Chapter 12 fun!!!

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Never will. I only own Christine because she's the evil person hiding in my head.

Pulling the door open, his uncovered eye grew wide. "Raven…"

His voice did little for her. Most of the time, she'd feel warmed and on fire, but right now she just wasn't feeling it. Her hair was stuck to her face as she stared up at him with hurt eyes. Her body quaked with shivers. She was soaked through; everything on her was wet with rain water. It was still pouring buckets above her, making her feel clean and dirty. She took a small step forward, trying to relay a message through her eyes.

Slade was frozen as he watched the bird quiver with cold. His dark eye was still wide with shock that she was standing before him. Her lips were blue she was so cold. If he didn't let her in soon, she would get pneumonia. She whimpered softly, her eyes pleading with him. He gulped loudly, and stepped aside to let her in. Her eyes flew to the floor as she walked inside with small, silent steps. He shut the door quickly, locking it.

"What are you doing here, Raven?" He asked, trying to come off cold.

"I… I didn't have anywhere else to g-go." Her back was to him as she shook.

Something in her voice killed him. Narrowing his eye, he grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her to face him. Her lower lip quivered slightly, tears still streaming down her face. She'd been crying… Her body shook with the cold and the small sobs she wanted to release. She bit them back, not wanting to show anymore vulnerability or weakness to the man before her. She gasped as he jerked her forward into a warm embrace. His warmth finally making it to her ice cold skin. Her washed-out complexion contrasted to his darker one.

"Tell me what happened." He whispered.

His voice… She went weak in the knees as it passed the barriers of her mind. She fell into him, melting against him as every one of her defenses collapsed. She sobbed into his cotton covered chest, her hands gripping at the soft material. He knew he would be damp after this, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the broken bird crying in his arms. Shifting a bit, he hooked his other arm under her knees, picking her up bridal style.

Her face stayed buried in his chest as she hiccupped. Hot tears streamed down her delicate features. Her shoulders shook as she went deeper into her hysteria. Slade walked back down the hall, making his way to a spare room. When he found the one he'd been looking for, he kicked the door open. Walking in, he set her on the bed gingerly; moving away only long enough to turn on the light.

When he faced her again, she was sitting and wiping tears away with one of her hands. A sad smile played on her blue lips as she looked at him with a single eye. Her shoulders still shook as she laughed pitifully. He looked at her with concern as he kneeled before her, his hands on her knees.

"You must really have a high tolerance to keep putting up with me." She tried to joke, but only ended up sobbing into her hands.

She felt so weak. She hated being weak. Taking a deep breath, she tipped her head back as if it would help keep her tears from falling. She held her breath, trying to keep from crying all over the place again. A rough, warm hand came up and cupped her cheek tipping her head back to face him. Her eyes scanned his unmasked face again, taking all of it in better in the lightened room. He still had that eye patch on, hiding away the scar. She sniffled, leaning into the heat of his touch. She was broken and he could see it. He wanted to fix her more than anything.

"I don't have the patients to be tolerant. I'm only nice to you." He informed her.

She looked at him with tired eyes. Her skin still shivered and quaked, as she dripped with once icy water. Now it was lukewarm… He sighed softly as she muffled a yawn in one of her hands. Standing, he looked down at her with some unreadable emotion in his eye. Turning on his heel, he walked out of the room. She sat there, still damp and freezing, waiting for his return. When he finally did, she noted the towel and large shirt in his hands.

"Here." He held them out for her to take. "Dry off. Get dressed. I'll make you something warm to drink. I know how you like your tea."

She nodded, taking the two items in her hands and waiting for him to leave. Once he was out the door, she shut it with a soft click. Pulling her sopping cloak off, she let it fall to a heap on the floor. Then, she pulled her leotard off and dropped it aside as well. She was left in her damp undergarments, shivering in the middle of the room. Taking the soft, fluffy towel, she began to wipe away the water still clinging to her skin. With a sigh, she pulled off her bra and dropped it on top of the growing pile of wet clothes. Biting at her lip, she debated on whether to take her underwear off or not.

Chewing the inside of her cheek, she decided that they were dry enough to still wear. Setting the towel down, she grabbed the shirt lying on the bed side table. Pulling it around herself, she noted that it was a black button up. Doing button after button on the large shirt, she couldn't help but absorb the smell of Slade. Her broken state was almost forgotten as she grabbed the towel again. Slipping off her shoes, she brought the towel up to her wet violet locks.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she padded out of the door and into the hallways softly. He'd said he would get her tea, so that meant he would be in a kitchen of some sort. Closing her eyes, she searched the large estate over with her mind. Finding the fire she was looking for, her eyes fluttered back open. She dried her hair to the side as she made her way in his direction. Her footsteps were silent against the hardwood floor as she walked on.

When she reached the kitchen, she almost hissed as the cold marble floor came into contact with her feet. His back was to her as she watched him lean back against the small island in the center of rather large kitchen. Her heart fluttered softly as she scanned him. His broad shoulders rolled back as he tried to relieve some tension. Her gaze softened while she continued to dry her hair. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she averted her gaze as he looked over his shoulder.

Slade almost had a heart attack when he saw her standing there in one of his shirts. A faint blush had spread across her pale cheeks, and she nibbled at her lower lip. The shirt only made it to about mid-thigh, showing her long toned legs. Feeling his gaze drift down her body made her want to squirm, but she resisted the ridiculous urge. Shivering slightly, she let her eyes drift back up to meet with his.

"Come here." He said with a commanding but soft tone.

She walked over quickly, rounding the island to stand next to him. She gasped as he pulled her in front of him. His hands rubbed up and down on her arms, creating a warming sensation on her cold skin. She sighed contently, her eyes drifting shut. He chuckled as she leaned into him. The towel dropped to the floor beside them as her hold on it went slack. Her head rested just below his chin as she relaxed against him.

"You're water is boiling." She murmured to him.

"Yeah, I know." He said softly.

Walking forward, he brought the girl with him to turn off the stove. Steam floated from the tea pot as he picked it off the still hot burner and set it on the cooler one. He grinned when two large mugs floated to him. Taking them from the air, he set them on the countertop next to the stove. An eyebrow raised as a canister of Hot Chocolate made it way over as well. She was still pressed firmly against him as she took as much in as possible.

"I didn't picture you as a hot chocolate fan." He said jokingly.

"I didn't picture you as the fuzzy slippers type." She shot back at him; one of her feet tapping his slipper covered one. "Guess we both have some misconceptions of each other."

He nodded excepting her answer, adding a quick reply. "I only wear them because the floors get so damn cold."

She nodded too, looking up at him amused eyes. "I have a pair of piggy slippers at home."

"Piggy slippers?" He chuckled the question, his eyebrow still raised.

"Yes. They're cute, comfy, and they keep my feet warm." Her eyes narrowed at him.

Turning between him and the counter, she grabbed the floating canister from the air and peeled the lid open. Holding out her hand palm up, she waited for the silver spoon to land in it. Once she had it, she began to scoop the dark powder out into each cup. She smirked as she added an extra spoonful to one of them. Getting ready to put the lid back on, she gasped as a larger hand grabbed her wrist.

"The cup with more had better be mine." He whispered playfully.

"Nope." Her smirk broadened. "It's mine. You don't get an extra scoop. You made fun of my choice in slippers."

Turning her head, she stuck her tongue out in an 'in-your-face' manner. She gasped once more as he growled, low in his throat. Jerking her around to face him again, he pushed her back against the edge on the garnet countertop. Her face flushed as he pressed himself to her small form. Her mind went blank as his lips threatened to meet hers. She tipped her head to the side, angling it as she went the last few meters to his mouth.

The second their lips met, his hands flew to her hips. Hefting her up onto the cold stone, her lips parted as she hissed in protest at the cold. The just-filled mugs were knocked over as he wedged his way between her long pale legs. Those legs wrapped around his waist, hooking in the back to tug him closer. Their tongues delved out, mingling in the middle as the passion began to build up inside. Her fingers tangled in his short messy hair, one of her hands running across the stubble along his jaw. His hands bunched up the material of the shirt he'd given her. He wanted to tear it off of her so much.

"Master Wilson?"

Titan's Tower…

"So you just let her go?! What if something happens? What if she decides she doesn't want to come back?" The dark man was practically yelling every word at Robin.

"She said she wouldn't be long." He snapped back, glaring through the white cloth hiding his blue eyes. "And if she forgave you guys, why wouldn't she be back?"

"Your definition and her definition of long are two completely different things!" He threw his bionic arms in the air, his anger boiling over. "And she wouldn't come back because maybe she didn't forgive you! Did you even try to apologize?!"

"Yes!" Boy Wonder seethed, stepping closer to the taller man. "Yes, I did. She didn't want to hear it! She was mad and hurt and the best choice for me to have made was the one that I did. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find information on 'Christine'."

Robin stormed from the infirmary, leaving his teammates to stew. Cyborg groaned; falling back onto the cot Raven had been lying on almost an hour earlier. Starfire rushed to his side, placing both of her hands on one of his large shoulders. Her normally happy face was clouded with grief as she tried to sooth her bionic friend. Beast Boy just stood there, his eyes staying on the floor as he kicked an invisible pebble.

"Dudes… What if she really doesn't come back?" B.B.'s scratchy voice broke the deep silence that had fallen over them. "What if she runs off? She did seem pretty upset when we zeroed in on her."

"And you wouldn't be, Grass Stain?" Cyborg hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm just saying, maybe she doesn't want to be around people that don't trust her." He shrugged, looking up to meet Cy's angry gaze. "It's not like we don't trust her though… Maybe she just feels that way. Maybe she won't come back."

"Do not speak of such a horrible thing, friend." Two big green eyes locked on with his. "Friend Raven said she forgave us and that she would be back. We must trust her words this time. We must believe in her to earn her trust back."

"Yeah… Yeah, you're right Star." Cyborg gave her a weak smile. "We need to believe she'll come back. And if she doesn't, we'll just track her down and bring her back kicking and screaming."

"Hopefully without the kicking." The green boy added, a grin spreading on his face.

"And the screaming." Starfire nodded, a small smile gracing her features. "My ears are much more sensitive than any human's."

"So it's decided." He stood up from the cot, crossing his arms. "We wait until tomorrow. If she's not back before…"

"Five-thirty!" The spandex covered changeling shouted out.

"If she'd not back before five-thirty, we'll hunt her down and bring her back." Cyborg grinned, patting his green friend on the back.

"Wait… thirty minutes past five in the morning or after mid-day." Starfire asked innocently, her brows furrowing.

Elbowing the smaller boy in the chest, Cyborg whispered over to him. "She means afternoon, right?"

"I think so." Beast Boy whispered back, keeping his eyes on the alien princess in front of them.

"After mid-day." He spoke, nodding in agreement with his own statement.

"Joyous! That gives me time to make the Cupcakes of Forgiveness!" The Tamaranean smiled brightly, clapping her hands together.

Both of the boys gulped at the thought of downing a couple hundred of her expectedly strange cupcakes. Looking from her to each other and back again, they gave her a meek thumbs-up. She clapped once more and flew out of the room, humming off-key. Looking back to each other, their eyes rolled back in their hands and they fell to the floor dramatically.

Slade's home…

"Wintergreen…" Slade cleared his throat nervously, glancing from the flush face of the girl pressed to him and the older man watching with wide eyes. "This is… um… This is—"

"Raven Roth." The older man nodded his head, an amused smile growing on his lips. "I've seen her on the evening news."

"Yes, well…" He let his hands drop away from her petite form as he stepped away.

Red as a beet, Raven slid off the counter to stand on the cold floor again. Her eyes stayed on the floor as she shifted away from the man she had just been kissing. Making her way over to the older man, she smiled timidly. Extending her hand for him, she gave a small shrug.

"Nice to meet you." She almost whispered, tucking a damp lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, I should say it is." He grinned, taking her small hand in both of his.

He was such a warm man. She felt comfortable in his presence instantly. The fact that she had been caught kissing her enemy by another person only moments ago, faded to the back of her mind. Her blush faded rapidly as her pale complexion returned.

"I never imagined I would meet a Titan under these circumstances." He chuckled heartily, catching the glare his master sent him. "I do remember Robin and Terra, but it was much less intimate."

Raven choked back her laughter as she licked her lips to speak. "I should hope so."

"Please, Ms. Roth, come have a seat." Wintergreen started to lead her out of the room.

She cast an amused look over her shoulder at the shocked man behind her. Happiness was having a riot inside. It almost hurt she wanted to laugh so badly. Biting her lip, she tried to hide the growing smile on her lips. She followed as the old man led her into a parlor, a small fire burning away in the fire place. He led her over to a chair, gesturing for her to sit. She did so, and relaxed into the soft warmth of the large seat. Her purple eyes studied him as he sat on the sofa next to her chair. She noted that Slade hadn't followed yet, and the other chair sitting parallel to hers.

"I heard about what went on at the Charity Ball. Are your friends alright?" His voice rasped out.

The smile that had finally made it to her lips fell instantly. She'd almost forgotten about what had happened earlier that night. She had been so lost in the fire that it had been pushed back. A single tear fell down her face as she felt the stinging pain again. Wintergreen looked at her with concern. His wrinkled hand reached out and settled over hers. She smiled again at the gesture, making sure to put her barriers up.

"I didn't mean to upset you Ms. Roth." He spoke with a British accent. "Please forgive me."

"Oh, you didn't do anything wrong. And also, call me Raven." She told him softly, wiping away the stray tear. "I'm just a little upset about the whole ordeal."

"What exactly happened?" He asked quietly.

"I don't exactly want to talk about it." She replied, looking over at the burning logs on the fireplace.

"Then I shall not push the issue." He nodded, smiling at her.

Slade cleared his throat as he entered, to steaming mugs in his hands. He set them down on the coffee table in the center of the room, and then stood straight with his hands behind his back. Wintergreen stood, bowing to the taller man and then walked out leaving them alone. Her hands wrenched together in her lap nervously as his gaze fell on her again. Slade didn't understand the sensations running through him. He'd never felt this way for anyone, including… He made his way to her, kneeling in front of her pale form.

"After you have the hot chocolate, you should head to bed." His voice came out huskily.

It wrapped around her again. The fire of his essence threatened to burn her barriers back down. When ever he was in the room, she felt every urge he had. Those urges mixed in with her own was causing more problems then there should be. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes tightly.

"Close your mind." She hissed, her hands clenching the material of her shirt.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"I can't think clearly with both of our emotions mingling together. Close your damn mind." She almost growled the command.

"If I do that, the only thing you'll be feeling is the pain you felt earlier." He informed her, tilting his head to the side. "I know that feeling. I don't want you feeling it if we can avoid it."

"I need to feel it." She groaned, dragging her hand through her almost dry hair. "If I don't feel it now, I won't be able to get over it."

"Fine." He said coldly.

Standing abruptly, he picked her up from the seat she had been sitting in. Walking from the warmth of the parlor, he head down the hallway again. Raven was so shocked she couldn't react. Before she knew it, they were in another room. A large room. The bed lay in the center, covered in dark sheets. He walked over to it, setting her down. She looked at him with confusion written over her features. He rolled his eyes, pushing her back against the mattress, and then lay down on the bed next to her. Reaching over, he hit a switch on the wall, shutting off the lights. The door had been kicked shut the second he stepped through the threshold, leaving them in pitch black.

His essence and urges were heightened in the dark. She was caught in him. Sinking deeper and deeper into the liquid fire. Her heart fluttered as his arms wrapped around her waist. He pulled her closer, bringing her tightly to his chest. Raven's mind started going through different scenarios, trying to piece together what he was doing. He sighed into her lavender locks, inhaling her sweet scent.

"Are you ready?" His question was muffled in her hair.

"R-ready for what exactly?!" She squeaked, blushing deeply.

"For me to close off my mind." He said, his voice laced with humor. "What did you think?"

"Um… uh…" She stuttered, the red color deepening. "Yeah, I'm ready."

He didn't push the question she avoided. Closing his eye, he put up the same blockades she had up. Leaving her to her own emotions was a difficult decision. He hadn't wanted her to have to feel the betrayal, but it was what she wanted. Being left to stew in her own emotions had never hurt so much. She could feel the aching again. Her heart was broken, and her friends were the reason. Tears began to form in her eyes as the pain took over. Her small hands gripped the material of his shirt as she held back the sobs once more.

"You wanted to feel it." He whispered. "So, feel it. Take it and let it go. Cry… I won't tell anyone."

Her resolve to not cry shattered. The hot tears fell from her violet orbs as sobs racked her body all over again. She cried into his chest, letting out all of the pain and emotions she'd been holding in. He could hear a few items flying around his room and crashing into walls. He held onto her tighter as her shoulders shook. His heart swelled for the broken bird in his arms. Her cries of emotional distress would be imprinted in his mind for the rest of his life.

He held her like that until she finally fell asleep. Her sobs had calmed and her breathing shallowed as she drifted off. He opened his mind once more to her, trying to ease the pain. He wanted her to at least have good dreams for once. It was strange how much he could suddenly feel for someone he wouldn't have given a second glance to before. The second she'd shown up on his doorstep, he knew he was in deep. He'd let her in without a second thought. Only after he'd shut the door had he asked her why she'd come. He'd done it as a precaution. He tried to sound indifferent, but it had come off more concerned then anything else.

He groaned as his mind continued to mull over the thoughts. Finally, his eye drifted shut and he fell into a restless sleep. The bird in his arms clinging to him as her emotions finally started piecing everything back together inside of her that had broken.

Penthouse in the Jump City luxury hotel...

Christine sat in the bath tub tapping her foot impatiently. She'd been looking her powers sense she left the tower. Back in the original female form she usually took, her wet brunette hair almost looked black. Her eyes were a red color as her anger started to boil over. The stupid little bird hadn't used her powers once! She couldn't track her if she didn't use her damned powers. She began biting her nails, a bad habit she picked up in the 1930's. Letting herself sink under the soapy water, she searched once more.

Not. A damned. Thing!

She shot out of the bathtub quickly, wrapping a towel around her fit body. Raven knew she could only track her when she used her powers. That's why she wasn't doing it. Sure, the goddess couldn't pick up on the small stuff like telekinesis, but still. Raven had left the tower during a rain storm. She couldn't have gone too far from her home if she wasn't fazing. The bird had out smarted the ancient...

"Bitch." She muttered under her breath as she glared out her window into the still pouring storm.

She'd find her. She'd wait until she went back to her little friends, and then she'd strike again. Closer to home.

Okay! End of Chapter 12!!! I hope you guys liked it. I'll also make the next one longer. Oh! And I reached my goal! 4 chapters out in one weekend!!! Cheer with me.

Love to my readers and my Jessa and my Crystal.

Review please