodded and stepped aside to admit the older man in the room. For a moment she felt self conscious. Her long black hair was a tangled mess and the old pyjamas she wore were less than flattering. Almost immediately she threw the thought aside. Tegan had no business thinking about herself right now. Clearing her throat the young woman repeated her previous question. "What are you doing here John..."

John turned to face her and admitted, "I was worried when I did not see you at the funeral. Is it not the custom to go the burials of close friends?"

"I couldn't go." Tegan replied softly as she shut the door. Looking down she continued in a broken whisper, "How can I go there and face her parents and friends knowing that I...that I'm the one who killed her?"

The funeral had been lovely Aaron thought as he made his way back to the entrance of the cemetery. Lovely and heartbreaking. Selene had been such a wonderful girl and now her life was done. No more would he see her beautiful face or hear her wonderfully witty comments. Sighing he slid into the taxi cab he had arranged ahead of time to meet him. He wondered if life would ever be the same once he went back home to Canada. It would be hard not to talk to Selene via instant messaging every day. There were moments where he had became so involved in speaking to her online that he would always forget anyone else's presence lurking on his computer screen. Those days were no more, now that Selene was gone. He mentally cursed himself for not taking the chance to ask her out or tell him how he felt about her.

He started at his phone and wondered if Tegan would answer his calls. She had been too distraught to get out of bed that morning and he was starting to get worried about her. He shrugged slightly and dialed Tegan's number anyway. After several rings Aaron was on the verge of hanging up the phone when he heard an irritated groan on the other side.

"T-Tegan is that you?" Aaron asked nervously thinking she might lash out at him again. "You should've come to the funeral..."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Aaron, it was my fault," Tegan told him. "If I hadn't dragged you two to her favorite restaurant and surprised her she wouldn't be dead right now. How could I have gone to her funeral?" Annoyed by her friend's constant babbling of apologies and lame excuses she continued bitterly, "Look just leave me alone ok? I just want to be left alone and not bothered by anyone, including you."

Aaron wearily sighed not saying a word and disconnected the conversation with his friend. It was decided right then and there, he too would avenge Selene's death, and he just had to wait for the right moment and time. A small smile touched his lips. He was very good at waiting.

At the Watch Tower, the Justice League was contemplating why the Royal Flush Gang attacked the restaurant. For what purpose? Cyborg observed his team mates at the giant computer screen. They were all wondering what the Royal Flush Gang's next move was; all of them except for Wally. Concerned, Cyborg walked over to his once Titan team mate and asked, "So why aren't you there with the others? "

Wally remained silent.

"If your upset about the mission, it happens to all of us," Cyborg told him. "We can't always be there to save everyone..."

"My girlfriend was in that burning building...," Wally finally spoke. "I was right there! I couldn't reach her in time!" He yelled in frustration.

"I know how you feel," Cyborg told him. "I know what it's like losing someone you care about and being helpless." He paused before adding with a serious tone, "But I got over it."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Wally sighed getting up. "I need a break from this hero stuff and go back home." He smiled to himself. It had been a while since he returned to Central City. Some time at home would do him some good. "Tell Bats I'm taking a few days off." He told his comrade walking towards the teleporters that would beam down each member of the league down to Earth.

"Oh no I'm not telling Batman anything," Cyborg scowled lightly. "The last thing I want is him getting on my case for letting you leave."

Wally turned to the human robot. "It's just a couple of days, Vic," He replied. "I'll be back saving your sorry butts in no time!"

Cyborg smiled. "Take care my friend." He said watching Wally dematerialize into tiny fragmented pieces of light as he was beamed down to Earth.

Selene's eyes slid open and immediately she let out a groan at the bright light shining into her eyes. Immediately she shut her eyes tightly. How on earth could the light be so damn bright? She raised a hand to shield her eyes and slowly tried opening them again. This time she was able to do so with minimal pain. As Selene's eyes adjusted to the light she sat up and realized that she was in a strange looking medical type room. The bed she lay on was narrow and beside her was an IV dripping clear liquid into her body.

Speaking of her body...Selene winced as she saw very visible bruises peppering her arms and legs. And, she noted with a frown, a cast around her lower leg. A rustling noise pulled her attention away from her injury to a doorway where a young man stood scowling at her.

"About time you woke up," he said gruffly walking into the room. He wore a casual black shirt, jeans, and boots. His eyes were a deep green that caused Selene's heart rate to speed up slightly. She had always liked men with colored eyes. Immediately she pushed that thought aside and scooted towards the wall as the man sat down on a chair beside the bed.

Hesitantly Selene asked, "Who are you and where am I?"

"Who I am," he replied coldly, "Is of no concern to you. Currently you are the medic bay of my facilities. I fished you out of the river. Care to share you got there?"

Immediately Selene felt the memories of the chaos at the Casino press down upon her. Struggling to breathe she gripped the bed and fought down a wave of hysteria. All she could feel was the pressure of the river swirling around her and the fear of being trapped in all the rubble.

Alarmed the man reached out and touched her shoulder, "Hey, calm down. You look like you're about of pass out."

"I'm...I'm fine." Selene managed to say. Slowly she regained her control and continued, "I was at the Casino and there was an accident. I think I jumped out the window."

"You think?" The man snorted and leaned back in his chair folding well-muscled arms across his chest. "Listen lady, I've got some good news and I've got some bad news."

Selene bit her bottom lip nervously. "W-what's the good news?"

"The good news is you're alive." replied the man as he reached over to grab a newspaper off a table. Slapping it down onto the bed beside her he continued bluntly, "The bad news is your dead."

Selene felt her heart stop at the headline blazing across the top. ONE DEAD IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE REAL WORLD CASINO AND HOTEL. She snatched the newspaper up and immediately began reading the article. What should have been a joyous occasion turns to tragedy as Selene Samaras is killed in the devastating attack upon the Real World Casino and Hotel. The 25 year old was celebrating her birthday with close friends Tegan Santiago and Aaron Bergeron. Selene's eyes darted back and forth hardly believing what she was reading. How could they think she was dead?

"This is ridiculous." Selene said. "How can I be dead if I'm sitting here alive?"

The man shrugged. "It happens. Your body wasn't there at the scene."

Feeling cold Selene lowered the newspaper and looked at him. "How can you be so unfeeling? This is serious! My parents are probably devastated!"

Once again the man shrugged and Selene could feel herself growing irritated. Before she could say something he stood up and pulled out a nondescript black cell phone from his pocket and handed it to her. "Go ahead and call someone to arrange a place to pick you up." He left the room and Selene clutched the small phone feeling relieved.

Immediately Selene punched the numbers in for her house. The phone rang for several long minutes before going to voicemail. She sighed and hung up, not wanting to leave a message. Selene brightened slightly and punched in the numbers for Tegan's phone. Once more the phone rang for several long minutes and just as Selene was giving up hope a weary sounding Tegan answered the phone.

"Aaron I already told you I want to be alone."

Selene couldn't help but role her eyes. "This isn't Aaron. It's Selene."

There was a long moment of silence before Tegan replied in angry voice, "You sick bastard. I don't know who this is but if you call me again I'm contacting the police!"

"Wait, Tegan it's really me!" Selene cried into the phone.

Tears were evident in Tegan's voice as she replied bitterly, "Selene is dead."

The line disconnected and Selene dropped the phone on her lap a sense of growing desperation filling her heart.

J'onn sat in the hotel bar nursing a drink. The memory of Tegan's anger was seared into his memory.

"It was my fault John! Mine and the Justice League!"

Not understanding J'onn asked slowly, "How is this the fault of the Justice League? Were they not there assisting people?"

Tegan sneered, "Helping everyone but Selene! And they promised. He said that he would get Selene out. Some super hero he was..."

Unable to help himself J'onn recoiled at her words and visibly flinched. His palms dampened as he thought back to that night several days ago. He had found Tegan and then promised to help her friends...but the flames. The moment he had reentered the building, J'onn had become incapacitated by the fires that were starting to burn through the wreckage. It had been all he could do to find Batman and Wally and after that there was darkness.

J'onn forced himself back to the presence and reached out a hand to Tegan. "Tegan forgive me I did not mean to..." Her angry yells cut him off.

"Just stop it John! Nothing you can say can change the fact that my best friend is DEAD." Tegan paused her angry tirade to throw the door back open. "Just go...and don't bother contacting me again."

"Please Tegan ju-"

"GET OUT HERE!"

J'onn downed the rest of his drink and motioned for the bartender to refill his glass. Tegan was in pain and there was nothing he could do about it. While he was not to blame for the death of her friend he could not help but feel guilty. Sighing J'onn took a sip from his refilled glass and contemplated going back upstairs to reason with Tegan but he immediately pushed the idea aside. The best thing to do would be to give her space until she got over her initial anger. In a few days' time J'onn would find her and straighten things out.

Tegan threw the phone across the room and didn't flinch as it shattered against the wall. Sobbing loudly she curled up into the hotel bed and felt as if a darkness would swallow her up. She had ruined things with John and with Aaron. John had tried to reassure Tegan that she was not to blame for Selene's accident but not wanting to hear it Tegan had thrown him out of the hotel room screaming at him to leave her the hell alone. Moments later Aaron had called and once again Tegan had lashed out against a person she cared about in anger.

She was well and truly alone.

For what seemed like a life time Tegan lay there sinking deeper into the darkness. Just as she could bear it no longer the hotel room door opened and Aaron entered the room. His eyes were averted and he said stiffly, "I'm just here to collect my things then I'll be out of your way."

Tegan slid off of the bed and with a few jerky steps she crossed the room to where Aaron stood and grabbed onto his arm. "Don't leave me alone Aaron." she whispered. "Don't leave me..."

Hesitantly Aaron's arms came around Tegan. He was still feeling slightly hurt after her comments over the phone but he could see how distraught she was and he felt compelled to offer whatever comfort he could. Tegan buried her face against his shoulder and gripped him tightly. Aaron felt a moment of surprise at how nice Tegan felt in his arms. Her warm body was soft and her distinctly feminine scent was pleasant. The surprise turned to shame. Tegan was his friend not someone he could take advantage of. Besides, he was in love with Selene. Thinking about another woman at this time was wrong.

Reluctantly Aaron withdrew his arms from around Tegan and gently he pushed her back. "I, uh, maybe we should get something to eat."

Tegan's eyes met Aaron's and for the briefest of moments something flickered between them. "I don't want any food." She replied severing her gaze from to look at the wall. Hugging her middle Tegan admitted softly, "I just want...I just need to be held."

Their eyes met again and Aaron felt powerless to deny her request. He loosened the tie around his neck and pulled off his suit jacket. With a calm he didn't feel Aaron sat on his bed and patted the spot next to him. "Sit here with me."

Without hesitating Tegan sat on the bed beside Aaron and turned so that her head lay on his shoulder. His arm curled around her and for the first time since Selene's death Tegan felt truly relaxed. They sat this way for an indiscernible amount of time until Tegan turned so that her arm could rest across Aaron's middle. Sleepily she traced random patterns across his chest and shoulder with her fingers. Suddenly Aaron's arm tightened around her and his breath hitched causing Tegan to look up at him. Surprise flitted through her at how close their faces were and the intimacy of their position hit her. Red flooded Tegan's cheeks and she began to pull back. "I think I shoul...shou...oh..." Her words drifted off as Aaron's hand slid up into her hair and pulled her head down so that their lips touched. The kiss was brief and Tegan could almost pretend it didn't happen. And it shouldn't happen again Tegan admonished herself as she and Aaron stared at each other. She had enough problems without adding this to the mix. But no sooner than the thoughts flitted through her mind Aaron's warm hand cupped her face and they were kissing again.

Tegan closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt into him. She could think and worry about her problems later. For now she would let go.

Selene was leaning against the wall when the man returned pushing a wheelchair. "Have you arranged a meeting place with anyone?"

For a moment Selene considered telling him the truth but she nixed that idea. She had no desire to stay here any longer than she had to. "Yes," she lied easily. "My parents want me to go straight home."

Instantly the man relaxed and an easy grin spread across his face. "Well that's great. I was worried that I'd get stuck here with you." He pushed the chair over to the bed. "Go ahead and hop on. I'll take you home."

Within 15 minutes Selene found herself in a truck on her way back to her home. To her surprise she realized she was in Gotham and was amazed that she had survived everything that had happened with only a few bruises and a broken leg. The drive to New York took two hours due to heavy traffic and by the time the man turned onto her street Selene was anxious to get out. Pointing out which house was hers Selene felt anxious as she realized all the lights in her house were off. That was strange she thought glancing at the clock in the car. It was around 6pm and usually around this time her mother was home cooking.

"Are you sure they said to meet them here?" the man asked skeptically.

Selene replied sharply, "Yes I'm positive."

He shrugged and turned off the car after pulling into her driveway. He pulled the wheel chair out of the bed of the truck and helped Selene into it. He rolled her up to the door and Selene told him where to find the extra key. He raised an eyebrow. "Pretty obvious hiding spot."

Selene ignored him and took the key from him. She fumbled slightly but managed to unlock the door. As he wheeled her into the house Selene called out, "Mom...Dad! Zack? I'm home!"

Silence.

Giving her a slightly Glare the man stepped way from her chair. "They aren't here are they? It's musty in here as if there hasn't been anyone in a few days."

"I...They're supposed to be here." Selene replied faintly.

The man sighed and said irritably, "Wait here." He walked outside and was gone for ten tense minutes. When he returned his expression was grim.

"I talked to your next door neighbor." he said flatly.

Selene gripped the arms of the wheelchair and struggled not to grab him and demand answers. "What happened? What did they say?"

"Your parents," he began slowly, "are gone. According to your neighbor they've moved on. They couldn't bear to be here without you."

Tears filled Selene's eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. Tegan...her parents...even Aaron for all she knew. All gone. A sense of loneliness filled her and Selene could only put her head into her hands and cry.

Poor Selene, will her friends and family discover she's alive? What will happen now with the friendship between Aaron and Tegan? Will their moments of passion change things or will they be able to move on? And what about J'onn and Wally? Find out in the next chapter of Fate's Intertwined!