A/N:
Jobs and school do not allow much time to write. I will try (try) to post once a week because I think that's sort of fair, but I'm also traveling a lot so I can't make an actual promise. Sorry! It'd be nice if I could be on a more exact schedule, but I hope you all just keep checking back or asking for alerts to know when I update!
Anyway, this one is finally getting into a little bit of the plot! Yay! It's noteworthy to say that the separate scenes are not in exact chronological order. They more or less overlap in one period of time...but you'll see.
Special, super thanks to my reviewers from last chapter! I doubled my review count! Awesome!:
J: Yay! I strive for plausible, though slightly interpreted characterizations. That's what makes fanfic fun for me! And I will try to keep it consistent!
BBlove1004: Thanks! I hope this is ASAP enough...
.: Well, five is probably an exaggeration. But it wouldn't truly be a love story without some complications! (how boring would that be?) I'm a sucker for romance though...if that's any consolation.
TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne: Haha, yup! I try to incorporate comic details, though unfortunately my knowledge of the comics only goes so far. Also, I must say I really enjoyed your TT/YJ crossover fic!You're a great author!
oI Revan Io: Oh, it's bad. And there are always aliens in a TT fic (well, at least one). But this should provide some more info...
Shyguy1: Is it coincidence? Or a plot device? Or something deeper... I think fate has a way for certain events to align in order for them to all meet again. A lot of this could be sheer coincidence, but I'd consider it more luck considering what I'm about to do to them all (well, not in this one...but in ones to come). Also, concerning your other comment. I understand that the cartoon was designed for children, and it was only when the creators noticed that older kids were watching it that they made the show a tad more...serious. But I must admit that my story also draws upon the comics, where they do curse and such. I like to add more realism to the fic, and to think that young adults don't curse or drink is a little unrealistic to me...at least from my own perspective. Phew, I'm seemed to go off on a tangent. Thank you so much for your detailed review! And I will keep writing :)
Terra-Machigai: That's exactly what I was going for, so I'm really happy you caught on to it. Jillian's personality was supposed to be that-something interesting initially and then just kind of, well, boring. Anyway, thanks so much for your review!
If you have any more questions or comments, remember to drop a review! I'll be sure to remind you at the end. I'm obnoxious like that.
Disclaimer: I do not own any superheroes. Waah.
Chapter 2: Crash
Plane trips always sucked.
He hated being cooped up in a plane. All the tight spaces, the dry air, the badgering attendants saying he looked "too green" and maybe should take some Dramamine-it was too much for him sometimes. But Gar had yet to think of an animal that was faster than a plane, and he couldn't exactly carry his bags in bird form, so he dealt with it. And at least he got free food.
He rushed through the plane's cabin when the aircraft touched ground, almost forgetting his duffel in the process. The airport was a little overwhelming. Dozens of people were walking and rushing about, looking for their loved ones, and he was no exception.
"Excuse me. Pardon me. Dude, you got to move..." Gar shifted through the hordes of people and glanced around the terminal gate.
"Been a while, Grass Stain."
His green eyes ignored the whispering fans around him and he grinned when he saw a tall, dark skinned, half robotic man in a blue v-neck sweater and khakis. "Sorry, Gramps. I'm looking for my friend. He's only a couple of years older than me and would never be caught dead wearing a golf outfit."
Vic smiled and immediately dragged Gar into a rather strong, yet loving hug. Neither felt embarrassed, much to the surprise of Gar himself. All he felt was extreme comfort, a feeling that could only be felt when surrounded by the wonderful familiarity of a good friend, of family. He hadn't felt that way in a while.
The shape-shifter finally edged out of the hug and smiled, "It's really great to see you, Vic."
"Same here. But could you really just drop everything and come over here? Don't you have some sort of responsibilities out west?"
He shrugged, "Not really. Not anymore. This is more important, you know?"
Vic nodded and grabbed Gar's bag. "Damn right, I know. The Titans...I miss it a lot, you know?"
"Yeah, I do."
"And it's only been two years. It's just when you live with people for so long..."
Gar sighed, "It's hard. Trust me, Dude. I get it. We need to plan these visits more often. Next time see me, deal?"
"Deal." Vic held out his hand and they shook on the loose promise. "You've seen anyone else? Rob?"
"You mean, Nightwing?" Gar shook his head and followed Vic out towards his nice, silver (and surely expensive) car. "Whoa, Dude. This is sick."
Vic scratched his head, slightly embarrassed by his friend's reaction to his car. "Yeah...between the university and research gigs, I sort of have a stockpile of cash."
"Yeah, I know. But don't you already have this car?"
His best friend narrowed his eyes. "The 357SX is in a completely different class than any other automobile I could have purchased in the past. This baby is equipped with everything, and by the time I make some more adjustments, it'll almost be as good as..."
As his voice trailed off, Gar gave a knowing look. "The T-car?"
"Mhm. I miss my baby."
"No one ever said you had to get rid of it, Vic."
Vic unlocked the 357SX and opened the door for Gar. "I didn't get rid of it. It's just in storage."
"For a rainy day?" Gar chuckled and got into the passenger seat. "Don't see that one coming..."
"What about, Raven?"
He felt his skin chill at her name. Gar coughed and slid in the seat. "Huh?"
Victor started the car and started driving. The airport traffic wasn't so bad, and soon they were on the main highway. Vic finally responded, "Have you seen her?"
"No," Gar muttered, his chest feeling heavy. "Crazy, right? We used to be so close."
Vic raised an eyebrow, "You? And Raven? Oh really now..."
He felt his cheeks flush, their last encounter burning brightly in his mind despite the alcohol and time related to it. Things change. He had a crush on her, but that was a long time ago. They had different lives now, and though a part of him wanted to go to the JLA and search for her, another side of him didn't. The whole point of the team's 'break up' was to help develop all of their individual lives and he respected that. "Whatever. What about you?"
"A couple of times. I do some work with the JLA analyzing the combination of inorganic and organic compounds that have synthesized together in different organisms. It actually happens more often than it seems. Although the more alien compounds are slightly harder to isolate and figure out the ratio between nucleotides, proteins, and more inorganic molecular structures."
Gar blinked, really focusing on one part of that. "...So you've seen her? How was she?"
"Good, she really seems to like it."
The green young man smiled to himself. "That's great. I was worried about her."
Vic turned his head from the front view of the car, "You were?"
"Yeah...I was worried for all of us." Gar scratched his head, "But, we've lived in this world before. Rave hadn't. Starfire was going home, but she wasn't. I wanted to make sure she...uh, adapted well."
"So you must have sent her emails, right? Or called?"
A rush of guilt flowed through Gar's body. It was wrong to say he hadn't ever. He had called her a couple of times, sent her emails and long messages on her birthday. But it was nowhere near the amount of communication they had previously, and over the years, the scattered emails slowed down to a full halt. "A few times."
"Hm." Vic kept driving a little while longer, only stopping when they reached a free spot outside of a stainless steel apartment building. Metropolis was shining today. It didn't have the haze and cloud that L.A. seemed to produce. The sun was clear, crisp, and Gar understood why one of the greatest superheroes of all times would pick this at his home. That and the strangely heavy crime rate.
Vic's apartment never disappointed, and Gar was still impressed even after seeing it many times before. The whole thing was spotless, a stark contrast to Gar's own home. The kitchen was white with black tile and stainless steel appliances. The couch was leather (much to the changeling's dismay), and had a huge flat screen TV sitting in front of it. Everyone was clean, besides the mess of wires and half built machines squared off in one corner of the main room.
"I swear the pullout in the couch is more comfortable then the futon in the spare room."
Gar shrugged, "Don't care. Not sleeping on cow skin." And the guest room was nice enough. Gar had his own view of the city skyline, a dresser, and a mirror-all he could really ask for a couple of nights. "So where's this shindig?"
Vic sat on the futon and yawned, "It's in a reception hall. It's no big thing. Just some scientists and an announcement of some sort of extraterrestrial whatever. No big deal. You'd think they'd care less about the whole alien thing when they keep finding so many of them."
The green man sighed in relief next to him, "Phew, so you were kidding then about them examining my genetic legacy?"
"No promises that they won't bother you just a little. You are a Titan."
Were. Gar nodded. "Yeah, okay. Let's do this."
Vic smiled and stood up, patting his best friend on the back. "Thanks, Gar. You brought a suit, right?"
His pointed ears immediately dropped, "Dude, does it look like I own a suit?"
It was already night on the east coast, the dark sky sweeping over the crumbling city below his feet. He loved this time. Call it insomnia, call it obsession, he would never sleep a night in Gotham. That was what board meetings and client consultations were for.
He had never been as good at the playboy façade his mentor tried to create. Sure, he had his fair share of model 'girlfriends' but he wasn't as good as pretending. It was harder, he thought, than Bruce made it seem-sometimes harder than crime fighting.
Thunder crackled throughout the sky, and Nightwing hunched lower on the edge of the building. He had been tracking these thugs for a while, and although the equipment they stole seemed insignificant, it was from Wayne Enterprises, and he had a responsibility to uphold-especially since Batman had been spending more and more time up in space rather than in his hometown.
The plan originally was to head to New York. That city was in bad shape, almost as beaten down as Gotham was. But Batman wasn't visible in this area as often as he should have been, and besides, he sort of missed living in a mansion.
It was nothing, however, compared to his old life. It didn't seem like only two years. It felt like forever ago that he was living with his best friends, not Alfred and his socially disturbed adoptive father. Wasn't it just yesterday that he was wearing red and green, not black and blue? That he was holding her in his arms when they woke in the morning, her red, inhuman hair sprawled across his pillows?
The thought made him cringe. Memories were better left forgotten. The past was better left in the past. This city needed him, and Dick Grayson wasn't getting in the way of the job Nightwing had.
He fixed the mask over his face when the rain started to pour down. It was always a rush to him, a game, a challenge. There wasn't only the physical aspect to catching a villain, but the mental strategy that went along. His blue, masked eyes sharpened as the thugs carried the boxes out of the large truck. They were bringing them to a warehouse, probably to sell illegally-a petty crime, but a crime all the same.
As the flash of light raked across the grey skyscrapers, Nightwing flew to the ground, landing effortlessly and splashing on the water coated asphalt. The wooden crate one of the thugs was holding immediately broke on the pavement. He smirked when the burlier thug murmured an, "Oh shit."
With one punch, the thug was already on the ground, his head on the asphalt. The rain started pattering down, and the other criminal reached for his pocket to take out a gun. Nightwing moved too fast, grabbing the gun and disarming him right before sweep kicking him to the ground. "Oracle?"
There was a slight buzz on the other line, but soon Oracle's voice came crackling into his ear. "Sorry, Dick. What's up?"
"I secured the stolen packages from Wayne Enterprises. Send your dad over to pick them up."
"Right, okay. I'm tracking your location as we speak. Need any back up?"
"No, I should be..." His voice trailed off when his eyesight caught something fly above him. "Hold up. Something's still here."
Oracle sounded nervous, "What is it?"
"...I'm not sure."
"Want me to send Tim over?"
"No, I should be fine. I'll keep you posted." Nightwing broke the connection and moved back into the shadows. He had sworn he had saw something fly above him, but now they seemed to be gone.
He couldn't really think of any Gotham based villains that would be out now and flying, and another superhero visiting would have made themselves known. The situation put Nightwing on edge. He steadied a grappling hook and positioned himself on the fire escape of the brick warehouse. He made sure his black boots made no sound and started stalking upwards, keeping his blue eyes focused on the raining night sky.
There was another dark shadow flashing above him and Nightwing started silently sprinting. He finally made it to the top of the roof, and the rain rushed around him, his body no longer shielded by the shorter buildings of the city. His instincts detected someone behind him, and he turned only to see a body levitate gracefully to the ground.
He had never been so terrified.
She was expecting some sort of fast food joint, one of those stop in, pay, and get out deals. Needless to say she was shocked when the Flash had them teleported to a deserted area in Metropolis. She wasn't used to the bright city, or her holo-ring, or Wally's real hair color, but Raven decided to just ignore it all and breathe. This would be healthy for her-an experience to make her stronger.
"You look good, Rav-Rachel. It is Rachel, right? I don't want to look like a tool not even knowing the girl I'm going out with's name."
She blinked her now blue eyes, "Too late."
"You don't mind, do you?" He gave a shy grin, something that warmed her heart with its familiarity. "If it makes you feel better, I kind of miss the purple hair."
It was hard not to smile a little, "...thanks."
Wally reached for her hand but decided against it, sweeping it through his bright hair instead. There was a strange air between him. He was no longer being overtly flirtatious, and she was not being as resistant to him. But they both felt awkward, uneasy and unsure of what the hell they were doing or where this could possibly go-if anywhere.
"I know this place," Wally said suddenly as they walked down the still populated street. It was nearing 8, but the sun still shone in the summer time. "It's great with pizza and any other Italian food you could possibly want. Sounds good?"
She nodded, "Yeah, sure."
The restaurant was nice, small, and not too romantic, which Raven was incredibly grateful for. She liked Wally, even though sometimes he was annoying and childish, but, for some reason, that was part of what made her like him. She probably needed to analyze that later.
Once they were seated, Wally went on about his background-more personal things than Raven thought he'd admit on something similar to a first date. She remained much more quiet. Her eyes were still distracted by him out of costume and the black hair that twirled around her fingers when she was nervous. She froze when he looked eagerly at her, wanting her to explain her past. "I know your part demon and that you were on the Titans obviously. That was a fun time, wasn't it?"
She nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah."
"But before that?"
"...nothing."
"Nothing?" He took a sip of water.
"It doesn't matter."
"Yeah, I'm just curious."
"Oh." Raven looked anxiously for the waiter. She didn't want to talk about anything right now. All of the sudden her stomach felt nauseous, and a cold sweat started to coat her arms. "...I don't really want to talk about it."
The Flash blinked, "Oh...that's alright. We don't have to. We can talk about anything you want."
But that offer just led to more silence. Raven didn't exactly know how to do this. She couldn't really start conversation, only really good at feeding it, adding in her own remarks. Yet, Wally wasn't offering any more topics, probably afraid of offending her, and so they simply sat.
As the waiter served the large pie of sausage pizza, Raven suddenly felt disgusted by the dead pig coated in cheese. She picked off the pieces of meat and wrapped them in her napkin.
Wally blinked, "You a vegetarian?"
"No." Her voice sounded more bitter than normal.
"Yeah, I thought so...but the sausage..."
"It just didn't look fully cooked."
And the conversation ended again. Raven was halfway through her second slice when a ringing in her black leather purse sounded. It was her JLA designated phone, and she found herself both relieved and eager to answer. "Hello?"
A serious though friendly voice responded, "Sorry, Raven. Wally told me about your date."
She looked across at the redhead who only shrugged. "It's okay. Is something wrong?" She refrained from saying Superman's name since they were in public.
"Maybe, possibly. I got a report from Star Labs. You're in the area...sure you won't mind a quick debrief? Maybe you could check it out."
Her blue eyes glanced to Wally who seemed rather impassive for himself. Raven bit her lip. "...can it wait awhile?"
There was a bright grin from the man across from her, and Raven felt his emotions skyrocket upwards. Superman responded evenly, "Yeah, sure. You two have fun."
"Thanks." She caught his eyes, "We will."
After flipping the phone and placing it back in her purse, Wally immediately started talking. "You sure, Ra-chel? We could just pop over to where the boss wants real quick."
She thought about saying no, bu that would have been to easy. Raven didn't want easy; she wanted a life. "No, that's okay. You asked me here and I agreed. We should end this the proper way."
He raised an eyebrow, "And what do you consider to be the proper way?"
"To be decided." Raven took another bite of her pizza and thought. "The Titans..."
The sudden conversation garnered his full attention, "Yeah?"
"They were like my first home. I don't really consider anything else I had before that to be a true family. I learned a lot from my original dimension...some things impossible to learn here, but I never wanted to go back. I like it here."
He smiled, "I'm glad you do." The Flash pushed his pizza aside and grabbed her hand, afraid she'd cringe back, but Raven didn't. She liked the comfort it provided, and seeing her grab his hand back willingly made him slightly more confident. "You must miss them."
"Maybe. But I'd miss this too."
"Want to go for a walk after this? Or we could just go do our mission. Have your uniform?"
She gestured to her oversized bag, something atypical for Raven to normally carry when she wasn't disguised. "Yes, but a walk sounds nice."
It didn't really. Raven was still uncomfortable with this whole scenario, but she would give Wally more of a chance. He deserves that much.
They finished peacefully, filling the time with light though shallow conversation. Wally had found a nice sized park nearby, filled with fountains and a setting sun, and when he reached to grab her hand again, Raven, although hesitant, didn't move away.
"This sucks."
"Shut up."
"I can't believe I came. I should be in L.A. with my girlfriend."
"...is she still your girlfriend?"
"Sort of kind of. I don't know. I'm not sure if she really was in the first place. It was never actually said." Gar loosened the black tie on his neck. He hated these formal affairs. "...but that isn't the point. I flew all the way out here to hang out with you, not some grumpy old geneticists."
Vic chuckled when Gar gave an encroaching older man a glare. "Relax, these are my peers."
"They're looking at me like a piece of meat. Yes, my DNA is crazy. Can't I just give them a hair sample and get them away?"
The half-robotic man sighed next to him and grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. This event was extremely formal, as most events to thank the sponsors and to gather more funds were. He didn't know exactly who everyone was. Most of the scientists he recognized but many he didn't, and the sponsors were completely new to him. "They're people, Gar. And our keynote speaker's going on stage now, so you better stop your complaining and pay attention."
Gar grumbled, "Fine."
The speaker was boring, nevertheless, and it wasn't even because he didn't understand what he was talking about. It helped that this guy was a biologist, and Gar had always been interested in biology, which was kind of fated. His parents had both been biological scientists and his animal nature basically demanded that he understood himself. This wasn't to say that he understood everything that was said-just something about the supposed implications of apoptosis and how they were recreating drugs to trigger the process in mutated, continuously multiplying cells. The speaker then went on to discuss different types of cells, and the red velvet curtains behind the raised platform opened.
Gar's interest was piqued for a split second, but then died down again when he noticed it was just a large test tube, with some wrinkly, prune like organism inside. "Yuck, what's that?" He whispered it silently to his friend next to him.
"An alien specimen they found a while ago. They're still so impressed by this stuff," Vic shrugged and clapped automatically when the speaker finally went down. "Want some food...Gar? Is something wrong?"
The green man was paralyzed, his animal senses detecting something he hadn't felt in quite a while-danger. He scanned the outer corners of the large, dimly lit room, the gigantic crystal chandelier yards and yards above not supplying enough light source for something so magnificent.
Then, in an instant, the chandelier swayed, drooping closer and closer to the floor. There were screams and shattering as crystal shards fell to the ground, and the guests scampered away in their gowns and suits. Gar immediately shifted, turning into a cheetah, and quickly pushed the remaining guests out of the way before the chandelier quickly came crashing to the ground, creating a mess of glass and electric sparks.
Gar morphed back into his human form and looked at the wreckage. "Shit. What was that?"
"You have two guesses."
Both Gar and Vic turned to the voice, only to see a man all in black with a white mask looking back at them, emerging from the overhead rafters of the reception hall. The red cross on his chest clearly displayed his name. Vic crushed his teeth, "Red X."
"And you only needed one! How great. Good to see you guys remember me. And man, what happened to the shrimp? You're like a fully grown crab now." Red X smirked and grabbed a glass of champagne from a shivering waiter nearby. "Nice party. Sorry I had to crash."
Gar grunted, "Wow, puns. That always makes for a big laugh. What are you doing here?"
"Paid gig. Don't know why, just what. Hold on two seconds. We can catch up later." Red X somersaulted backwards as Gar changed into a bear and rushed towards the villain. Vic had gathered the civilians and scientists, trying to get them out of the room. Gar saw him talk into the communicator built into his arm, but then refocused on the thief running towards the stage.
Red X was extremely adept, and Gar tried adapting into different animal forms, but he couldn't keep up. He hadn't done this in a while, and it was strangely exhausting. His muscles pulled and tightened, his bones seemed to crush and expand with each animal form. His body was no longer used to this, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that he wouldn't stop him. He was practically panting when Red X raised a hand to his mouth, firing a sticky X at the changeling's face.
"Sorry, but this job doesn't pay by the hour. Gotta go. It's been fun." Red X grabbed the large test tube, the tiny purple fetus inside, and escaped back into the darkness, neither Gar nor Vic able to make sense of what happened.
Vic, after assisting everyone out of the building, approached the changeling, "You alright buddy? You didn't seem like...you."
"...it hurt. I don't know. I guess my body isn't used to the stress." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and took off his tie completely. "He got away though..."
"Red X tends to do that."
"He stole the...raisin."
Vic chuckled, "Don't worry. I called some guys to take care of it."
Gar blinked, "Some guys? Who?"
"It's Star policy. When something like that gets stolen..." Vic paused and loosened his own tie. "...we have to call them."
"Who?"
"The JLA."
The shape-shifter figured as much. Something like alien biogenetic material needed to be held secure, especially since the implications of such material was currently unknown. But he didn't understand Vic's hesitation. "That's good."
"Want to stick around?" Vic suggested, "See who shows up? It could be nice to see some superheroes again."
Gar nodded. He had given up the chance at the secret identity a while ago, as did Vic. To the public, Garfield Logan and Victor Stone were the equivalent of Beast Boy and Cyborg. It was sort of hard to hide green skin and robotic parts. And Vic was right. It'd be nice to talk to some other superheroes again, maybe Wally or Garth or some other Titan who had moved on to bigger and better things. Gar felt the sweat increase on his forehead, and suddenly almost understood Vic's hesitation. He didn't know how he had forgotten, and that maybe in a few minutes, he'd be seeing Raven again for the first time in years.
A/N:
I'm sleepy.
I hope you all enjoyed! Remember to leave a comment or question :)