To Miss Geek: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the chapter, as for writing a book I don't know…Everyone on Fanfiction seems to like my writing, but when I actually make up my own individual story people bash me, and call it horrible. Maybe in the future I will, but thank you for the encouragement! You made my day! Enjoy this chapter!
A/N: Great reviews last chapter, thank you! Enjoy this exciting chapter! Thank you Thebookthief for giving me an AMAZING idea. This chapter is dedicated to you. Much love and pixie dust for you my friend. The beginning of this chapter will start off with the fear serum victims stories, enjoy.
"We fear violence less than our own feelings. Personal, private, solitary pain is more terrifying than what anyone else can inflict." -Jim Morrison
January 17
Wayne Manor-Nighttime
Jason POV
The smell, oh god the smell. It's like a million rotted corpses have come to life all at once and thrown up stomach acid on wet carpet. I'm in a hotel room, it's pretty ratty and the walls are coated in a sticky substance. I can't explain how I got here or why, but all I know is that my heart is racing! Never before have I ever been so afraid. A dead girl lay on one of the beds, her face half bashed in and one of her eyeballs is hanging limply on her cheek. I try to look away but I can't. It's impossible. "Who did this?" I whisper and then kneel over and regurgitate a purple substance that I don't even remember consuming.
A hand clamps down on my shoulder. "You did brother."
I turn around quickly and lose my footing, I fall down hard, my head bashing against the wet carpeted floor. My eyes widen and I realize that it's Dick. He's here, he's looking at me, and he sees the dead girl too. "What?" I whisper and more of that smell wafts into my nose and mouth, I gag reflexively and spit a wad of the purple substance onto the carpet. The walls are still wet and they're the color of blood, it's sickening.
He offers me a hand and I gladly take it. "Did I scare you?" He asks me with a huge smile pasted to his face.
I don't think I can hide my shock this time. "Do you not see the dead girl on the bed? And since when do you smile?" I scream at him, oh god the smell is overwhelming. Another hand clamps down on my shoulder and I wonder idly who it is. "How many people are going to scare me today?" I yell and turn around.
I scream like a baby, the girl who was just dead is on her feet. Chills that feel like electric pulses ripple through me and I reach for Dick. He flinches away from me. "Dude, what's your problem? That's your sister; you can't just kill her and scream like a baby!" He laughs at me and the corpse cocks her head to the side.
My mind suddenly clicks and I remember her. This is my sister, the one my mother claimed died when I was five. Why did I know her face so well? Why was she a teenager? Why was she DEAD? Chills ran through me again and I collapsed onto my knees. "What is happening?" I whisper and look up at the corpse.
Her eye ball resting on her cheek twitches and oozes a yellowish material. "Y-you d-d-did THIS." She stutters through a raggedy voice. Spit the color of vomit dribbles onto her already bloodied chin. Her scraggly hand twitches; her fingers are broken and snapped bubbling more blood from them.
I look to Dick for help but he's gone. I look down at my hands and they're bloody, the blood is curdled on my skin and I feel it's dinginess underneath my fingernails. This is too much, this is all too much! "What is happening?" I scream at my hands.
The girl, my sister, the corpse lowers herself to my level, the skin of her leg peeling off on the rough carpet. "Welcome to your fears." She says perfectly. She moves closer and lunges for me, I smack her away but somehow her teeth find her way to my neck. She bites down deep, the warmth of the fluid running down my collar bone making my vision blur. The tendons snap horrendously and I stop breathing. My sister literally chows down on my neck. I scream again and Dick reappears.
"You did this." He says with a huge smile, he kneels before me and watches in awe as a corpse devours my flesh.
My vision goes black and when I open them it's sunny. The sky is a beautiful blue color and I'm in the park. The trees blow and sway with the breeze, one that I can't feel. Dogs run by on paths with their owners, their barking echoing strangely.
A hand touches my shoulder and I flinch. As I turn around I realize that it's my mother. She gives me a huge smile, the look on her face reading her love and pride for me. My eyes water and I hug her.
"Mom." I whisper and sob into her shoulder, I haven't seen her since…since she died. This is what I've missed my entire life, the love of my mother. To see her sober, to see her smile, to feel her tears along with mine. It's truly a miracle; this is where I would stay forever.
Another hand touches my shoulder and I break out of my mother's embrace. When I see the intruder I feel myself smile. "Dad." I give him a huge hug, and he gives me one back.
"Son." He whispers gently. He lets me go and claps my shoulder. "You've really grown." He says.
My mother kisses my cheek and ruffles my hair. "I'm so proud of who he's become." My Mom and Dad wrap their arms around each other and give me an approving stare.
This. Is. Heaven. "I never got to say goodbye to either one of you." I say.
Their eyes fill with tears. "Follow me son, I want to show you something." My father says. He holds my mother's hand and we leave the park. We cross the streets of Gotham; the entire way to our destination they hold hands. To see them together, to see them truly happy, it's a miracle.
The miracle stops as soon as we enter the warehouse district. "We're here." They say happily and approach a very familiar spot. We're surrounded by warehouses and the sky suddenly darkens.
Familiarity clenches my heart. "I think we should leave." I say as the shadows begin to appear.
My mother laughs. "Maybe you're right honey." She says as she touches my cheek gingerly.
My father smacks her hand, and my chest clenches. "No, we're not leaving." He growls.
Oh no, it's back. The anger is back, not again. I can't see him abusing her again! Before I'm able to intervene in the fight I see coming he punches her right in the face, blood spits from her mouth and onto the pavement. I'm turned back into the frightened child; I cower on the ground and cry as my father and mother scream at each other. Their screams intensify and he continues to beat her. The love is gone. Her screams fill the air and a sudden gunshot echoes through the warehouse district.
I watch as my mother falls onto the ground, my father's face is stunned. The bullet came from nowhere. Her eyes connect with mine. "I love you." She yells before blood begins dribbling down her chin. Her head smashes against the ground and I hear the crunch of her frail bones on the ground.
My father goes to her and holds her in his arms. "NO!" He cries out and the sky rumbles darkly. "NO, WHY? WHY?" He screams at the top of his lungs, the cords in his neck straining and his arms shaking as he cries into my mother's hair.
I crawl over toward him, but when he sees me he casts me a glare that could kill a kingdom. "Mom, she's…" I can't finish the sentence; droplets of rain begin to fall, the blood surrounding her turning thin.
My father's eyes widen in horror. "You did this." He mumbles.
No, not again. NO, please anything but that sentence. He stands up and swings at me, I fall back as his fist connects with my skin. The throbbing pain on my face all too familiar; the split in my skin stings. "YOU DID THIS!" His screams are accompanies by thunder and I cry even more.
I hack up some blood and prepare for the next blow, but when I look back at my Dad he's wearing a bowler hat surrounded by people dressed in trench coats. "SCARECROW COME ON OUT HERE! Don't be a COWARD!" He yells and the others laugh along with him. I'm confused, it's like the scene changed completely.
My eyes scan the dark shadows and Scarecrow steps out. "Evening gentlemen." He says in a thick tone.
My father raises his gun, but before I know it there's a spear though his chest and he's hunching forward. Scarecrow chuckles and retreats into the shadows, the rain picks up and I have to blink multiple times to stay focused. This is all too fast!
I crawl over to my Dad, the blood around him washing away. I turn him over, he's coughing up voluminous amounts of blood, I can't handle it! "What do I do?" I scream. "What do I do? I loved you and Mom, why did this happen?" My voice cracks and I scream as lightning strikes one of the warehouses, the rain pelts into my clothing, ripping into my back. "WHAT DO I DO?"
My Dad opens his eyes and grabs my collar tightly. "You did t-this." He says as his bloody spit splatters onto my face. His eyes close and he slumps in my arms.
I can't breathe or focus, he's gone. Mom's gone, the blood is everywhere. I did this. I did this, "I DID THIS!" More thunder and lightning ripples into the bullet pelting rain and I cry more.
Scarecrows footsteps sound from behind me but I don't even care. All I want is my parents back. Scarecrow makes a chuckle sound, but I have no energy in myself to get angry. "Poor Jason, now you're just like Batman and Nightwing." He laughs openly, the thunder matching his sickening throat sounds. "Join me Jason, avenge them."
I turn around, tears still pouring from my eyes; I look down at my hands so I don't have to look at him. They're still bloody, and more blood is encrusted beneath my fingernails. "Never." I whisper.
Scarecrow moves closer, and for a moment I believe that he's going to kick me. He doesn't. "Where was Batman and Robin on the night your mother died? Where was his TEAM when your father was killed by ME?" He yells. I shake and sob, feeling like a complete and utter baby. "WHERE WERE THEY, HUH?"
I hear the click of a gun and before I die I look back at my dead parents, my mother's dead eyes look back at mine and memories of all our good times together collect in my head. "I'll join you." I say before I hear the shot of the gun.
Barbara POV
It's dark, dank, and dusty. The smell around me is intoxicating like poisonous gas, but it has a sulfuric taste. "Hello?" My voice echoes for a while, I draw my legs up to my chest and heave out a heavy sigh. The ground beneath me is hard; the taste in my mouth is metallic and coppery. Like the taste of a bullet, or worse. "Hello?" I shout again. A slithering sound from my left makes me shrink to the right. "Who's there?" Where am I?
The hissing sound again.
"Who's there?" I scream. My chest heaves in exhaust, even though I haven't done anything to disrupt my endurance. "WHO IS THERE?"
Something touches my cheek and I scream in utter terror, it was wet and slimy. I wipe at my face and bat my hands out. "Stay back!" I yell and attempt to stand up, my head sways and my eyes try to pull anything out of the darkness. The hissing sound grows louder and I summon my courage. "Come on out, turn on a light! Fight like a man!" I grumble. Stick you ground Barbara, I think to myself. Where am I?
Something tight wraps around my ankle and I fall flat on my head. I see a flash of red for a quick moment and I taste blood in my mouth. My tongue is cut open and my head sways with dizziness. I kick out my feet but they connect with nothing. I stand up again and face the darkness, I swallow the glob of blood in my mouth and I stare at the direction the thing came from. This time I make no noise, just the raspy sound of my breathing is heard. The back of my head is probably bruised, it starts to throb and I wince silently.
The hissing again, this time stronger, it's coming from all directions.
Something wraps around my ankles again and I'm slammed down on my face. I feel the bone in my noise bend and accept the impact, the crack is sickening and the skin splits on my forehead. "AH!" I scream and kick out again. My nose fills with the blood and my mouth tastes so coppery now I might vomit. My lip is split open and I am positive that my nose is shattered. "What do you want?" I yell.
"You." Says a whisper.
I stop breathing for a moment, confused and dazed by the announcement. "What?" I ask mainly to myself.
"Welcome to your fears Barbara Gordon, take notes and buckle up." The voice says in a crackly voice.
I hear the hissing again and something wraps around my neck choking off my air. I claw at it, but my nails only peel from their nail beds. "NO!" I choke on blood and my body goes cold. I'm being strangled, I'm done.
I open my eyes and the sunlight I see is almost blinding. I'm sitting up in the middle of a deserted road, surrounded by Gotham City. Something's different though; the buildings look unkempt, and sunburned. Some buildings are standing in piles of rubble, some are completely gone. I don't understand. The weirdest part of this scenery is the lack of noise, there are no people, there are no cars, and there are no sounds.
My throat tightens and I swallow, the dryness I feel is overwhelming. I feel my nose, and I realize that it's not broken, nothing is. No blood. I stand up and when I feel something press into my side I flinch. I look to see what it is and I see that it's a knife, a large knife. If I'm correct it's a Damascus pocket sheath knife, I slide it back into my waistband. "Why do I have this?" I whisper.
I kick the dirt that's at my feet and my heart thrums, I'm alone. I begin walking towards Wayne Manor, after a few minutes the city begins to freak me out so I break into a sprint. I race down the avenues, the charry smell of the buildings fresh in the air, the hot air. My throat begs for water, anything to help me. I ignore it and as I approach the gates my heart sinks.
It's burnt to the ground.
"Hello?" I scream.
"Babs?" Someone yells weakly.
My heart picks up and I expect to hear more hissing but I don't. I follow the shouts of my name; around the gates in a heap on the ground is Richard. "Oh no." I say under my breath, I go to him.
"Babs?" He moans and tries to turn his head but tears stream from his eyes. "Please, help me." He croaks. Tears well up in my eyes, his neck is bloodied; torn skin hangs limply around his collarbone. His chest is a barrage of skin lesions and pus. His legs are twisted in awful angles, the white bone jutting out and frying in the crisp sun heat. "Please, help me." His eyes open and he looks at me hopefully, blood dribbling out of his open mouth.
I drop to my knees, ignoring the pain that slashes through my bone. "What…W-what happened?"
He points off into the distance. "The hissing monster." He gurgles. "Please, help me." He repeats.
The stench of his soiled clothing and coppery blood waft through the air. "I don't know what to do!" I bury my head in my hands and cry openly. "What do I do?"
His hand reaches out and touches my head. I look at him, wiping away the wetness seeping from my eyes. He points down and I follow his gaze, my knife. I understand it all now. "I won't! I-I w-won't!" I yell.
His hand drops to his side and more blood bubbles from his torn open legs. "Please, help me." He says. His eyes close and the evident pain he's been in is excruciating. "P-please, help me." He groans and tries to move but I whip out my knife. The skin ribbons on his cheek waver with each breath he takes.
"I-I c-can't d-d-do this!" I shout, my shaking hand gripping the knife tightly.
"Please, help me." He whispers and for a second I wish he dies, just so I don't have to do this. His labored breathing indicates he's still alive and I cringe. His eyes snap open and he grabs my wrist, he pulls my knife tip to his temple. "Pl-p-please help me." His eyes beg to be put out his misery.
I sob and wipe my nose with my sleeve. What has the world become, what happened here? Where are the people, and doctors? "A-ar-are yo-you s-sure?" I stutter in between my crying and heavy sobs.
He nods and gives me a pained smile. "Goodbye Babs." He says and his eyes sweep expectantly over the sky.
I tighten my grip and I hold onto his hand, his life is now my choice. I aim the tip of the blade at his temple, his nose begins to bleed and I resist the urge to vomit. "I love you Richard." With a sickening crunch I stab the knife into his skull, the blood oozing around the hilt glimmers and sizzles in the sunny light. His hand falls slack and I pull the knife out, he's gone. His blood is everywhere. He's gone.
I hear something very odd, very loud. A whirring? No, can't be. A buzzing? No, can't be. Then it clicks and I feel my world slip away. "Ambulance sirens."
Starfire POV
We ditched the Bat-plane in the country of Brazil, our journey has been only a day long yet I feel so tired. Raven used her powers to transport us to Argentina, but we have to walk the rest of the way. Friend Beast Boy and Raven have been very close to each other during the trip, yet Richard and I are merely on speaking terms. I should not complain, I am the cause of our discomfort.
We begin to walk through a gigantic mountain range, the scenery is beautiful. It is chilly, but the mountains are barely snowcapped. If I look closely enough I can see various creatures that resemble our American Goat. The cold and bitter wind that is blowing barely bothers them. I zip up my jacket and adjust the straps of my backpack; there is no time to stop. I shiver once more and the wind begins to pick up. It whistles loudly and big thunderous clouds roll in.
"Friends, I do believe we are getting the storm!" I shout above the increasing winds.
Richard grabs my elbow and we all huddle up. "Beast Boy, don't you think we should set up camp for the night?" Richard asks him.
Beast Boy bites his lip and looks at Raven. "Yeah we probably should, the storm might be hard to travel in." Raven gives him a disapproving look but he ignores it. "Right over there near that pond would be a safe place to set up our tents."
I start heading over and the wind nearly knocks me off my feet, Richard steadies me but does not look at me. "Thank you." I say appreciatively, I wait a few moments but he still does not look at me.
We set up camp, my tent sits in between Raven's and Richard's, Beast Boy's is at the end further away. I have a small feeling he will not be sleeping alone tonight. I use my powers to start a fire and the warmth from it makes me curl up into a ball.
Beast Boy sighs deeply and Raven whispers to him. "We'll, uh, be back later." He says quickly before scrambling off with Raven towards the other mountainside.
I look over at Richard and he turns away from me sharply. "There are white fluffy balls falling from the sky." I say out loud.
He smiles and looks at me, finally. "It's called snow."
"I have heard of this substance, it clumps into piles yes?" I reach out my hand and catch one, it dissolves immediately.
He scoots closer towards me and the fire. "Yeah."
The silence ensues; the only sound I hear is the rustling of the large trees in the wind and the crackle of the fire. The soft sprinkling of snow picks up and the pond in front of us turns white with ice. Every time I exhale a cloud of my breath puffs out and it makes me smile. Through everything I am still smiling, thank X'hal.
"Star?" Richard says.
"Yes?" I respond.
He rubs a hand over his masked face. "I don't want us to be like this." He stands up, and I do the same.
"What do you mean?" I ask him.
"I love you, I really do." His face is somber, and I yearn to reach out to him.
My heart clams up and I shake my head. "No, you do not." He tries to reach towards me but I back away. "You do not love me; do not do the kidding of yourself."
Richard's face turns suddenly angry. "I told you I did, what else do you want from me! How can you not believe me?" His fists clench and unclench; this is harder for him than I thought. "I'm trying." He says with heart.
"All you will do in the end is single me out, and do the breaking up with me once again. I cannot take this anymore! I cannot!" I yell back, the green in my eyes flashing once. The wind picks up and my hair ferociously whips around me, it sweeps to the side and into my eyes.
"If you don't believe me then I will use all my time, the rest of my life even, to prove it to you." His voice is deep and he sounds angry.
I move the hair out of my face harshly, as soon as I can clearly see again he is right in front of me, his hands already grabbing for mine. I consider moving away, but the look of hurt on his face that I have seen before is unbearable. "Richard you will only get hurt."
He shakes his head once again. "I'll get hurt a million times for you." He replies. Within seconds he moves his face so it is closer to mine, his lips brush against mine and like a click of a button he kisses me. On Tameran lip contact was merely for the transfer of knowledge, or language. On Earth it is for love, I like this much better. I kiss him back and I throw my arms around him. Oh how I missed this, how I yearned for this since the day we began speaking again! How can such beautiful feelings be transferred through a kiss? I shall never know.
The snowflakes hit our cheeks, and he deepens the kiss, his hands tightening on my lower back. He pulls me closer and the heat I am feeling inside of me grows. The cold wind has no effect anymore. All I can hear is my heart thrumming in perfect harmony with his. I want to linger longer on his lips, I want to savor this feeling and never let it go. But I have to; he has to realize that he cannot play with my heart. I push him away dramatically and the shocked look on his face makes me want to scream.
"Star...I thought...You and I-" He stops talking and looks at me with curious and hurt eyes.
"No, I am not that easy." I respond. I straighten up and brush the snow off my clothing. I head for my tent and zip it up tightly, the tears that pour from my eyes are silent, and I replay our kiss in my mind over and over again.
Raven POV
We leave Starfire and Nightwing behind, Beast Boy tugs at my hand and leads me through the thickening trees. "Where are you taking me?" I ask him slightly annoyed, the snow is capped in his hair and he flashes me a goofy grin.
"You said you wanted to talk, so I know of a perfect place." He says and kicks some twigs out of our way. "Don't worry we won't be out long." He chuckles at my confused look, I can feel his emotions and he has other intentions for tonight; very sneaky.
We tramp on through the underbrush and the thickening snow, the flakes make me blink multiple times and the hand that is not connected with Beast Boy's is cold. I shiver inwardly and my breath fans out. We approach a gigantic spruce tree that is already freckled with snow, Beast Boy shoulders past it and halts. "We're here." He says in a breathy tone.
I look where he is looking and I realize why he wanted to take me here. We're at a large cliff, below is the darkness that is most likely the jagged mountains below, but when I look up the stars sparkle and look like they're touching the horizon. The dark sky nearly touches the cliffs edge, and the wind that howls by smells like the crisp mountain air. "This is beautiful." I glance at the snowcapped mountains in the distance and I nearly lose my footing on the slippery snow.
Beast Boy holds out his hand for me to latch onto, he leads me to the edge of the cliff and sits down. "Now we can talk."
I don't even want to talk anymore; the beauty of the landscape he has taken me to is breathtaking. I decide to sit next to him. "How did you know about this place?" A shooting star rockets by in the sky and Beast Boy's eyes light up in amusement.
"When I was younger, maybe five or six, my parents camped out here. Those were the good days, before the Sakutia and African landscape. We met a group of scientists that my parents were meeting up with; Tesla was here and went to Africa with us after we left." A sad roll of emotions radiate off of him. I squeeze his hand tighter and we both silently look at the sky.
The silence is comfortable; the sky's stars twinkle in exuberance. I feel my powers simmer down to a dull thrum, my emotions are perfectly balanced. This moment is the epitome of everything I have ever wished for. "If they were alive I would want you to meet them." He says silently, breaking the comforting silence.
I look at him and his green eyes pierce mine. "I'm sure they were amazing parents." I reach out and touch his face, it's cold but a warm tear slips down his cheek.
He pulls me closer and kisses my cheek. "They were." He moves his lips to mine and we share a passionate but loving kiss.
His fingers brush back my hair and he tilts my head up. I deepen the kiss boldly, urging his sadness to melt away, and it does. A clear emotion slips through his facade, a strong surging emotion that is stronger than them all. I break away, a little breathless. "Beast Boy..." I whisper, surprised at the emotion I'm reading. Is it directed toward his parents, or me? I'm confused.
"Call me Gar." He says and yanks me back in for a kiss. He effortlessly lifts me so I'm straddling him and he holds me tightly like I'll vanish. He deepens the kiss and my brain goes blank. So much emotion...so much...so much... "Love." I mumble in between his kisses.
He breaks off abruptly and looks at me. "What?"
His eyes shimmer, and the emotion ripples off him again. I slip off him and scoot away dramatically. I stand up and back away slowly. He gives me an alarmed look. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?" He asks and reaches out for me.
I shake my head and my powers suddenly lash out, shaking the tree behind me. "You...you-y" I break off and my mind flurries with emotions. I'm not ready for this, I can't let this happen, my powers, they'll hurt him. There'll be a danger, I can't accept love. Admiration yes, but love? Love is an entire different ladder to climb.
Beast Boy's eyes widen and he realizes something. "You read my emotions didn't you?" He asks. His mouth forms a tout line, an angry line. "Didn't you?" He reads me so easily.
I nod slowly, I swallow my emotions. The air is cold but it feels thicker than anything. "I had to know, your emotions are so strong, it was hard to resist..." I break off because his gaze has softened.
"I love you." He whispers and the wind takes away my gasp. My powers snap a branch in the distance and the wind speed increases. "You already knew that didn't you?"
I nod again, no words left say. What am I supposed to tell him, that I have to deny his love because I'm incapable of controlling myself? I should've known what I was getting into, I was so stupid.
His hands clench and unclench. "So you're just going to stand there? You're just going to let me fall in love with you and reject me?"
I nod again, and hold back my emotions. Rage rolls off of him, but the love is still there like a stagnant part of him now. "I don't want to do this!" I shout above the wind.
He looks at me darkly. "You won't even try to love me?" The wind picks up and he moves closer to me, away from the cliff edge. "TRY!" His hands rake through his hair and he glares at me. "I LOVE YOU! Say it back!" He yells above the increasing wind.
"I can't!" I yell back and my dark energy bubbles up, a blast of snow puffs up from the ground, swirling the wind with even more snow.
"What did you want to talk about?" He shouts angrily.
I'm confused suddenly, and then it clicks. I needed to talk to him at the camp earlier, that's why he bought us out here. "I wanted to tell you that I didn't want you to do this Tesla mission, we can find another way-"
His look cuts me off and more rage boils from him. "WHAT? You wanted to talk to me about not becoming normal again? This procedure will save my life; I didn't know you were so selfish!"
My mouth drops in shock, selfish? Is that what I am? Too much is happening. "I'm afraid! I can't lose you!"
"But you refuse to accept my love?" He frowns at me, "Damnit!" He runs his hands through his hair and turns around, most likely too disgusted to look at me. "DECIDE what you want!" He's turned around so I can't see his face but I know it's twisted in anger.
I can't take it anymore; I can't hold my emotions back any longer. I run to him and wrap my arms around him, my head nuzzles into his back and I squeeze him. The air thickens and the wind nearly lifts us up, I hear the crackling of trees, and the roots of them plunging up from the ground. The snow falls harder and the clouds cover the sparkling stars. In a flash we are thrown into a snow bank, thankfully we don't injure ourselves but the wind holds us down. The only selfish thing I'm doing is risking our lives for love. I look at Beast Boy and I swallow my powers. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." I chant and the wind and snow stops immediately, like a light switch.
Beast Boy's wide eyes pierce into mine. "Say it." He says hungrily.
"I love you." I pounce on him and attack his lips feverishly, I know the scenery around us is now a mess, and I know my powers will bubble back up but I don't care. I need him, the only selfish thing I'm doing is this. I throw up my arms and we are surrounded in a black dome of my powers, I transport us to a tent back at our campsite. There is no need to be afraid of my emotions any longer, not anymore.
Our lips reconnect, but the heat between us is angry, pulsing, and furious. I deepen our kiss and he groans hungrily, a deep growl reverberates from his throat and I suddenly know that I need him. I can try all I want to push him away, but this connection will never falter. We tear at each other's clothes and he nibbles my neck, his scent wafts through my nose and the only sound I hear is the space heater thrumming in our tent and the wind howling outside. He bites my neck and I moan in disbelief of his ferociousness, the odd thing is I like it.
I run my hands down his chest, tracing the outlines of his scars and muscles. The tiny scars make me curious, but all I can concentrate on is the pure ecstasy I'm feeling. I trail identical kisses down his own neck and with another growl his eyes reconnect with mine. "What are we doing?" He asks breathlessly, the anger he was feeling moments ago simmering off of him.
I feel his emotions again, selfishly. Love, want, needs. "We're doing this." I pull him back down and I hear a tree in the distance, far away from our tent, snap. I swallow my powers and welcome his tongue in my mouth. He pulls me closer and tighter and I know how far I want to take this. "Do it." I whisper.
He stops and looks at me. "Really?" He's huffing and the thrumming of his heart matches mine.
I nod and bite my lip. "I love you." I repeat and the euphoria I see in his eyes fuels our night.
January 18
Mountains of Argentina
Starfire POV
I wake up groggily and a large yawn escapes me. I shake my bed head and look around. I realize where I am and I sigh. "It is time for the mission." I whisper loud enough for only me to hear.
I fix my blankets and dress in an insulated version of my original Titan uniform. It has furry edges and my stomach is covered, the skirt is accompanied with long socks and winter boots, the cold should not bother me too much so the little skin I am showing should not freeze. I roll up my supplies and brush out my hair before exiting the tent. I look around and I notice that our campsite is trashed. There are random trees sprawled here and there, the icy pond is pointy. Shards of dangerous frozen ice stick straight up in the air. "Richard?" I yell into the air.
"Right here." He responds from his corner of our campsite. He's rolling up his tent and I proceed to do the same.
"Good morning, did you have pleasant snorvlaks?" I ask cheerily.
He nods and looks away, last night flashes before my eyes and I cringe. I do hope he is not mad at me. As I finish rolling up my tent Raven and friend Beast Boy step out of their tent. Raven's tent is gone, so they both shared one last night, just as I have predicted. "Good morning friends, the storm appears to have been worse than we predicted." I say pleasantly.
They grumble and turn red, odd I think. We quickly pack up the campsite and snack on some protein bars, it is neither filling nor delicious, but it will do for now. We packed other food, but we are saving it for emergencies. Beast Boy begins to lead us out the mountains, Raven right by his side. Wherever they walk their hands either connect or they touch each other somehow, inseparable. My heart clenches with happiness for them, it is wonderful and overwhelming.
I glance a few times at Richard, his face is unreadable, and his steps in the snow are calmed. I wonder what he is thinking, I cannot stop looking at him but my foot catches on a small branch in front of me. I fall into the snow and my knee smashes hard on a rock in my way. "Glorvilaks!" I swear.
Richard is by my side within moments his hands steadying me and helping me stand. "Are you okay?"
I am silent for a moment and his face falls slack. "Yes, I-I am fine." I lie, even though my knee hurts the pain I am inflicting upon him is worse, but I have to do this. I have to show him that I am not an object of possession.
Beast Boy's voice breaks my train of thought. "You okay Starfire?" Raven's eyes narrow and I know she's reading my emotions, curse her.
"Yes, I am fine." I lie again.
Raven's eyes narrow again and her lips pout, if she knows what I am feeling hopefully she will not say anything out loud. She turns away and our trek continues. Relief floods through me and I do not dare sneak another peek at Richard.
Hours later we arrive, my back is sore from the walking and my throat yearns for water but I have already gone through a week's supply. The small lab we see is in the middle of a snow covered valley, the mountain range we are squatting in barely covers us. We hide behind a huge thistle bush and plan our attack.
Beast Boy's eyes are alive with excitement and adrenaline. "Here's how it works, we have Raven transport us to the back entrance, we proceed to break in and take down any guards." He suddenly coughs and Raven's eyes widen in alarm, he waves off her concern. "Do not split up, stay close. Once we find Tesla we'll smuggle the cure from him."
Richard gives him a skeptical face. "You make it sound easy…" He trails off.
Beast Boy coughs again. "It won't be, just stay close and do NOT let any of the guards capture you." He adds.
I look at him curiously. "Why should we be concerned about guards catching us?"
He sighs deeply and coughs once again. "They'll lock you up and experiment, so be careful." He gives us all a long hard look. "The Sakutia is getting worse, I can feel it. My parents gave me the serum that would keep me alive until now, but it's wearing out quickly. Find some serum, or find the cure." He adds before coughing again.
"Wouldn't the serum be live 15 years old by now, isn't it expired?" Richard asks.
Beast Boy shakes his head. "My parents gave it to me when I was young, but it only expires when it's in me."
We all give him confused stares. He sighs and coughs again. "Let's just do this okay?" He says sharply.
We all nod and watch as Beast Boy coughs into his glove, when it comes away it's freckled with blood. "Gar…" Raven whispers and places a hand on his back. He waves away her concern and kisses her temple. "Remember what I said." He whispers to her. She nods and my heart clenches with love for them, it is like the many romance films I watch at home.
"Titans go." He mumbles, and Raven wraps us in her dark energy. The coldness that is accompanied by this is chilling, and after you are sucked out of it the power leaves you wanting more. It is odd, but unique.
I use my Starbolts to break the doors down, their charred remains crumble to the ground and the noise startles us. We take battle stances, and my Tamaranian blood boils with energy. After a few minutes however we notice that the corridor we have broken into is empty, only the hallway lights illuminating the linoleum floors. The building has two floors, the walls are crystal white, and the sharply tiled floor shines with a fresh coat of linoleum. "Is there no one home?" I ask, my teeth are on edge, something does not feel right.
Beast Boy's ears twitch and his nose shudders. "I can't hear or smell anyone…" He slumps from his fighting stance and Raven inhales sharply.
"There's no one here." She responds darkly.
Richard folds up his Eskrima Sticks. "Let's explore a little, Beast Boy do you know where the lab is?"
Beast Boy sniffs again. "Yeah, follow me." He answers.
We follow him down the long shiny hallway and turn left; large metal doors are places evenly in the walls. The missing spaces on them for name tags look barren, and lonely. The brightness of the lights is nearly nauseating and I have to inhale deeply to avoid dizziness. Our footsteps echo eerily and my mood sours. We approach a door at the end of the hall, a dead end. Beast Boy shoves it open, breaking its lock. "We're here." He says sadly.
I look around the room, biological specimens float around in life-size tanks, and stainless steel desks hold vials of colorful liquids. An array of cabinets and various microscopes corner the room; it even smells like the sulfuric acid that I have on my planet. "Glorious equipment." I whisper.
Richard approaches a desk consisting of a coffee mug, vials of liquids, and scattered unreadable papers. "Do any of these vials smell like a cure, or the serum?" He yells out to Beast Boy.
Beast Boy shuffles through some papers angrily. "No, there's nothing here. He's gone!" He slams the table next to ours with his hand, his cheeks puffing out in anger.
I look around the room once again, something is not right. The lights are on, and shining, the place is cleaned spotless, and there are not any guards. I look down at the coffee mug and frown, I reach out and touch it, and it is hot. "Friends, we have been tricked!" I shout as the realization hits me.
Red lights begin flashing and the doors we arrived in slam, Beast Boy turns into an elephant and rams them, but he bounces back. His human form returns and his eyes looked panicked. "Damnit!"
The alarms begin to sound, their shrill ringing makes my head swim with dizziness. I look over at Raven and she's chanting, she soon gives up as he powers die on her. Beast Boy pulls her close and a closet that I did not notice before across the room opens. My heart thrums crazily and I take a battle stance.
A man steps from the closet, his face twisted in in a large smile. His square glasses refract the light and his grey hair fans out around his face. He is thin, like a twig, but he stands with confidence. I look down to his hand and realize that he is holding a large remote; it has buttons with unreadable symbols upon it. "Who are you?" I scream above the sirens.
He flashes me a grin and fixes his eyes to Beast Boy. "I am Tesla, but I am sure Mr. Logan already knew that." He presses a button and the alarms and red flashes fade immediately, almost like they were never there.
I try to power up my hands but they do not work. He laughs sickly and looks at me. "Poor girls, their powers are weakened because of this room." He chuckles again and Beast Boy's fists clench.
"You know why I'm here, now give me the cure." He growls primitively.
Tesla takes a step forward. "Silly Mr. Logan, I need payment!"
Raven frowns. "What type of payment?" She says gravely.
He looks at her and smiles again. "You must be the woman he made love to in the tent last night, I am pleased to meet you." He mockingly holds out his hand and I stifle a gasp, how does he know this? I did not even know this!
They redden and Beast Boy attempts to swing at him, Richard besides me swoops in with his Eskrima sticks but Tesla presses a button on his remote. Our bodies suddenly freeze, my blood slows and my legs collapse painfully beneath me. "Argh!" I shout along with the others, we all collapse, my neck spasms and my muscles seize without my control. Drool drips from my mouth, coating my chin.
Beast Boy tries to shout but white foam escapes from his mouth. Tesla bends over him slowly, a smile widening his features. "You are dying Mr. Logan, I can fix that…With payment." He laughs wickedly and before my eyes blackout I watch Richard reach for my hand and squeeze it.
I believe we have made a new enemy.
A/N: There it is! A mouthwatering and intriguing chapter by none other than me! It took FOREVER to write, but I finally did it (again, thank you Thebookthief for the nightmare idea). I worked really hard on this, and I really hope you enjoyed it. This is part one, part two and three will be out within the next two weeks. Review so I know how I'm doing, I'll update faster if you do!
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Next Chapter: It all hits the fan, Cyborg runs into trouble, Bellerose drama, Bee becomes a stalker, AND we check in on our nightmare induced friends: Jason and Babs! Bet you can't wait! (MEGA DRAMA BOMB AHEAD)
P.S. For those BBRae fans craving more, I just posted a one-shot called Green Tea. So far people have really liked it, I have a sequel planned for it so please READ! Thanks!