I awoke sometime later, now able to control my body. It seemed like everyone from my team and the Justice League were gathered around me, staring at my previously uncontrolled body.

"She's awake!" someone screamed enthusiastically, hurting my ears.

"M'gann, calm down!" another person insisted.

"Hey, how do you feel?" I looked up and saw Wally attempting a smile at me, but it was obvious he felt guilty about something.

"Erh... I've been better..." Quite honestly, I felt like absolute crap, but I didn't want the team to be worrying more than they already were.

"Kind of figured. You were stabbed twice. You could have bled to death!" Dick's voice was as casual as it could have been, but I could still hear an essence of worry hidden among his words.

Sitting up more, I looked at Conner and sighed. Why did I say all those things to him? I was being an idiot and had no idea what I was doing.

"Look, Conner, I-," I started, hoping he would accept my apology.

"Tempest, it's alright. Wally explained it to me. I forgive you," Conner said, placing his hand comfortingly on mine. I smiled at him and lowered my head, thinking about everything that had happened.

~~~.~~~

It felt like days had passed before I was released from hospital, but it was only a few hours. I guess the sunshine had an attraction to me, as I did to it.

"It's great to see you're okay," I heard Cade say from behind me, spinning me around and lowering me quickly so that I was on one leg, being supported by his Cade on the small of my back.

"Wow... Oh, yeah. It's great," I replied, laughing nervously, unsure of what had just happened. I closed my eyes and felt Cade lower himself to me, his lips pressing against mine. Immediately, I felt a spark between us, but I knew everything was wrong. I knew that I was with Wally... Well, it seemed like I was. I already had Robin and Wally; I didn't need Cade to go and confuse things even more! Pushing away, I looked into Cade's eyes, then away.

"What's wrong?"

I looked at the ground for a few seconds before answering. "Everything." Feeling not only awkward but humiliated and angry as hell, I did not want to be anywhere near Cade – who knew what he'd do to me next?

The sight to my right was a slightly amusing and distressing one: Wally and Dick were staring at us, mouths wide open. I had the urge to make a joke, but decided better of the situation.

Walking over to the boys, the continued to stand there, looking shocked out of their wits.

"You and Cade? What just happened?!" Wally asked, really confused. He definitely wasn't the only one!

"Don't. Mention. It." I walked off with Wally and Dick on either side of me. Cade was rushing behind me, trying to get my attention, but I still didn't want to talk to him. As long as I could be dead, I didn't want him there in the slightest.

"Tempest... Tempest!" Cade was calling me from a few metres behind me, trying to catch his breath as he ran. Really? Couldn't he tell that if I wasn't such a nice person, I would have done everything he did to me back to him?

"Tempest, I really need to talk to you!" That did catch my attention, but not for Cade's luck.

"Really? Why? So you can cut out my tongue as well? Or so you can fill my mind with my worst nightmares, driving me to insanity? No, you don't need to talk to me, so I suggest you leave, or my lovely little plants here will be onto you. They've been dying to have a word with you!" I exclaimed sarcastically, sounding as evil as I could. With a thought, I have vines waving around near me, threatening Cade, who seemed slightly afraid. Good.

"Tempest, please..." he pleaded as he tried pulling me away. After a few steps, I pulled my hands out of his and shot him a dirty look.

"Don't EVER do that again," I hissed, the vines and plants making their way for him. "I don't want to see you ever again! You can be bloody sure of that!" In that second, I found my flora following my will and strangling Cade. As much as I thought he deserved it, I knew that it wasn't right. Not for someone who was supposed to help bring justice to the world.

With one last dirty look, I made my way back to Dick and Wally, who seemed to know that I didn't want to talk about it, so we all just walked off in silence.

Eventually, we arrived at the headquarters, everyone doing their own thing. I, for one, was sitting on my bed, singing a random song, that had just popped into my head, relatively softly, though I had no idea what everyone else had decided to do.

"Tempest?" I looked up and saw Cade standing in my doorway, a look of regret and sorrow plastered on his face. Looking back down, I continued to sing, ignoring him completely. "Tempest, you can't ignore me forever... And I'm sorry about everything that happened... It wasn't me! You of all people should know!"

"Yes... It wasn't you... It wasn't you that have a knife stabbed through their hand. It wasn't you that thought they believed that someone was really changing for the better..." My voice was cracking and I still refused to look at him.

"You know that's not what I mean... All those things, I did them to save you... I never wanted to hurt you... And when I did, I couldn't live with myself... But I had to. I had to make sure you were safe..."

"Safe... Safe... Not exactly the word that comes into my mind when someone holds a lightning bolt to my throat!"

Cade stuttered, trying to clear himself from my 'bad-book' but it wasn't working for him in the slightest.

"That wasn't me! I didn't... You've gotta-... Why won't you believe me?! It wasn't me who did that!"

"Then what was it? Hmm?" Cade just started at me in silence, unsure what to say. "That's what I thought. You should leave. I forgot what part of the song I'm up to." I tried humming, attempting to regain my memory of what I had just been singing.

Cade turned around, looking broken and more upset than he did when he entered the room. I felt a little bit guilty, but he was the one who tried to kill me!

...Oh, I was being silly. I knew exactly what Cade meant when he said it wasn't him... I had had that exact same experience with Conner, saying all those hurtful things, and when I was drugged by almost committing suicide without any want to at all! The only thing to worry about now would be if he really meant it or if he was just saying it so he could try and kill me again, perhaps succeeding this time.

~~~.~~~

"Hey, has anyone seen Cade? I need to talk to him," I announced as I walked into the kitchen.

"He's gone," M'gann replied, standing by the oven while her cookies were baking.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"He's gone. We don't know where he went. He just left... Kind of like you," Dick said, making me feel even guiltier. They seemed to have a knack for that. Without another word, I found myself running outside, trying to find Cade, but it was all for nothing. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find him and I knew I'd never find out anything more...

When I returned back to the headquarters, the first thing I did was crash on my bed, thoughts of what Cade said fluttering about my head like an illness. Was he really telling the truth about it not being him? Why the hell did he stab me twice?! Soon, I was drifting off to sleep without realising it, 'waking up' in a familiar place.

In front of me was a metallic room that had the feel of some sort of prison. Bringing my head up and looking to my sides, I found my hands and feet bound to the wall by some kind of magnetic chain; no matter how much I struggled, it would not budge.

"I see you are now awake, Leonne." The voice was metallic and sent a shiver through me, but the main question on my mind was not who the voice belonged to. It was why I was being called Leonne.

"Where am I?" I asked, sounding low and groggy. I definitely didn't sound like my feminine self... I sounded more like...

Cade!

"You are aboard my ship. Leonne, you have the honour of being bonded by me personally. Many a person do not have that privilege."

"Bonded? What do you mean?"

"I mean bonded. The connection between your body and my mind. I will control you and there is nothing you can do about it. Only your mind will remain active as your body roams the streets, wreaking havoc wherever it shall roam.

"No, I won't! I won't let you!" I screamed, hearing my voice crack in fear and determination. With a step forward, the mysterious voice revealed himself, showing a rather large, robot-looking... thing. His colouring was split up into main quarters; his left arm and that area were just like a blue wave, while his left leg and the some of the area surrounding looked like yellow sand. It was the opposite on his right.

"Who are you?..." I was feeling weak from yelling at him, but I didn't know why. Perhaps I was being held by some power draining device?

"My name is Droughtstorm. I am your master. I will only call on your when I am in need of your assistance." His electronic voice made me feel sick; I didn't want to be a robot's slave, especially if he only wanted danger and trouble.

"I will not be your little toy! I won't be your slave, I refuse!" My head dropped down as I finished shouting, plagued by weakness and fatigue.

"So be it. But your little friend, Shanelle... Well, she seems to have more control of her powers... Not to mention she's definitely more submissive than yourself. She'd be a great addition to my team." Not the first time I had heard that.

"You leave her alone! Don't touch her!" I found myself shouting. As much as I tried to pull out of the chains, the chains continued to hold me back until I was covered in sweat from my luckless attempts.

"Feisty... So there's something going on between you two, is there?"

"There's nothing going on that I would tell you about!"

"Oh, I see... So she's found another man has she? 'Cuter' than you? 'Funnier' than you? Just 'better' than you altogether?" By now, I could feel Leonne/me getting really annoyed at Droughtstorm's teasing and insulting, but I remained quiet.

"Ah... So it is. Well, tell me. Why do you feel so strongly about Shanelle being bonded by me?" I watched as his seemingly heartless face changed from casual to intrigued. "Don't tell me you're... You're in love with a woman who barely cares that you exist!" His forced laughter drove me insane – knowing it was all true...

"You don't know what you're talking about..."

"I know enough to understand the stupidity of human emotions. As difficult as it is to think, I do not feel any emotions. Quite a shame, but I suppose it has its benefits." I didn't have the strength to talk anymore, especially since Droughtstorm had basically figured everything out. But, mustering up the last of my strength, I managed to say one last thing.

"I don't care what you do... I don't care how hard you try... I will always be there to help her, to save her... Even if she doesn't want me there... I will protect her... And I will always... ALWAYS... love her."

Suddenly, a pain shot into the base of my neck. It hurt like worse than a tonne of bricks breaking every bone is one's body. I couldn't scream, I had used up all my breath and voice. All I could do was wish that I could die. That's when everything went black.

~~~.~~~

"Cade!" I shouted, sitting up so quickly that my vision went blurry. Now I knew why he was acting so strangely; he was being controlled by Droughtstorm! The same chemicals must have been controlling me when I was acting differently. Everything was dark and it seemed like Conner and M'gann were asleep, since I didn't see them, so I decided to find Cade on my own. It was probably for the best – we'd be able to discuss everything in better detail now.

In the darkness, I found it hard to see, so my animal instinct was to change into a cat – at least they could see in the dark. Prowling around the neighbourhood, I didn't even have the slightest idea of where Cade could have been. He wasn't in any shops (most of them were shut), he wasn't still hiding at the beach, he hadn't fallen down any wells or gotten himself into any major trouble.

And then it hit me. The cliff.

I continued stalking my way over to the cliff, hoping beyond hope that I would find Cade there, and to my luck, there he was, sitting the same way that I did, his legs dangling over the edge. The words that he had said ran through my head on repeat; I still couldn't believe it.

"Hey," I said, pulling up next to him, still a cat.

"Hey..." he replied, looking a little upset.

"Look, I am so sorry about not believing you about... you know, everything... I know what you went through and, well... What you said..." If I wasn't still a feline, I would have had tears in my eyes in a flash, so I decided to keep my animal form. Perhaps it was for the better, emotionally?

"No, it's fine. I know what you must have been thinking. That I'm a sadistic, psychotic, egotistical freak who just wanted some way to harm you... I should be saying sorry. So, I'm sorry... For everything that I did, whether I was able to control myself or not..." Even though I believed him, I still had one question.

"Why did you do those things?"

"What things?" Cade turned to face me, a little confused, seeing as he had just apologised.

"I know, it wasn't you for some of those things, but there had to be a reason that you did everything you did... Like stabbing me twice. I'm sure that you were in control then..."

With a sigh, Cade wiggled over a little closer to me and grabbed a hold of the hand that he had run a knife through. He stroked his thumb over where the scar was and I swore I saw a tear pass his eye.

"That... I... Droughtstorm's 'minions' don't just pass through one's back. They pass into your hands and feet as well, slowly starting with the left hand before making their way to the rest of the body. Eventually, the 'minions' eat away at the host's brain, causing not only agonising pain, but also, after a while, killing their host. I knew that if I was able to remove the parasites from your hand and back, you'd be free from the bond." During Cade's entire speech, I hadn't moved an inch – he had touched my heart and even as a cat, I found myself aflutter with joy, sadness and now... love. He had done all that for me, and I didn't even realise it.

"How long does it usually take for them to eat away at their host?"

"It depends... But usually... About a month..." I thought about the time and that was about how long Cade and I had already been here for.

"Hold on... When did you have your encounter with Droughtstorm?" My heart was beating more rapidly than it usually would have as I asked the question, not really wanting to know the answer.

I stared at Cade and changed back to my human form, sitting alongside him, waiting for an answer. A small, sad smile greeted me as he started answering me.

"It's been three weeks..." That's when my heart stopped. I had only just found out that everything Cade did had been to help me and now, I'd be losing him because of what he was trying to save me from?! It couldn't work like that, it just couldn't!

Silence hung in the air as we stared at each other, myself filled with sadness and guilt and Cade filled with slight happiness and what seemed like a touch of regret.

"The only thing that I regret, though... Is that I couldn't be there for you when you needed someone... Wally and Dick... They... They were always there for you... And I wasn't..." Cade was still smiling sadly, twiddling his thumbs in front of him.

"Wait, how do you know Robin's name?"

"I don't know... I just do... From the day we arrived here, I've known who everyone was... Except us... But as time passed, I realised that as well, but you were spending your time with Wally, so I decided not to 'turb' you..." With a slight laugh at his 'Robin' reference, Cade's smile turned a little bit happier, until we shared a rather awkward silence, which was broken by my question.

"Our names... Shanelle... Leonne... I keep hearing those names... What have they got to do with us?"

"We... We used to be called those names... You were Shanelle and I was Leonne... That was before we came here..."

"Oh..." was all I could muster.

"Shanelle... please, tell me something..." 'Leonne' said, looking me dead in the eyes.

"About what?" Turning to face him, I brought my knees up to my chest and looked at him, slightly confused.

"When I'm gone... Will I have ruined everything for you?" His voice was very soft and full of sorrow. Would he stop?! I had had enough to make me cry for the rest of my life!

"Don't say that! You won't be gone! I won't let you!" I found myself sitting in front of him, crying like a child. Great. The emotional wreck has gone and over-wrecked herself. I felt his arms wrap around me as he brought me closer to him, resting his chin on my head, trying to cheer me up. "You won't be gone... I won't let you leave me..."

Bringing his head onto my shoulder and resting it against the side of my head, I heard his whispers loud and clear in my ear.

"Time can't be changed... And I don't have enough of it... All I ask is that you won't forget me when I'm gone... Despite the hardship I've put you through..."

"Leonne, stop saying that! You won't be gone! You won't! You can't!" As much as I wanted to believe it, I knew that he had more of an idea than me. His already dark eyes grew much darker as he smiled at me. Now I knew it was true, but I still didn't want to believe it...

I was still in his arms with Cade resting his head on my shoulder when I heard everyone come over to us.

"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for... you two..." Artemis said, realising what was happening. The entire team, including the Justice League, were standing right near us, looking on in confusion and I bawled my eyes out in Leonne's arms. I didn't want him to let go. I didn't want him to go at all!

Feeling Leonne's arms slowly pull off of me, I looked up at Batman, tears in my eyes, who simply nodded in understanding. Now, if only Wally and Dick would be so understanding.

~~~.~~~

The entire way back, I tried getting Wally's and Dick's attention, but they were being stubborn and immature, ignoring me completely. No matter what I did, they didn't want to listen to me.

"Wally! Robin! Come on! You have to listen to me at some point..." I tried again to get their attention, but it didn't work. So then, I did what people do in desperate measure... I tangled them up in vines and brought them to the lounge, so that they weren't able to escape.

"Now will you listen to me?!" I practically shouted, getting annoyed at just how childish they were being. Seeing them both nodding, I released them from the vines, but threatened to bring them back if they ran off again.

~~~.~~~

I explained everything from Droughtstorm, up to how we only remember bits and pieces at different times, not mentioning what Leonne had told me about the time he has left.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We have to stop him!" Robin shouted, jumping off of the couch. I turned around and saw the rest of the team eavesdropping from the kitchen, M'gann with tears in her eyes.

Walking out, everyone gathered at the training area of the headquarters, calling the Justice League so that they would know what our team was doing. The only ones who remained behind were myself and Leonne, who was smiling at me with that sad, sad smile that I had already seen enough times for a lifetime.

"I didn't tell them..." I whispered, my head still lowered. Leonne grabbed my hand and continued walking to the rest of the group, following suit and lowering his head as well.

When we arrived, the Justice League was saying to not interfere for the time being and that they would attempt to sort out Droughtstorm. Our team turned around and looked at us casually, just chattering amongst themselves.

"Oh, hey, didn't see you there, Tempest!" Artemis called, smiling at me.

"You too, Cade," Conner added, smiling normally. It was the first time he didn't look like it hurt to smile.

"Well we're here now," Leonne said somewhat happily. I smiled at him and then looked at everyone else.

"And call us Shanelle and Leonne."