Re-Educating Miss Roth
A Teen Titans Fan Fiction by Jacob McDonald
Opening notes: I always say I'm going to get the next chapter out faster, and I never do. Sorry for the delay, and sorry for this chapter being so long and for almost nothing happening. I have a habit of writing these huge chapters with almost no plot development. This one doesn't get good until the last few thousand words, so keep reading even if it seems like you'll die if you have to read another description of swanky formal wear.
You know, that's another thing. I know way to freakin' much about clothes, and women's formal wear. I'm a guy for crying out loud. I can't even tie a damn bow tie, but I know all the terms to describe a dress in perfect detail. What the hell is wrong with me?
Standard Disclaimers apply. I don't own Teen Titans, or any of the DC Comics characters mentioned in this story.
Chapter Eleven: Overkill
"Come on Cassie!" Becka, holding a towel up at her chest with another wrapped around her head, whined as she followed Raven down the hall of the second floor dorms, "It's just for one night!"
"I told you, Becka, no!" Raven scowled at the brown haired girl over her shoulder. She too was wearing nothing but a towel, her shower kit clutched firmly in one hand.
"Will Mathews is a really nice guy though! And it's just as friends!"
"I have a boyfriend, Becka! I'm not going to the dance with another guy, even if it is 'just as friends.' He'll expect things."
"Will's not like that!"
Raven turned to her with a sarcastic smile, "Who's the empath here? He thinks with his dick just as much as every other guy on this campus."
"Chad's not like that." Becka folded her arms and pouted.
"Although he is able to control his urges better than most of the male population here, Chad Doxon would nail you in a second if you let him." Raven rolled her eyes, "Don't be a naive twit, Becka."
"Don't be such a bitch then!" Becka frowned at Raven, "I know I'm pressing a bit hard here Cassie, but you don't need to rip apart my boyfriend too!"
Raven sighed and ran a hand over her face, "Becka..." she sounded exasperated then leaned forward and put her forehead against Becka's and muttered, "I just don't want you to get hurt. Emotionally, or physically."
Becka sighed as well, "I know."
"So it's best for us both if I go alone. I can keep an eye on you better that way." Raven pulled away, "It's my job, Becka. Let me do it right."
"Jenny has a date." Becka continued to pout.
"Jenny is keeping up appearances. I have a bad feeling about his dance. And my feelings are almost always right."
"I know." Becka still looked put out, "I just want you to have a good time."
"Hey..." Raven turned the other girl's face towards her, "You live in Jump, Becka, and you'll be going to JCU next fall. We can still hang out after this mission is over."
"Really?" The senator's daughter looked hopeful.
"Really. If nothing else, I'll be around to help with Hanna's baby."
"Yeah." They lapsed into silence and looked at each other with kind smiles.
Janice poked her head out of her room and shouted down the hall at them, "Hey! Unless you two are gonna start playing for my team, stop oggling each other and get ready for class!"
Jinx yawned and stretched as she walked down the path to Westpost Hall next to Hanna, "Man! I can't wait 'till I can sleep in again!"
"You sleep in every weekend!" Hanna giggled, "And if you are going to, uh... get that job we talked about after school is out," the shorter blonde girl smiled as a few other girls walked past them, "then... uh... you'll be getting up at all hours of the night any way."
"One reason I'm thinking about not joining up." Jinx nodded firmly, "I don't know, Hanna. Maybe I'll just live a civilian life. Get a normal job, live in an apartment and get drunk every weekend..."
Hanna continued for her, "Marry a handsome half mechanical black man, make lots of babies..."
"Heh..." Jinx grinned at her, "In a heartbeat sister."
"Gawd..." Hanna lowered her voice and moved in closer to Jinx, "Trust me... puking every morning for no fucking reason is not fun."
"Has it... been very bad? Painful at all?" Jinx put a hand on her shoulder.
"Not so much." Hanna shrugged, "Not like getting nailed with a throwing star any way." she grinned.
Jinx groaned, "I still feel shitty about that. Can't believe I missed one..."
"No one's perfect. And I only got hit because I jumped in the way of it."
"To save Becka's life! Which is my job!" Jinx growled, "No more heroics from you." She poked Hanna's belly to emphasize her point, "Especially now."
"Don't worry." Hanna looked straight ahead, "I'm not doing anything else to jeopardize this child."
Raven stared out the second floor window of Westpost Hall during fourth period History class, watching the boys gym class run laps. She picked Will Mathews out of the crowd and sighed. Looking back a few runners, she saw a young man named Gregory Collmen.
The boy Jinx was going with to the dance.
Raven had already contacted Speedy and had him run a background check on the young man, and he came up clean, aside from a minor drug possession charge. He'd been caught smoking down and had been fined fifty dollars.
"Only in California..." she muttered.
"Miss Roth?" Raven swung her eyes back to the front of the room and saw the History teacher staring at her intently, "Please answer the question."
"Um... sorry. Can you repeat it?" Raven blushed.
The class giggled as the teacher sighed and repeated the question for her.
As the six girls walked to gym class after History, Ami poked Raven in the shoulder, "You were pretty distracted back there."
"I was thinking about the dance." Raven frowned.
"Bummed that you can't bring your boy?" Janice asked.
"Bummed that it's going to be dark, loud, and hard to keep track of my principle, actually." Raven rolled her eyes, "It was hard enough back in the nightclub she and Hanna snuck off to." The dark haired Titan shot the two girls a look, and they shrugged.
"We'll deal." Jinx said from the rear of the group. She glanced up, "Hey, Hanna."
"Yeah, what?" Hanna looked over at her and arched an eyebrow.
Jinx pointed up at a tree and the blonde looked over to see Beast Boy crouched on one of the higher branches. He grinned and waved at her.
Hanna blushed and waved back shyly.
"Oh ho..." Becka shoved her best friend lightly, "Not your boyfriend, huh?"
"He's just a friend! Come on!"
"A super hero friend... who's real name you know." Raven pointed out.
"So?" Hanna glared at her, "I know your real name too. Doesn't mean I want to jump you."
"I'd pay to see that..." Janice sighed in a dreamy manner.
The rest of the girls groaned and shoved her around while she giggled.
Gym class was fairly uneventful, and the girls all trooped back to the showers to change. Jinx hurried through her shower so she could follow Becka to music class, but Raven was able to take a little longer. She was one of the last one's out of the showers, and as she finished dressing, she noticed she was the only one left in the changing rooms.
"Hm." Frowning, she shut her locker and turned to the exit so she could go to her painting class.
There, standing in the doorway, was Rose.
"Raven." the white haired girl said in a serious tone, "We need to talk."
The two girls stood on top of the cafeteria a few minutes later, looking over at Westpost hall. Their skirts and hair both wafted in the light breeze. One head of black hair. One head of white. They were silent for several moments, then Rose spoke.
"I've had a vision." she said quietly.
"Of what sort?" Raven asked, just as quiet.
"Most of the time, I catch glimpses of things that will happen seconds before they do. The most I've ever seen ahead was a few minutes." Rose shook her head, "This one... was a week ahead of time."
"That's highly unusual. How do you know the time frame?"
"The dance." Rose frowned, "It was at the dance..."
"What... was at the dance?" Raven glanced over at her.
Rose looked back at her, her eyes narrowed, and her voice low, "Death." she whispered.
Raven stared back for several seconds, "Whose?"
"I don't know. Raven... I want you to make me a promise."
"If I can."
"When the time comes, and I must face my foe... I don't want you, or any of the other Titans, to interfere. I have to stand alone."
"Rose, I can't let you do that if your life will be in danger-"
"My life isn't the one you should be worrying about." the normally mild mannered girls voice was full of venom as she spoke, "This man... this beast has taken so much from me... and I'll take it back from him... ten fold."
"I wont let you murder anyone." Raven narrowed her own eyes, "No matter what he's done in the past. He can be brought to justice."
"What I'll give him... will be justice." Rose frowned, "Promise me you wont interfere."
Raven looked at her hard, trying to read her. Rose's mental barriers kept her out though, and she finally gave up and looked away, "If this person you're after tries to harm Becka, or any of my friends... I'll have to stop him."
"He wont get the chance. I promise that to you."
Raven sighed, "Fine. I give my word that the Titans wont interfere with your personal battle. But Rose..." Raven looked over at her again, her own emotionless eyes boring into the other girl's, "Think about taking him down and letting us take him in... alive."
Rose watched as Raven melted into a pool of blackness at her feet, then whispered to the wind, "I will think on it, Raven Roth."
Dinner was a quiet affair that night. The girls were all in a collective mellow mood as they trooped up the stairs and back to the second floor of the dorms. They all piled into the common room and fell onto the chairs and couches.
"Man!" Ami shook her head, "After last weekend, and all the crap that went down... three days of class is enough to drive anyone bonkers!"
"The dance is in two days... we'll have another break then." Jinx rubbed her eyes, "Regular school sucks."
"What kind of classes are you used to?" Janice asked as she flipped through a magazine.
"I always preferred Black Magic courses, or Doomsday Device Construction..."
"I'd have thought you'd be a bigger fan of Advanced Mind Control Techniques." Raven rolled her eyes.
"Vic liked that one... the tech was pretty cool." Jinx winked.
"You two are nuts." Becka shook her head, "Did you ever take an classes in any schools Cassie?"
"No." Raven shook her head, "I learned most of what I know from a woman named Azar, who taught me meditation, mental and emotional control, and how to direct my powers."
"So... this is your first time taking high school classes?" Becka looked curious.
"Not really. Part of the deal with the local Jump City government bankrolling the Titans was that all of us kids finish the required work for our GEDs. Mostly online courses, but I have the equivalent of a high school diploma." Raven smiled, "Only Robin and Cyborg have real ones."
"What about Starfire?" Jinx asked.
"Well," Raven chuckled, "She graduated from her own planets educational system with top honors, being a princess and all. It was kind of expected. She's an alien though, and not governed by Earth laws as a result."
"Must be nice." Ami slouched.
"Trust me..." Hanna spoke up quietly, "you wouldn't think so if you knew what she's been through to get here."
There was silence in the room for a moment, then Jinx spoke up, "So we have a half day tomorrow for last minute shopping right?"
Raven groaned, "We are not leaving campus again..."
"Aw!" Becka sat up, "Cassie! I still need accessories!"
"We can have what you need brought to you, and..." the other girls were glaring at her. Raven threw her hands up, "Fine! I'll work something out."
They all squealed and started chattering about what could go with whose dress.
A half hour later, Raven sat in her darkened room, the only light coming from the display on her T-Comp. The image was of Robin, rubbing his eyes through his mask, "I can't believe what a wuss you've become."
Raven scowled at him, "Fuck you, Dick. They were ganging up on me."
"You couldn't put your foot down?"
"Don't worry about it... I have a plan."
"Really?" Robin sighed, "This I have to hear..."
"Troia and Starfire are on the day shift anyway... we'll make it a girls day out... shopping trip... thing..."
"Eloquently put, Raven."
"Look, this isn't easy, Dick! They're my friends, and I don't want them to get hurt, but at the same time... I don't want to ruin their last year of school."
"Getting them killed will certainly ruin things for them, Raven."
"They'll be fine. Kori and Donna will be with us, and since Jinx and I can use our abilities now when just the girls are around, we'll be able to defend them twice as well."
"Okay... fine." Robin held up his hands, "I'll let Gar know that he'll be doing a little extra flying tomorrow."
"Thanks." Raven smiled slightly, "How's Roy?"
"Still embarrassed about getting caught with his pants down." Robin grinned, "I haven't stopped ribbing him yet."
"I bet Donna's having a field day too."
"Actually, Gar's been worse. Which is funny, since he's never been laid."
"Heh." Raven grinned as well, but stopped when her alarm clock started to vibrate dangerously. "Uh... shit." She squeezed her eyes shut, "I'm losing focus, Robin. I need to go."
Robin suddenly looked serious, "Okay. I'll talk to you again soon. Robin out."
Raven flipped her com unit shut, and took a few deep breaths. She'd been living too close to the edge of her emotions lately, trying to fit in with the other girls, and express how she felt to Speedy. It was getting dangerous. Sitting down on her bed, she folded her legs under herself and closed her eyes.
"Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos..."
By the next day, all of the girls were in higher spirits. As they walked down the path that led to the main gates of the school, they chatted and talked about what they were doing that day. As it was still officially a school day, they were all wearing their uniforms.
Janice spoke to Raven, "So what's Donna like?"
"I don't really know," Raven replied, "I've never actually met her."
"Wild." Becka finished digging through her purse, "Do you think two hundred is enough to accessorize with?"
"Do you have shoes yet?" Ami asked.
"No."
"Barely then." Jinx spoke up.
Becka sighed as they trooped up to where Ms. Veerlin was checking people out, "Hey Vee. Six for temporary parole."
Veerlin marked them down, "Just be careful out there, Miss Pullman. Keep your friends close, and don't go off alone at all."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Becka responded with a wink, "Cross my heart, hope to die."
"Let's not, actually." Jinx shoved the brown haired girl forward, "Onward!"
As they giggled and stepped outside, another two girls wearing the school uniform joined their group from where they had been casually leaning against the wall. Raven glanced over at the taller red head arrival next to her and blinked, "Wow, Kori. Went all out, huh?"
Starfire looked like every man's wet dream in a shorter-than-regulation skirt and tight button down shirt that threatened to burst because of her bust size. The blazer she wore was open in the front, and her black knee high socks did little to diminish the appeal of her long, well shaped legs. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail, and her brilliant green eyes were highlighted with slightly darker tones of makeup.
"Donna was kind enough to help. She said I would blend in flawlessly." Star smiled happily over at Donna, who was dressed in a similar fashion, except her black tresses were braided back into pig tails.
Raven glared, and Donna giggled.
"Oh yeah..." Ami rolled her eyes, "No one's going to notice that your boobs are ready to bust out of your shirt."
Starfire looked around at the other girls, then smiled happily, "Raven and Donna are experiencing much the same style dilemma. I do not believe I will stand out overly much."
Raven blushed as the other girls howled with laughter.
Westbrook Mall was full of girls in WJCIE uniforms, dashing from shop to shop, attempting to find the perfect dress, shoes, earrings or whatever else they needed for the dance the next day. The group of six girls from the second floor dorms, plus their two extra defenders were all currently in the spacious fitting area of one of the more upscale clothing stores. Jinx and Ami both still needed dresses, and the eight of them were taking the task of finding the right ones quite seriously.
"Damnit, Janice!" Raven scowled as she shoved the other girl away, "I am NOT your personal sex toy!"
"I'm just adjusting the corset!" the southern girl replied with a light giggle, "Your boobs weren't sitting right!"
"I know I need it for the strapless gown, Jan, but let me move my own boobs around and worry about lacing it up, please?"
"You're no fun."
As Raven rolled her eyes, Ami stepped out of a fitting both, and held her arms up above her head, modeling the dress she wore for her friends, "Eh?"
"Wow." Becka blinked.
"Holy shit, Ami. When'd you get hot?" Hanna blinked as well.
"Donna helped me pick it out." Ami winked at them as Donna stood by and beamed.
"Her breasts are really small, so I figured we should highlight her other assets. Ami is really toned, and she has a great stomach, so I figured this one would be good."
The dress in question was in two pieces. The skirt was slinky and black, with a long slit up one side that revealed one of her shapely legs. Her stomach was bare, and the top dropped just enough to cover her rib cage. It was black as well, with red embroidery swirled throughout in a gothic pattern.
Janice glanced over from where she was tightening the laces on Raven's corset, "We could do a little body paint... a sunburst around your belly button or something."
"Yeah!" Becka clapped once, "That'd be cool!"
"Sweet." Ami grinned, "I have my dress. Jenny!" she knocked on the door of the booth next to hers, "You almost ready?"
"I'm not sure about this..." Jinx replied through the door, "I've always been more of a pink and black kind of girl..."
"Jenny..." Raven rolled her eyes, "Just show us."
Starfire walked over and opened the stall door, peeking in. She gasped, "Oh my! You look beautiful!" As she stepped back and opened the door the rest of the way, Jinx stepped out.
The dress she wore was a pure ivory color, thin straps holding it up on her shoulders, and flowing waves of fabric pouring down to the floor. The hem only fell to her knees in the front, but the back fell out like a train. The neck line dipped, revealing just the top of her breasts. "Hanna..." she looked nervous, "I don't know..."
"It's... angelic." Becka whispered, "Jenny... you look wonderful."
"Greg is gonna flip when he sees you. He'll cream his pants right there." Ami nodded.
Hanna bustled forward in a serious manner, "It's not quite right yet, girls. Here." she stood in front of Jinx and lifted the other girls chin up. Tugging on the neck line a little, she frowned when it didn't move. Reaching up, she shoved the thin straps down, so they fell off of Jinx's shoulders, then tugged on the neckline again, dropping it a bit more so that the full roundness of Jinx's breasts could be seen. "Better."
Jinx turned and looked in a mirror, then sighed and smiled, "Okay... I look a little bit more like a slut now. Thanks."
The six other girls groaned as Jinx and Hanna both turned to them with arched eyebrows and said in unison, "What?"
As Raven was being rung up for her purchases, she happened to glance over at the intimate section of the women's clothing store they were in and saw a head of long white hair bobbing along. She finished quickly and moved over with her bag to see if her suspicion was correct.
As she rounded one of the racks, she found she was right. Rose was leaned forward, inspecting the pattern on a rather lacey, barely there bra. She straightened when she sensed a presence and looked over at Raven.
"Miss Roth." she nodded, "How can I help you?"
"Just seeing what you were up to." Raven nodded at the bra, "I'd go to Victoria Secret. They have better stuff."
"Mmm." Rose nodded, then smiled lightly, "Are you having fun?"
"As much as I can when I'm trying to keep track of a girl who's a target for every big name assassin in the world right now."
"Good." the white haired girl looked away and her smile turned sad, "I'm... glad you're enjoying yourself now."
"Are you implying that I wont be having any fun later?" Raven arched an eyebrow.
"Raven..." Rose stepped forward and took the other girls hand, holding it tightly, "Watch over them... don't let them suffer any more then they have to."
"Rose, what are you-"
"Shh..." Rose put a finger to her lips, then stepped away, "Be on your guard tomorrow, Raven. I've seen Death, and it will be... horrific."
"You have to tell me what you've seen, Rose."
"I can't. I can't explain it." Rose shook her head, "I just know." she stepped away and turned around. She called over her shoulder as she walked away, "Good day, Miss Roth."
Raven watched her leave with a frown on her face, then went back to join the group of girls she was shopping with.
Later, the girls were trying to find the right shoes for their dresses. Becka seemed to be having the most trouble, but Janice insisted it was just because she was too picky.
Hanna was inspecting a pair of three inch heals she was wearing, trying to match their color to her dress from memory, when a shadow fell over her. Looking up, she saw the nasty smirk of Ginger Hammilton.
"Hiya, Ginger." Hanna smiled back in a nasty manner, "Have you found another scrap of cloth to try and pass off as a dress for this year's dance yet?"
"Hanna, Hanna, Hanna..." Ginger let her two cronies crowd in around the blonde girl, "Why do you even try to find shoes that look good on your ugly little feet?"
"I have very cute feet, thank you." Hanna kicked off the heals and wiggled her toes at Ginger, "See? I could be a foot modal."
Ginger stomped on her foot.
Hanna hissed in pain, but refused to cry out, "That... wasn't very nice."
"Where's Jenny Wrangler now, Hanna? Where's your horde of friends to save you? I owe you for when you shoved me in the locker room."
Hanna's eyes grew wide as Ginger leaned in, but just as the taller girl was about to raise her hand, she stumbled forward. Long black hair fell past her face, and Donna leaned on her back, "What's the huddle for, girls?"
"Who the hell are you? Get off of me!" Ginger shoved at Donna, but she didn't even budge.
"Let me think about that..." Donna thought for a second, "No. See, Hanna here is a friend of mine, and I don't really think you're being too nice."
"Who the hell are you?"
"Donna Troy, at your service. I'm a friend of Hanna's from out of town. Just in to help her shop today."
"Get off of me!"
"Okay!" Donna stood up and yanked Ginger back with her, pulling the slightly shorter girl off her feet. It was only then that Hanna realized Donna was almost six feet tall.
Shaking Ginger once, Donna let her go and shoved her a little ways away, "Don't mess with my friends. Especially not Hanna." She glared and scowled her best Amazon Warrior scowl, "Get lost, bitch."
Ginger and her two cronies fled.
Hanna looked up at Donna with wide eyes, then covered her mouth and stumbled to her feet, dashing off to the bathrooms in the back of the store.
Donna stepped into the woman's rest room and walked right to the stall she heard the sounds of sickness coming from. Opening the door, she walked in and helped Hanna to sit up, then held her hair and rubbed her back as she threw up again.
After a moment of heaving, Hanna finally settled back into Donna's arms, sobbing, "I'm sorry... I'm not usually so..."
"Your hormones are all messed up right now." Donna pulled some toilet paper off the roll and dabbed at Hanna's mouth, cleaning away a bit of spittle, "The stress of the encounter just threw you for a loop."
"So you know? About how I... I'm..."
"Yes, I know."
"Oh." Hanna sighed, "You don't seem too... upset by it."
"Why should I be? I was barely a year older than you are now when I got pregnant." Donna hugged her tighter, then relaxed.
"You have a baby?"
"Little Robert is with his father for right now, but yes, I gave birth to a wonderful little boy."
"With your body? Never would have guessed it." Hanna struggled to sit up, and Donna helped her, laughing the whole time.
"Well, I keep in shape. When you used to be called Wonder Girl, people kind of expect you to look... wonderful."
"You were Wonder Girl?" Hanna sounded incredulous, "So... you know Wonder Woman?"
"Mmhm." Donna nodded, "I live with her, actually."
"Wow..." They stopped at the sinks, and Hanna took a moment to wash out her mouth, and clean her hands. Donna watched her for a little while, then spoke again.
"Don't be ashamed of it, Hanna. This child... it will be the greatest adventure of you life. I've fought monsters of myth, been to different planets, seen the end of the universe, and known some of the most extraordinary people ever to exist... but none of it compares to the experience of holding your child in your arms for the first time."
Hanna smiled at her, "Thanks, Donna."
"Any time, Hanna. Any time."
As the group of eight girls reached the school gates on their return trip, Donna and Starfire passed out hugs all around, "We'll be around." Donna winked at Becka.
"You may not see us, but we will be nearby." Starfire nodded with a large smile, "If I don't miss my guess, none of you noticed Beast Boy all day."
"Gar was around?" Hanna perked up.
"He was a mouse or a spider most of the time, but yeah, he was there." Raven nodded, "He's going off shift in about an hour."
"Oh." Hanna blushed, "Do you think... he might have time to talk a little?"
Starfire smiled kindly, "Garfield still has work to do back at the Tower. I am sorry, Hanna."
"So'kay." Hanna smiled back, "I'll catch up with him when this is all over."
"I think he would like that very much." Star hugged her once more, "We will see each other again soon."
Goodbyes were said, and the girls separated. Donna and Starfire walked off down the street, chatting about something and giggling, and the six other girls walked back into the school grounds, past the gates.
Ms. Veerlin was there, checking people back in, "I see you made it back in one piece, ladies."
"Several hundred dollars short, but yeah." Becka sighed, "Daddy's gonna kill me when he finds out how much those shoes cost me."
Everyone laughed as Becka sighed once again and kicked at the ground.
Later that night, a knock sounded on Raven and Jinx's door. Jinx was laying on her bed, actually trying to read her chemistry text, and Raven was floating over her bed, meditating. Slowly, the dark haired Titan lowered down until she was sitting, then called out without opening her eyes, "Come in."
The door opened and admitted Becka, who smiled nervously at the two of them, "Um... hi."
"What is it, Becka?" Raven asked, still not opening her eyes, "I sense great trepidation in you."
"I just... wanted to say thanks... you know, for protecting me and stuff."
"It's our job, hun." Jinx winked at her, "We may take it seriously, but you've all become really good friends. It's a pleasure."
"Well... is there anything I can do tomorrow to make things easier for you two?"
"Aside from not going to the dance?" Raven opened one eye and looked hopeful.
"Get real, Cassie."
"Fine, fine." Raven opened her other eye and took on a serious expression, "Stay away form windows and doors, and stay close to Chad at all times. I'll be around, searching out hostile presences, and Jenny will be leading her date around by the nose, staying close to you in case you need her. Try to enjoy yourself, but don't sneak off anywhere with Chad."
"Heh... okay." Becka blushed a little and nodded, "We'll be good."
"Good." Raven closed her eyes again and went back to her meditation.
Becka looked at her for a moment, like she expected more, but when nothing else was forthcoming, she shrugged and looked over at Jinx.
Jinx stared back for a second, them smiled lightly, "Get some sleep, Becka. Big day tomorrow and all that."
"Yeah... goodnight you two!" and she backed out of the room and shut the door.
Raven opened her eyes again and locked her violet orbs with Jinx's pink ones, "I'm worried."
"Rose's predictions are about the future, Raven. The future is fluid, and can change. We'll stop any punks that try to hurt anyone."
"Still... I have a bad feeling."
"Well, stop. We'll be fine."
Raven nodded and closed her eyes again. Try as she might though, she couldn't quite find the focus for meditation again that night.
The next morning, Jinx was awoken by a light shove on her shoulder.
"Hrmph?" She rolled over and glared with blurry eyes at the dark haired girl leaning over her, "What is it Cassie?"
"I'm going to get some breakfast. You need to be awake to look after Becka."
"She'll be fine for a half hour while you get some food." Jinx rolled back over.
"Jenny..." Raven's voice held a warning tone.
"Fine... fine..." Jinx slowly turned and threw her legs out of bed, "I'm up."
Raven didn't reply, but she glared and left the room with a flip of her hair.
Jinx flopped back down and moaned.
Raven ate quickly, not trusting Jinx to stay awake for more than six seconds after she left. They'd have to work on her sleeping habits if she was going to be a Titan after this mission was over-
Setting her fork down quickly and forgetting about her eggs for a moment, Raven sat back and sighed. Jinx had become a close friend, and had definitely turned over a new leaf, but it wasn't even 100 that she would be paroled after the mission ended. Even if she was, there was no guarantee that she would want to join the Titans. Getting her hopes up would just disappoint her if things didn't work out like she wanted.
"I need to stop wanting and hoping for anything..." Raven muttered to herself. Wants and hopes led to over emotional reactions to things, and she couldn't allow herself that luxury. Not at the moment anyway. Not for the first time, she clenched her fists at her sides and whispered, "Damn you, Father."
Without finishing her breakfast, Raven stood up and left the cafeteria.
Upon returning to the second floor of the dorms, Raven was baffled to see Hanna sitting on the couch, with Janice sitting on the floor in front of her. The blonde was doing her friends hair in an elegent, formal style.
"What in the seven hells are you two doing?" Raven asked with a light laugh.
"Hanna does everyone's hair every year." Janice replied, "Maggie is stopping by this year as well, and I was thinking of asking Rose if she needed anything done with hers."
"But..." Raven checked the clock on the wall, "it's only 9:00!"
Hanna snorted, "I have six, possibially seven girls to get done today, plus my own hair, and then we all have to get compleatly ready to go with a four person washroom." she shook her head, "I should have started at 7:00."
Raven shook her head, "You don't need to do my hair, or Jenny's-"
"Shut up, Cassie." Hanna grinned, "I hate to tell you, but you or all people need a different hair style for the dress you have. And Jen needs hers up for that wonderful dress she has too."
Raven frowned, "What's wrong with my hair?" She pulled out a black lock and looked at it.
"It's so straight!" Janice smiled up at her, "You need... crimping."
"Stop being gay." Hanna tugged on Janice's hair and she winced, "Crimping is... we're not going there. Cassie, you need curls, or an up-do. I'm thinking the later, because I don't think I'm getting a curling iron anywhere near your head without you sending me back to that cold dark hell you call a teleportation power."
"Good call." Raven deadpaned, "Where is Jenny?"
Hanna looked up at her and grinned, "With Becka, just like you asked her to be."
As Raven stepped into Hanna and Becka's room, she almost gagged, "Holy shit..." she took a step back out, "Open a window or something!"
Jinx, Becka and Ami all looked up from where they were spread throughout the room, applying nail polish to toes and fingers. Ami blinked, "It's not that bad, Cassie."
"Well, her room back at the Tower smells like Nag Champa incense, and dried rose petals," Jinx grinned, "so I can see how she's not used to nail polish."
"Okay..." Raven stepped away from the door, "I'm going to get ready in my own room... Becka, stop by in a little while. I have something for you."
"Okay..." Becka looked over at Jinx, who shrugged. The three girls went back to their painting and chatting.
Several hours later, Raven was in her room, laying out her dress. Her hair was done up in an elegant looking twirl of ebony, revealing her long neck and high cheekbones in more detail. She glanced in the wall mirror and smiled a little. Hanna really knew how to make her... pretty.
A knock at the door drew her attention away from the mirror, and she called out, "Come in!"
Becka stepped in, her own hair recently done in curls and pulled back to showcase her pretty face, "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes. Come over here." Raven led her to the nightstand next to the bed she slept in, and opened her jewelry box. Taking out her T-Comp, she set it aside, and lifted the bottom of the box out. Reaching down inside, she pulled out a thin silver chain that held a carved runic amulet, also made of silver. It seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, and it swayed gently, even though Raven wasn't moving her hand.
"This is the mark or Odin." the dark haired Titan explained, "It's a protective charm, that will provide a modicum of protection and luck, as long as you wear it."
"Wow... um... okay." Becka reached for it, but Raven held it away from her.
"I know it doesn't match the rest of your accessories, Becka, but I want you to wear it anyway." she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her friend's neck, latching the clasp of the chain there as she did, "Vestivus an mal chamra... vestivus an mer kohl."
"What..." Becka whispered, not wanting to interrupt.
"A protection charm as well, asking the spirits to watch over you." Raven hugged her, and dropped a lingering kiss on her forehead. She muttered in a quite voice, "I have a... bad feeling about tonight, Becka. I want you to be very careful. These are all the protection I can give you to carry with you."
"I will, Cassie... I..." she paused, "Raven... thank you."
Raven just nodded and turned back to her preparations.
Becka backed out of the room, and closed the door quietly, letting the other young woman be in peace.
The girls assembled in the lobby of the girls dorms at 6:30 pm to wait for their dates (those of them that had dates anyway). Raven smoothed out a few wrinkles in her slinky red gown, and shoved at one of the off-the-shoulder folds of fabric. The corset was pushing her breasts up to never before seen heights of cleavage, and the sparkly fabric shimmered as she turned to take in the rest of her friends.
Ami was in her hot little two piece number, her hair falling to her shoulders in fiery red curls. Next to her was Jinx, her blonde hair up behind her head in a sloppy looking bun sort of curl, and her pale, slightly slutty angelic dress swaying about her hips. Next was Janice, her low cut blue dress swaying about and her hips moving in time with a light tune she was humming. Her dark brown hair had been simply blown dry straight, so if fell down across one shoulder, and was pushed back on the other side.
Becka wore a sky blue gown that barely showed the tops of her breasts, and was held around her shoulders. Even though it was simple, it was elegant, and Becka made it look wonderful. Her hair was up, and the amulet that Raven had given her shown in the artificial light. Hanna stood next to her in a black dress with gothic red patters woven all the way from hem to neckline. It had spaghetti straps, and seemed to accent everything about her now curly blonde hair and worried blue eyes. She ran a hand over her stomach and glanced down nervously.
Raven rolled her eyes, "Stop doing that, Hanna." she murmured aside to the other girl, "You're only a week or so along. You wont start showing for months yet."
"I'm just nervous." Hanna bit back, "Can't you... eat my nervousness or something?"
"I don't like to drain peoples emotions unless I have to." Raven frowned back, "Do me a favor tonight?"
"Sure." Hanna nodded.
"If something happens, and some heavy shit goes down... stay out of it. Don't... just stay hidden, and keep safe."
"Cassie? Do you think-"
"I don't know. It's just... a feeling." Raven turned and looked at the stairs, "Maggie looks good."
Hanna looked over and smiled. Maggie still wore her wire framed glasses, but her normally straight blonde hair had been swept up into a wonderful twist on top of her head. Her dress was pale pink, and was slit up one side to her knee, showing off a rather toned leg for someone who seemed so un-athletic.
"Sorry I'm late guys... needed to get into this stupid heals." Maggie grinned, "But damn to I look good."
"You sure do." Jinx clapped her hands together, "Let's get outside then girls! Those of us with dates would like to meet them!"
The girls caught up to their dates just outside of the cafeteria, which had been converted into a restaurant style dinner hall with catered food from some of the swankiest places in town. Raven, Janice, Ami and Hanna all hung back as Becka, Jinx and Maggie all girl stepped up to their boys.
"Hey there, sexy!" Jinx wrapped her arms around Greg Collmen's neck. She pecked him on the cheek, and grinned at him, "You like?"
Greg obviously worked out, and looked good in his black tux, "I really like. Damn am I glad you came to this school..."
"I bet you are. Eyes up dear." Jinx winked at him when he blushed and looked up at her face.
Becka giggled at their exchanged and put her hand in that of her boyfriend. He kissed her knuckles, and smiled at her, "Hey."
"Hey yourself." Becka smiled widely and kissed him gently, "You look hot."
"You too." Chad put an arm around her waist, "Ready to eat?"
"Yeah." Becka looked like she was in her own little world.
Maggie stood next to Gregory Vaugn and smiled at the procedings. He took her hand a moment later and she blushed, looking up at him. Without saying a word, he smiled and led her into the cafeteria.
Ami sighed and Hanna put an arm around her shoulders. Raven looked over at Janice, and sighed as well.
The dark haired southerner was staring at her pushed up breasts, "Gawd I want to fuck you."
"Christ almighty, Jan..." Raven rolled her eyes, grabbed the other girls arm, and dragged her (giggling) to get a table.
The group arranged themselves at two of the six seat tables. The couples took one, the six of them sitting around it and chatting in an animated fashion, while the four single girls took another to themselves. Hanna wolfed down food in her usual manner, and Ami picked at hers, not seeming to be that hungry. Janice ate quietly, smiling at various friends, and waving at people around the room.
Raven, for her part, didn't even touch her food. She was alrenetly watching Becka, and staring off out one of the windows, thinking about her own boyfriend.
"Roy..." she muttered.
"So," Ami poked her in the arm, "You guys did have sex again the other night, didn't you?"
Raven blushed a little and nodded, "On the beach."
"Sexy." Janice winked.
"I've never understood how people do that without getting sand in uncomfortable places." Hanna put in between mouthfuls of food.
"You don't really notice the sand, trust me." Raven smiled a little, then looked over at Becka and Chad again. She frowned.
"Is something wrong, Cassie?" Janice asked softly.
"I've just got this bad feeling." Raven shook her head, "Like something horrible is going to happen." Scanning the room quickly, she found Rose sitting at a table with several other girls and a few guys, eating quietly and smiling in a pleasant manner. She was dressed in a silvery gown, and her white hair fell loose like it always did.
"Maybe it'll just be another guy trying to rape me." Hanna said from across the table.
"Don't joke about that." Ami scowled, "Hanna, you-"
"I know." Hanna looked away, "Just trying some humor therapy."
"It wasn't funny." Ami looked away too.
"Chill, you guys." Janice reached out and grabbed both of their hands, "We're suppose to be having fun! Now come on; let's play The Game."
Ami and Hanna both brightened up and Raven suddenly felt worried, "The Game?" she queried.
"It's the same one we play every year at the dance." Hanna replied with a grin, "Since all the girls tend to let their hair down a little and um... let it all hang out as it were, we can get a better look at their boobs."
Ami continued, "Especially in formal wear, it's really easy to tell who has augmentation, and who doesn't."
"For example," Janice pointed at Raven's chest, "100, baby never going hungry, want to lick your nipples real."
"Fuckin' hell, Janice!" Ami laughed into the water glass she was trying to drink from.
Janice grinned, and pointed across the room at Ginger Hammilton, "Pumped full of silicon, three dollar bill, still wouldn't mind licking the nipples on that bitch, fake."
Hanna giggled and looked around, "How about Cissy Springfield?"
The other three girls looked over and inspected her for a moment. "Fake." Hanna decreed.
"Fake." Ami agreed.
"I'm going with real." Janice said after a moment.
"Cassie?" Ami arched an eyebrow at her.
"Actually," Raven smirked, "They're real."
"Did you like, read her mind or something?" Hanna grinned.
"Or something." Raven smiled back, "You guys should listen to Janice... she is after all, a boob girl."
Cyborg took a huge bite out of his ham sandwich and chewed noisily as he gazed out over the campus of WJCIE. Students in formal wear walked about, laughing and having a good time. His electronic eye zoomed in on the group of people he was keeping track of as they walked out of the cafeteria and headed for the gym, which had been turned into a dance hall.
The robotic Titan frowned when his eye locked on Jinx. She was hanging on the arm of a good looking guy, pressing her body against him and laughing. She looked like she was having a great time.
"Damnit, why should I care?" he muttered, and his eye zoomed back out. Angrily, be hurled his sandwich away form himself and sulked. "Stupid... witch."
A bleeping from his arm startled him in the silence of early evening. Looking at the com link read out, he answered, "Go ahead, Robin."
"Just checking in. How're things?"
"Quiet. How about you guys?"
"Speedy is on the west side of campus, and I'm up north. We've got nothing."
"Hopefully Raven's bad feeling means nothing."
"Keep your eyes open anyway." Robin sounded stressed, "I don't like all the confusion down there... to easy for an assassin to slip in."
"I hear that." Cyborg nodded, "Talk to you later, Robbie."
"Yeah. Robin out."
As he lowered his arm, Cyborg heard a whistle behind him. Whirling around and lifting his arm, he prepared to turn it into the sonic cannon.
He never got the chance. A magnetic metal device clamped onto his chest, and went off with a flash of blue electricity. Cy went stiff, his red eye went out, and his blue parts powered down to gray. He fell to the roof top, a deactivated hunk of metal.
Two metal plated boots marched up next to his head, and a man's voice snorted. He spoke into a communicator a moment later, "This is DS. The Tin Man is neutralized."
Once inside the dance hall, Jinx immediately dragged Greg to the floor. Brown Eyed Girl was playing, and they started dancing along with the rest of the students crowding the floor. She giggled as he sang along in her ear.
"You my... pink eyed girl!"
Wrapping her arms around him, she swayed with in time with the motion of his body, letting him lead her in a semi-swing style. She reveled in it, and threw away her inhibitions as she danced.
Still, she looked past his shoulder every so often, and checked to see if Becka was still dancing with Chad a little ways away.
Robin narrowed his eyes to the east and looked around the building there. No tale tell glint of steel, or the flash of a red optic sensor. Cyborg was no where to be seen.
"Hmm." He pulled out his T-Comp and flipped it open, "Robin to Cyborg. Respond."
Silence greeted him, and he frowned deeper, "Cyborg, respond!" Still nothing.
Switching call buttons, Robin spoke again, "Robin to Speedy. Hey, have you-"
The Boy Wonder was cut off as a staff slammed across the back of his skull. Falling to the ground in a daze, he still had enough sense to roll out of the way as the staff made a follow up attack at the ground where he'd just been. Climbing up to shaky feet, Robin pulled his own staff out. "Who the hell-"
A shrunken buried it's self in his left arm, and he shouted in pain. Turning, he saw all seven assassins in black ninja garb, and standing before them as their leader, Shrike.
"How'd you get out so..." Robin's eyes went wide, "The League of Assassins."
"We take care of our own." Shrike grinned, "Fortunately for you, I've been ordered to leave you alive. You're not the target here, Wonder Boy."
"I'm not letting you off this roof top, Shrike." Robin extended his staff and took up a fighting stance.
"Have it your way, Freddy." Shrike pulled out a sword, "Attack!" he ordered, and the ninjas charged.
Raven had made the rounds on the outskirts of the dance twice before she decided to take a seat next to the wall and watch the entrance for a little while. She saw Ami sandwiched between two young men, who looked more than happy to have her there. Janice was dancing by herself, but would occasionally join another guy or girl for a few moments. Hanna sat a little ways away, sipping on punch and tapping her foot in time with the music.
Jinx, Becka and Maggie were off somewhere dancing with their dates, the rest of the girls were having fun (except Hanna, but she was still shying away from male human contact, so that wasn't surprising.) and here she was, playing wall flower.
"Wonder if Roy would come if I called him?" she muttered to herself.
"Who's Roy?" Raven looked up to see the silvery dress and white hair of Rose Wilson as the girl stepped up in front of her. She smiled as she took the seat next to Raven and leaned in so she didn't have to shout, "Boyfriend?"
"Yes, actually." Raven replied, "Speedy."
"The archer? Green Arrow's sidekick?"
"He hasn't been a sidekick for years."
"I see." Rose smiled wider, "You miss him?"
"I do. It's been hard trying to not think about him and concentrate on the mission."
"I can see that." Rose's smile slipped a little, "I've never had a boyfriend."
"Pretty girl like you?" Raven smiled at her, "Any particular reason?"
"I've moved around a lot, and my Father... he wouldn't approve of any boys I don't think."
"I see. Your father. The man who's not very nice."
"He's not." Rose looked away, and they sat in silence for a few moments.
"Hey! Look at this, Ron!" a young man came swaggering up to them from the crowd. His tie was already loosened, and his shirt was rumpled, "Two hot girls, and two of us!"
His friend, Ron, walked up behind him and leered at Raven, "Cassie Roth, right? I like your dress."
"You like my boobs." Raven rolled her eyes.
"Can't deny it!" Ron replied with a laugh.
The other young man leaned in and dripped sweat from his brown on Rose's dress, "How would you two beautiful ladies like us to show you a good time on the dance floor?"
Rose looked over at Raven with an annoyed glance, "Cassandra, we have a problem. There don't seem to be any men here to dance with. Just silly little boys. Perhaps we should simply dance together?"
"I think that would make Janice's night." Raven smiled as the two of them stood up, "Shall we?"
"Mmm." Rose nodded and they walked to the dance floor, past the two young men who watched them go with startled looks on their faces. As soon as the two girls reached the floor, the song changed and Nobody's Real by Powerman 5000 came on. They both grinned as the chorus hit, and threw their arms over their heads, bumping hips and moving about in the most seductive manner they could. As the floor jumped, they jumped, and Raven finally let herself go, and started to enjoy the night.
Hanna chuckled as she watched Rose and Raven start to dance even closer together out on the floor. Those two would have every guy in the place going wild before the night was over.
As she took a sip of her punch, a young man broke away from the crowd of students and walked over to her. She looked up into the eyes of a fellow senior named Howard Turndale. He knelt down in front of her and spoke, "Hey, Hanna. What're you doing over here all alone like this?"
She opened her mouth and almost sloshed her drink. He was so close to her... a boy hadn't been this close to her since... since...
"Um... I'm... just resting is all. I think I might be getting a bug or something."
"Oh, that's too bad. Well, would it be okay if I sat with you until you're feeling better? I have a slot open on my dance card for you... I've uh..." he blushed a little, "Been working up the courage all night to ask you."
Hanna's heart was pounding in her chest, "Uh... that's sweet, Howard... I'd really... like that, and-"
"Are you okay?" he looked concened and reached out a hand to feel her head, "You look warm-"
"Don't!" she screamed and swatted his hand away, "Don't touch me! I-" she covered her mouth with one hand and looked away as her eyes teared up, "Oh God... I'm sorry, Howard. I have to go."
Howard stood back and watched with a bewildered expression as she stood up and ran for the doors.
Speedy looked at his T-Comp funny as it crackled with static, "Come again, Robin, you got cut off." When no response came, he looked up to the North, "Robin! What's going on?"
Suddenly, and arrow stuck in the roof top in front of him. Speedy's eyes grew wide when he saw the glowing golden tip of the particle detonation device attached to it.
Hurling himself back as the roof top exploded, the red clad archer tucked his communicator away and rolled out of his dive with his own bow out and an arrow drawn. His eyes widened again as he saw another arrow coming in, directly for his head this time. He fired his own, and the two met in mid air, resulting in an explosion large enough to blow him back off his feet and over the edge of the building.
Falling twenty feet, Speedy did his best to buckle his legs and roll out as he hit the next rooftop down on the tall building he was on. Landing on his back out of the roll, the archer looked up and saw a man leaning over the edge of the roof he'd just been on.
The assassin was wearing all black, and had pale skin and a black goatee. He was pointing a black bow down at Speedy, an arrow knocked and a sinister grin on his face.
"Merlyn..." Speedy breathed, and hurled himself to the side again as the evil archers arrow slammed into the rooftop where his head had been a moment before. Yanking free his communicator again, Speedy shouted into a network wide frequency, "Titans! Trouble! Merlyn is attacking me, which means the League of Assassins is probably already here! We have to-"
The T-Comp was blasted from his hand by a sharp arrow, and pinned to the roof. Quickly drawing an arrow of his own, Speedy whirled around and drew a bead on the assassin archer. He let fly and watched with grim resolved as the arrow flew on it's accurate course-
And Merlyn ducked it. Coming up with his own arrow drawn, he fired and Speedy jerked as the Cryogenic detonation encased him in a block of ice. He fell to the roof top, a look of pain and shock etched on his frozen face.
The black clad archer jumped down to where Speedy was and inspected him for a second, then stood up and pulled out a com unit of his own, "Merlyn to all agents. Green Arrow's brat has been neutralized.
"The Bat Boy is down for the count too." Shrike's voice said over the line.
"I've got the troops in position now, Merlyn." came the voice of another of his associates, "Just give the word."
"Standby." and the black archer walked to the side of the building and jumped off.
Raven stepped outside into the cool night air, and sighed with a smile. Rose sure knew how to be wild. They'd practically been freaking in the middle of the floor before they'd decided to take a break. Now she was sweating, smiling and wondering if she could sneak off to have a quickie with her boyfriend before anyone knew she was gone.
"Wish I had my com." she muttered and looked up at the cloudy sky. Her sinking, worried feeling returned, and she looked back down just in time to see Hanna walking up to her.
"Hey." the blonde girl said.
"Hey." Raven frowned, noticing the tear tracks marring the other girls make-up. "What's wrong?"
"I..." Hanna smiled weakly, "I though I could do this, but... Cassie... I can't even be near a guy without my pulse going up, and I feel sick, and-"
"It's okay, Hanna." Raven reached out and hugged her, and Hanna sniffled into her shoulder, "Do you want me to walk with you back to the dorms?"
"No... stay here and have some fun... I'm just going to go watch some TV and wait up for you guys."
"Okay, hun. We'll come back early, I promise." Raven let her go, and wiped away a few tears before letting her walk off.
"Where's Hanna going?" Janice asked as she stepped out the door next to Raven.
"She's having trouble with the large crowd and all the boys in there being too close to her... I promised her we'd make it back to the dorm early enough to stay up for a little while with her."
"Definitely." Janice nodded, then grinned a little, "Though, she never has a problem letting Beast Boy hug her..."
"Phfftt." Raven couldn't help it. She laughed. "That's true... never thought I'd see the day when Gar would make a girl feel safe and loved."
"So..." Janice slung an arm around her shoulder and turned her back towards the dance hall, "You'll get freaky with Rose in public but not me? What's up with that?"
"Oh boy... Janice, I don't want to make out with you on the dance floor."
"Who said make out with me? I'll be happy if you just put your hand on my ass and let me rub by breasts against yours."
"Could you be any hornier?"
"Maybe. Let's find out."
As they walked back in, another fast tune started, and Janice pulled on Raven's arm, "Come on! This one's perfect!"
"Okay! Just-" Raven suddenly gasped and looked to her left. There she saw Rose clutching her head and staring at the door with wide eyes. The world seemed to fade a little then, and all she could hear was a high pitched whine coming from no where.
Everything snapped back into focus all at once, and Raven became aware of Rose grabbing people and yanking them away from the closed doors that led outside. She was shouting as she shoved students around,
"Get back! Get away before-"
The doors exploded in, knocking the white haired girl away from them. She slid back until she ended up at Raven and Janice's feet, and they helped her up quickly. The three of them stared in abject horror as a squad of what looked like black clad Navy Seals stormed into the room and opened up with their SMGs on the DJ booth. The speakers and boards exploded into showers of sparks and the DJ himself jerked spasmodically as the bullets ripped into his body.
Looking back to the door, Raven saw a large man follow the team of gun men in. He was wearing a red body suit, and had a shiny silver helmet on, with an aiming device over his right eye. Strange looking arm cannons were clamped onto his wrists, and he pointed the guns right into the crowd of students as he stopped next to his men.
"Deadshot." Raven and Rose said in unison, then grabbed Janice and forced her to the floor as the expert marksman opened fire. Blood splattered, kids screamed and the assassin laughed.
Raven's face was grim as she and Rose looked at each other, "Is this your target?" Raven asked her.
"No... but he might know who I am."
"Then stay back, and keep as many kids safe as you can." Raven stood up, "I need to get some things." and she vanished in a cloud of blackness.
"Raven..." Rose muttered, and Janice started crying. As the gunfire continued, the silver haired girl pulled her dress up, and shrugged out of it, revealing the combat fatigues she wore underneath it, and a black tank top with a cut slightly lower than her dress had been. Reaching behind herself, she pulled out a long combat knife and placed a hand on Janice's head, "Don't worry... I'll make sure they don't hurt anyone else." And she dashed off to flank the gunmen.
Janice whimpered, then her eyes went wide, "Becka!" she breathed. Turning around and diving into the crowd, she began her search for her friend, hoping beyond hope that the Titans showed up soon.
Closing Notes: I know in the opening I said I always do this, but this time I really think I will get the next chapter out faster. I always write action faster, and the next few chappies should be like, ALL action. It's gonna get a little dark, and people are going to die, so just hang on, and pray for your favorite cast members. I'll be knocking off several of them in the first thousand words of the next chapter. Heh. I'm so bad.