Wide Awake
Chapter Seven: Rule

"Where on earth is hope in the age like this?
Can we believe in what we can't see nor touch?
I just nod silently and close my eyes calmly
Because I can feel clearly now that we are certainly connected"
- Rule, Ayumi Hamasaki

)O(

"Stop pacing."

Raven paused and looked outside the window, trying to see if she could spot the outline of Bruce's Bentley. There was nothing but gray slush of snow, piling in front of the entrance. Peopled ducked in and out of the front entrance, but no one that had the familiar, unhurried gait of Alfred. Raven sighed and pushed hair out of her face. She still had five minutes before he should show up anyway, and he was known for his punctuality. Red X was unpacking some of his equipment, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He had to know something was up, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen this hotel. Raven shoved a hand through her hair and resumed her worn path on the carpet. "I'm just… anxious."

"I see that." Red X carefully pulled out his smoke bombs and counted them. Raven felt the air turn cold as he looked at her, frowning. He was waiting for her to open up. Tough luck. "Any particular reason?"

She bit back a growl. "Do I need a reason?"

"No, not really." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels to watch her. Raven felt indignant under his gaze. He knew something was up, there was no other explanation for his glare. "I'm just curious as to where you're jetting off to in a few minutes?"

Raven stopped, mid-step, and turned to him. Her stomach twisted as she realized the vital error she made: underestimating Red X. She rubbed her forehead and sighed. "You knew?"

"I guessed." He raised an eyebrow. "Am I allowed to tag along, or is it some big Titan secret?"

"I…" Raven sighed and shook her head. He was more than obnoxious, he was down right annoying. He needed to be turned over her knee a spanked like a small child. Actually… scratch that. He was strange enough to probably enjoy it. "If I say you can't come, will you follow me anyway?"

"No." Raven watched him, trying to decide if he was serious or not. Red X sighed and turned back to his supplies, rifling around in one of his bags. "Look, you have my word that I will not follow or tail you." He snorted. "In all honesty, I will probably just hang out at the hotel until you get back."

"Why?"

"Because I'm in a city I'm not familiar with and I don't know where all the good clubs are."

Raven sighed and put her hands on her hips. Of course he was going to play this game with her now. "That's not what I meant." He turned just enough so that she could see the corner of his eye, and in the dim light of the hotel room, she caught a flash of onyx behind his glasses. Raven was stunned back the darkness, and took a step back is surprise. His eyes were like endless pools of black, and the intensity frightened her. It looked like years of hurt and secrets were locked up behind them. Catching her breath, she managed to finish her question. "I… I mean why won't you follow me?"

"Because I understand that there are some things that need to stay hidden." He turned to face her and Raven felt the air turn from cold to awkward. It was as if there was a shifting between them; that their business understanding was morphing into something else, something neither of them understood. He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "Just… stay safe, Raven. I'll get an earful from wonder boy if I return you in less than perfect condition. And I can't handle his lectures. They put me to sleep."

"I…" Raven glanced at the digital clock, her stomach twisted as she glanced at the time. Was he being honest with her? Could she even trust him? Did she have any choice? Raven tried not to groan in defeat. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was giving her a battered path with no other escape route, and she was forced to take it. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Alright. Let me know if something comes up." Red X handed her a piece of paper with a number on it. "My phone."

"I didn't know you had one."

"I get a disposable one every month. So, don't think you can trace me." A smile peeled across his lips, and the awkwardness between them vanished. There was the Red X she knew and understood.

"Pft. Like I would want to see you after this." Raven felt the corner of her lips turn up, and she squashed the smile before it happened. Grabbing her coat, she headed for the door. "See you later. Don't wait up."

"Don't come back injured." They stared at each other for a moment before Raven turned and walked out the door. She had the strangest feeling that this "business arrangement" was going to end badly. But what choice did she have? She was a sitting duck for danger if she tried to find Robin on her own, and there wasn't anyone else she could really turn to. She had thought about contacting Cyborg or Beast Boy, but if Raven knew anything about her friends, she knew they were volatile. They would blame Robin for everything that happened. That he had used all of his last chances. They would be hurt and angry, and Raven wouldn't blame them in the least.

She fidgeted with the hem on her shirt as she stepped out of the elevator. In all honesty, they would be right. As much as it pained her to think, Robin had used up all of his chances. In fact, the team had constantly given him extra chances, just to see it thrown back in their faces. But this was Robin, their leader, her best friend, her comrade. She couldn't just leave him where he lay, especially not in the dark recesses of his mind. No one deserved that.

"Miss Raven?"

Raven jumped and looked up to see a weathered, but familiar face. Alfred. Never had she thought she would be so happy to see him before. She tried not to grin like an idiot as she followed him to the car. Like the gentleman he was, he opened the backseat door and ushered her inside. He moved around the expensive car before sliding inside, and Raven let go of a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"It's been a while, Alfred," she said as they started down the darkened, snowy streets of Gotham.

He turned and looked at her in the rearview mirror with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He knew that something terrible must have happened, and there was nothing Raven could do to ease those fears. "It has been, Miss Raven. I just wish the situation was a little better."

"I do too." Raven turned to look out the window. Silence filled the car until she couldn't take it anymore. She spent the last three months in silence, she needed some kind of familiar conversation. Something that didn't involve Red X. "How long was Robin here for? When he came by?"

"A few days at most." Alfred turned onto a suburb road that started towards the outskirts of the city. There was another, long pause and Raven saw confusion and concern wrinkle his brow. "We didn't see very much of him. He left at night and slept most of the day. To be completely honest, we weren't even sure why he returned home. He mentioned something about you…" Alfred glanced at her in the rearview mirror again, and Raven felt guilt rise into her throat. Alfred had always had the ability to do that to her. "Is there something going on we should know about?"

"I…" Raven looked away, frowning."I was gone for a while."

"Ah." Alfred didn't pry her for any more information than what she gave, which was something she appreciated about him. Anyone else would have been poking her with every question that came to mind, because the situation. There were a few more minutes of silence before Alfred steered the conversation in another direction. "If you don't mind me asking, is there a reason you are alone? Where are Mister Logan and Stone?"

Raven couldn't help the corners of her lips from turning up. Never in her life did she think that Cyborg and Beast Boy be referred as "mister" anything. She let out a small sigh before looking back at Alfred. "It's… complicated."

"Ah." Silence followed the conversation as they turned down a long, sheltered drive. The familiar, shadow of Wayne Manor loomed ahead of them and Raven was beginning to wonder if she had made the right decision on coming here. What had she been thinking? And why did she keep asking herself that question?

Alfred stopped in the circle drive in front of the house, and Raven could see the bulky, shadowed figure block out the light in the doorway. Her heart jumped up into her throat as they stopped at the bottom of the front steps. There was a pause, like a guillotine blade waiting to drop, where emotions and thoughts teetered on whether or not she should be here, and then the dark mass moved down the steps making the decision for her.

"I see you made it just fine, Raven." Bruce opened the door for her and Raven just sat on the edge of the backseat, staring up at his and Alfred's familiar faces. She let Bruce help her out of the car and followed him into the massive house, being careful of the antiques that lined the wall of the empty foyer. No one said anything as motions were performed the way they had always been. Alfred took her jacket and Bruce started down the hallway to the library. Raven followed, trying not to feel intimidated by the echo of her following footsteps.

"Come on in, Raven."

Raven cautiously entered the room and took her place on a plush, velvet sofa. Bruce sat down across from her and they watched each other for a long moment. She could almost feel the questions hang in the air between them, as if they were both trying to say everything and nothing at the same time. She rubbed her arms and looked away shyly. "I'm sorry for just barging in unexpectedly… it's kind of a strange situation."

"So I've assumed." There was a long pause as he stared into the fire. "It's really sad that these are the circumstances we see each other under." Raven nodded, but kept silent for a long while. Bruce finally glanced back at her before clearing his throat. "Alfred told me you had a… straggler?"

Raven jerked in surprise and felt color rise to her face. What was her problem? She shouldn't have been embarrassed about a thorn in her side like Red X. Annoyed, maybe even a little ashamed she had to work with a criminal because she was too weak to work by herself, but not embarrassed. Raven shrugged it off and looked over at Bruce. "I guess you can call him that. I consider him more of a nuisance."

Bruce raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Is there a reason you're traveling with a nuisance?"

"I…" Raven rubbed her forehead and tried to explain her actions, but how could she explain this whole situation? How could she even start? Bruce continued to look at her calmly, his expression never changing. Leave it to him to say nothing, and still coerce her into talking. She sighed and leaned back into the sofa.

"It's kind of a long story…" And without any other preamble, she fell into the story of how she ended up in Gotham, with no powers, no memories, and a wanted criminal for a companion. Bruce kept quiet for the whole story, never asking questions or pointing fingers. He just seemed to absorb the information. When she had finished, Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She felt… better. She hadn't realized that she was keeping everything bottled up inside her, and having someone (who wasn't an annoying criminal) listen to her, made everything calmer somehow.

"So… now you have no powers, no way to reach your emotions, and you're hanging around a wanted criminal who is helping you find Robin, who you believe has gone rogue?" Brice rubbed his chin and stared at her with his heave gaze. "And now you think you are getting new powers and you want to use them to see if you can figure out what is wrong with Robin… am I getting all of this correct?"

"Yes." Raven rubbed the bridge of her nose. "That about sums up the whole story."

"I see… If you don't mind me asking, Raven." She glanced up as he moved from his chair to the fireplace mantle. "Where exactly are Garfield and Victor in all of this? Shouldn't they be helping you?"

"I… they don't know where I am." Raven ducked her head low so he wouldn't see her shame.

"Ah… That could explain the calls."

Raven's stare shot up to look at Bruce. "Calls? Have they been contacting you?"

"Almost every hour." Bruce frowned. "What did you think they would do, Raven?" He raised an eyebrow and Raven felt color flood her face again. "Imagine how they feel, Raven. They had been out looking for the whereabouts of Robin, and when they return to the tower, they found Starfire, who was supposed to be watching you, gone, and your medical bed empty. You didn't take your communicator, and they had no idea where you could have run off to. You scared them into an early grave." Bruce shook his head. "They must have called everyone they knew of in order to keep a look out for you. Why didn't you tell them what happened?"

"I…" Raven glanced away. "It was a stupid move, I know that. But I also know they were looking for Robin because it was their duty. Because they felt obligated. They don't understand why Robin did what he did. I know that they're upset that he left us again, and they don't think that he deserves another chance. Not after all the ones we've given him before."

"Maybe they're right." Bruce's bold words made her look up and glare. Of all the things he could have said, that was not one she was expecting. Bruce was Robin's benefactor, and he was supposed to be the one backing up her decisions, not breaking them down. "Robin has had several chances to make the right decision, and yet he always seems to wander down a darker, rougher path. Maybe he used up his last mulligan. Maybe this time he doesn't get to start over." Bruce folded his hands in his lap and stared at Raven, his eyes boring into her a lot stronger than she wanted.

"I can't believe that." Raven knew that his words were true: Robin did not deserve a second chance, at least not in her friends' eyes. But she refused to think that; this was Robin, her leader, her best friend, and she would not give up on him. Not yet. Raven stood up and approached Bruce, frowning. "I cannot believe that he doesn't get another chance. He's saved all of us more times than we care to count. And we've all taken our chances with leaving the team. We shouldn't be judging him because of something that was out of his control."

Bruce's expression softened, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. Raven raised an eyebrow as he moved her toward the door. "It's good to know you're not doing this just because no one else is. You at least believe in what you are doing, and that's something Robin will need when you find him." Bruce opened the door and walked to a staircase to his left, Raven followed him, still keeping silent. "I didn't want to throw you further into this situation, unless you really knew what you were getting into, Raven."

He glanced over at her as they ascended the stairs. "I called Garfield and Victor when Robin first stopped by, I believe you were still in the medical ward, neither of them seemed very concerned. Victor said that maybe it was time for Robin to have a real break. When I asked why, Victor didn't answer… I initially figured there was some kind of fight between everyone, and so I didn't press further. If I had known what really happened…" Bruce tried to give her a smile, but it was broken, and didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well, I guess we'll never know now. The only thing we can do at this point is to get him back."

Raven tried not to ask the question weighing on her chest, but it had to come out. She had to know. "How… how was he? When you saw him last?"

"He was here a few days ago, I keep expecting him to show up again… but I know better." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "We had a fight. I knew what was happening to him, what was going on, but of course he wouldn't listen. And so, we fought, every afternoon, and the last one was so bad. We said such angry things to each other." Bruce raked a hand through his hair, and Raven felt the strongest urge to reach out and comfort him. Robin had always been like a son to Bruce, and watching him struggle through this was no easy task. "But, Robin was… he was dark."

"That's what I keep getting told." Raven sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "But I'm not quite sure what that means, or what I have to do."

Bruce stopped outside of Robin's room and looked down at Raven. She felt suddenly uncomfortable under the weight of his stare, and took a small step back. It was like he was keeping whatever he saw locked up inside, and that scared Raven. "Everything is different about him. The Robin we know is still there, but it's hidden under something else…" He paused and glanced away. "As far as I can tell he's been playing vigilante at night… trying to save lives to make up for the one he lost."

"The one he lost?"

"You." Bruce said nothing more and opened the door. Raven felt color rise into her face again as she thought about his words. Had her situation really caused such distress in Robin? How? And why? She tried not to think about all of that as she stepped into the bedroom. Now was neither the time nor the place, there was work to be done. She walked deeper into the quiet, still room that seemed to be filled with all the broken memories and emotions Robin left behind. Bruce had ducked out, leaving her alone with shreds of her leader's sanity. Her ears seemed to thrum with the left over energy, pieces tying and untying themselves, trying to get her attention.

"Robin… where have you gone…?" Raven wandered through the room, looking to the place that would have the most memories, the place that would hold onto Robin. Finally, she drew back the thick comforter on the bed and stared at the sheets. They were stained with blood, and that scared her. Whose blood was it? She placed her hand on the pillow. Nothing happened at first, and Raven wondered if she was doing something wrong. Or even worse, what if that power was a one-time-use thing? Minutes passed in uncomfortable stillness, and Raven was about to give up and head to another part of the room.

What have I done?

Raven had to remind herself not to snatch her hand back, or she would break the bond. She took a deep breath and listened to the voice whispering in her head, trying to find out more.

How did I let this happen? Why couldn't I save her?

It was Robin. These were the memories he left behind from earlier this week. His emotions were still fresh and vibrant, and Raven could almost feel what he was feeling. It ripped through her heart and slipped into her like a swift moving river.

She should have been kept safe. I should have kept her safe. But I let her slide out of my grasp. Why did this happen? Why couldn't I stop it? Why couldn't I save her? Raven tried to listen to more but it filtered out of existence, just like it had the last time she tried to listen to memories. Feeling somewhat frustrated, Raven fell into the bed, surrounding herself with what was left of Robin. Nothing more was whispered to her, and she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face.

Robin blamed himself for what happened to her. For something even she couldn't understand or even predict. And now he felt like he had to live with the shadows of the memories she had left inside him. He wanted to make everything right, but he couldn't. He didn't know how to fix it. Raven wasn't sure how long she laid there and cried, but Alfred's soft knock woke her up.

"Miss Raven… I think it's time you return to the hotel."

She wiped at her tears with the back of her hand and crawled out of Robin's bed. She stared at the empty sheets for a moment, wondering if there was anything she could have done or said to make herself feel better. There wasn't. And so she turned and walked into the hall, leaving her connection with Robin in his empty room.

She followed Alfred down into the foyer, where Bruce was waiting. He gave her a weak smile and patted her shoulder. "Stay safe, Raven. Let me know if you need my help… although I feel as though I would do nothing more than hinder the situation." He shook his head and sighed. "When you see him, please tell him I'm sorry…I never meant for this to happen."

"None of us did." Raven gave him the strongest smile she could, but she had the distinct feeling that it didn't quite reach her eyes. "But I will let him know."

"Thank you." Pause. "And will you please call the others and let them know you are safe?"

"I'll try to remember." And nothing more was said. Raven tuned and stepped into the cold, December night heading back into Gotham, and hopefully closer to Robin. Alfred was kind enough not to bring up any discussions on the ride back, which left Raven alone to think about what she had discovered. The most important thing she knew now was that Robin had been in Gotham a few days ago, and could even still be here now. She also learned that he blamed himself for what happened to her, which everyone believed was turning him into the volatile person he was now.

Raven pressed a hand to her forehead. There were too many factors to think about, and everything was stabbing into her life a hot knife, trying to get her attention. It was just too much for her to handle. She tapped on Alfred's shoulder. "Let me out here, Alfred… I want to walk the rest of the way to the hotel."

"Are you sure? It's awfully cold tonight."

"I know… I just need the air." Alfred was giving her a disapproving stare in the rearview mirror. Raven fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he was just looking out for her, but she just needed a moment. She needed a long moment. She needed to make sense of everything she learned tonight. "Please, Alfred?"

"Alright, Miss Raven. Just stay safe, or both Master Grayson and Master Bruce will have my head." He smiled at her and pulled the car to the side of the road. Raven stepped out and waved goodbye as he honked the horn and merged back into traffic. Raven saw the bright lights from the hotel three blocks ahead, there seemed to be some kind of commotion going on there, but it didn't matter right now. Everything would be just fine and she now she had some time to herself to think. At least, that was what she thought.

She had taken about three steps when a crash sounded from a darkened alleyway, followed by the brief sound of an alarm before being cut silent. Raven didn't even hesitate, although she knew she should have. She knew should have gone back to the hotel and grabbed Red X. She should have pretended not to hear anything. But Raven needed an outlet, and her brain wouldn't let her forget her duty as a superhero. Against all good thought, she rushed down the alley.

"Do you think anyone heard us?"

"No! Everyone is too concerned with that stupid party going on at the hotel. Look at this."

"Sweet…"

Raven ducked behind a dumpster and glanced around. The window had been broken out from a seedy pawn shop that was tucked in the back of the alley She heard the sound of two clumsy criminals rifling around for valuables. Judging by all the noise they were making, it was easy to tell that they weren't very experienced. Good, this would be simple. A good scare and a good kick to the head, then she could alert the police and be back to the hotel in time to take a much needed bath. Easy.

"Dude, all this guy has is a bunch of junk! Look at this crap, DVDs? A fake gold chain. Cha. What a waste of time."

"Hey! Here's some diamonds."

"Stop right there." Raven moved around the dumpster and into the shadows, just enough so that they couldn't see her face, but could see her outline in the darkness. One of the thieves moved and dropped a bag he was holding. Time seemed to hang uncomfortably in the air as they stared at each other. "Exactly what do you think you're doing?"

"Making a living. What are you doing?"

Raven growled. "Stopping you." She jumped through the window and tackled the ankles of the criminal that dropped the bag. He screamed loudly as they tumbled to the ground. The sounds of tinkling glass muffled the noise of their struggle. The first criminal wrestled with Raven for a few minutes before managing to yank at her hair and give her shoulder a heavy kick. Raven bit back a scream, and he ran out the door. The second criminal had taken a hunting knife out of a display case, and held it pointed at Raven.

"You're too pretty to be wandering around at night." Raven crawled to her feet and fell into fighting stance. He didn't seem to be impressed, and twirled the knife between his fingers. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to be afraid of the dark?"

"Didn't your daddy ever tell you not to mess with girls?" Raven slid forward a few inches before delivering a hard roundhouse to his ribs. There was the sound of cracking bone, and he went down with a loud curse, but quickly crawled back to his feet.

"Bitch."

Raven stepped forward again, but the thief was too quick. He threw the knife with surprising aim for the darkness, and it slid right through the flesh of Raven's bicep. Time stood still for the briefest of seconds, before she screamed and fell to the ground. The criminal laughed and kicked her in the ribs. "How do you like it now, Princess?"

"Fuck you." Raven, trying to see through the red in her vision, ripped the knife out of her bicep and stabbed it into his thigh, then yanked it downward. Blood gushed from an artery she hit, and he fell to the floor. Ignoring his screams of pain, Raven crawled to her feet and stumbled into the alleyway. Let him rot. The criminal continued to shout profanity, but she pretended not to hear him. She knew not to mess with this anymore than she already did, or her anger would get the best of her. A thin coat of sweat covered her face as she walked the three blocks, which suddenly felt like three miles.

People rushed past her, pretending not to notice the stumbling girl. One bastard called her a wino and pushed her into a wall. Raven had half a mind to remove a testicle. The hotel was packed with people all trying to take photos of some a-list party that was going on in the ballroom, so no one noticed the wounded, purple haired vigilante who had just lost her first fight. Raven ducked into an elevator and finally took a look at her arm. It was pouring blood down the sleeve of her jacket, and the pain was enough to make her want to pass out. She needed help quickly.

The doors opened and Raven stared up into a pair of sunglassed eyes. She sighed in relief.

"Oh, hey. I was going to go downstairs to see what the commotion was… oh my fucking god, Raven? What in all of hell did you do?" Without hesitating, Red X peeled off his own coat and put it over her shoulders. He pulled her off the elevator and led her down the hallway, back into their room. Even without her powers, Raven could feel his anger radiating off him. He was pissed. "What did I tell you? I said stay safe! What if the hell were you thinking?"

"I don't know." Raven stumbled into the bathroom where the blood would be easy to clean. Red X watched her from the doorway, frowning. "I… I thought I could take them. They were just stupid thieves."

"Yeah? Well now you're a stupid hero." Red X raked a hand through his hair and stared at her sitting on the edge of the tub. "Just… sit there and try not to bleed too much." He grabbed his medical kit and walked back into the bathroom. Raven stared up into the most beautiful, onyx eyes she had ever seen.

So, that's what he was hiding behind his mask. Pity he didn't show his eyes more often. Red X peeled off his designer, white shirt, and Raven couldn't help her eyes from wandering down his broad, chiseled chest. Even if she was bleeding like a stuck pig, it was hard to ignore the way his long, lean muscled rippled under alabaster skin. He moved with the strength and grace of a skilled thief and Raven, try as she might, couldn't ignore the warmth building in her stomach.

"What a stupid thing to do, Raven… you should have come right back to the room! Not gallivanting off to vanquish crime." Red X took a knife and cut her shirt from her body so she didn't have to struggle in getting it off. For a moment, she thought she saw his own eyes wander over her, but it might have just been her mind playing tricks. It could have even been the blood loss.

"It hurts."

Red X's fingers paused over her wound and he looked down at her sighing. Raven saw a flicker of something unusual in his eyes, but chose to ignore it. It didn't matter, did it? "Of course it hurts, Raven. You got stabbed in the right arm by... I'm guessing a giant hunting knife."

"I… I never thought it would hurt this much."

"Well, we learned something new today didn't we?"

"Yeah… you're hiding one hell of a body under those t-shirts?" Red X paused again and Raven thought maybe she was supposed to react, but she didn't. Red X rolled his eyes and smacked her good arm.

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh… well… what was I supposed to learn?" Raven was getting light headed, and she let her head fall back against the tiled wall.

"That stabbing hurts…. Hey! Don't you dare fall asleep on me! You have to stay awake, Sunshine." Red X grabbed a needle and his lighter. He burnt the needle clean before threading it, and Raven watched his careful movements with some curiosity. She cocked her head to the side, trying to stay awake like he asked.

"Your hands are so calm… like a surgeon's."

"Well, I have to do this a lot." He handed her a washcloth before opening a bottle of disinfectant. "This is going to burn like a mother fucker. Try not to scream too loudly. You might want to bite on that." Raven tried to put it in her mouth, but her movements were sluggish. Red X growled and snatched in out of her hand. He rolled the washcloth up and glared down at her. "Open up." Without waiting, he shoved the washcloth into her mouth, and then poured disinfectant on her wound.

Raven screamed. She screamed until she thought her lungs were going to burst. Her arm felt like it was going to burn right off. She turned at glared at Red X, plotting ways to kill him slowly, as he began to sew the wound close. After what felt like hours of torture, Red X finally tied the last stitch and snipped the thread. He then took a small paring knife and held it in the flame of his lighter. After a few minutes he took it out, and placed the burning blade over the wound, cauterizing it.

"There… better." He took the washcloth out of her mouth and slipped in half of a small, yellow pill. "That's a little bit of morphine. It'll help you sleep tonight. If the pain gets too bad, let me know and I'll give you more." He bent over the edge of the bathtub and hooked his arms underneath her body. He pulled her out of the bathtub and took her back into their room. "Let me dress this, okay? After I'm done, you need to get some sleep."

"Red X?" Raven watched at he wrapped gauze around her wound. He made no indication that he was listening, but Raven continued anyway. "Thank you… I didn't think this would happen."

Red X sighed. "No one ever does." He glanced up at her. "Just… don't let think happen again."

"I'll try not." There was another pause. "Hey, Red X?"

He heaved out another irritated sigh and looked up. "What?"

Raven wanted to blame it on the blood loss, or the morphine. She wanted to blame it on the fact that she was tired, that she had a long day, or that she was emotionally unstable. She wanted to blame it on a lot of things. But at that moment, when he was showing her such kindness and sincerity, she wasn't sure what to blame it on. But it happened.

She bent down and kissed Red X.

)O(

So… yeah. Sorry I've been AWOL for so long! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review! I love to hear what you think. Next to be updated will me either Little Blue Riding Hood or Switched, Swapped, and Flip-Flipped. Thanks AGAIN!