Céad Míle Fáilte, my friends.
Okay, wow, I was gonna post this weekend, but a certain review informed me to do otherwise. Sorry, but I have a saying to pass on: When life's a bitch, slap her and carry on. It's so cool; I just made it up on the spot! It has no relevance whatsoever, though. Life is just a rollercoaster right now, so hang on with me and we'll make it to the end of the ride, yay!
Rose – Okay, I'm posting a new chapter in your name! Hold back that angry mob; I bring ample servings of cheesecake and cookies! I have chocolate cheesecake, white chocolate cheesecake, key-lime cheesecake, New York-style cheesecake, finale cheesecake, etc, as well as cookies, your choice. And let me get this straight: you want me to make outtakes? I tried something different. Look at the bottom. And I think you're really going to like an upcoming character.
RavenlovesBB – Sweety, you and your friends review all you want. Have some of Rose's cheesecake, even. Oh, and here's my random comment to you: 'The gum stopped the wheel and now astronomy's a bum!' I'm glad you like the story! You rock!
DarkElf6 – I'm glad you like the poem sweetie! Don't you just love man-bashing? Haha, I'm just kidding. Guys are way cool.
Free-Desert-Wind – Yeah, he reminds me of Lockhart, too, now that you pointed it out. Huh, I always mentally compared him to Hugh Grant in the Bridget Jones movies. And thank you for telling me my portrayal of Raven is very good. I wasn't so sure she was living up to her character, but you made me feel so much better!
To Rachel, Scathac's warrior, Wrathclyde, DarkWindingRose, Takimiromy, and TDG3RD for the wonderful support, James bashing, and Gar cheering! You guys rock my socks!
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Nope, not at all. Never ever ever. Isn't even a glimmer of possibility. Na-ah. (ARE YOU HAPPY?)
Ch. 7: Backfire
Vesper picked up the phone. She put it down. She picked it up again…and put it down. And then she stared at for a good five minutes. Before long she was tapping her foot on the tile floor, folding her arms, and mentally praying the phone would just burst into flames before she had the chance to grab it. But it didn't. And so, with no choices left, she picked it up and dialed his cell.
One ring – She wanted to hang up so badly…
Two rings – Was he ever going to answer?
Three rings – Jesus, this anticipation was bad for the heart.
Four rings – "Hello?"
Vesper blinked rapidly, then realizing she had stopped breathing, and inhaled, completely forgetting Gar.
"Uh, hel-lo?"
"Oh, uh, Gar?" Vesper gasped out quickly. Her nerves were frayed. She needed to calm down. "Hi, how are you?" She inwardly wanted to punch herself now.
"Vesper?" His voice was that of one who was surprised and maybe a bit nervous. Hearing his voice and almost sensing his anxiety cooled her down. At least she wasn't the only one uneasy here. She cleared her throat.
"Yeah, Gar," she returned to her monotone. "It's me. Can we talk?"
"Yeah, sure –" Gar was cut off forcefully and she heard what sounded like a crash in the background. It followed with an 'oomph!' on his part and some heavy breathing when he brought the phone back to his ear. "Sorry, tripped."
Vesper rolled her eyes. "Then I suggest you sit down."
"Uh…I was."
If it were possible for little sweatdrops to appear on the backs of people's heads, she'd have an enormous one dangling next to her throbbing temple. "Listen, Gar, I need your help."
His voice automatically switched to concern. "Why, what's wrong?"
She sighed, a little hesitant. "It's just... Well, to put it bluntly, it's James."
"Say what?" Gar cried out. "What'd he do to you? I swear, if he hurt you, I'll –"
"You'd what?" she asked with intrigue, raising an eyebrow. "Look, Garfield, all I need to know is this: are you free in two nights?"
She told him everything. She told him about how she and James met in the hospital and how she had work there again starting on the thirtieth, but that was irrelevant. She told him about their relationship, up to the very end, and then added that, oh, by-the-way, he-knows-who-I-am comment, which gave her a big, whooping, "WHAT!" from her confidant. Gar agreed to aid her immediately and without reservation, which brought a spark of hope in her soul.
"Thanks, Gar," she said, reaching the end of their conversation. "This means a lot to me. Really, it does."
"Ah, anything for you, Rae," he said modestly, then added before she could respond. "Remember, it's supposed to snow that night, so wear something warm. Eight o'clock?"
"Yes, eight." She said softly.
"Okay, then." He said. "Oh, and remember this too: I'll never let that bastard hurt you. I'll be here for you always. I…care about you. Don't ever forget that."
And the line went dead. Vesper stared at the receiver for a long time, then finally hung up. She didn't understand men at all.
It was the night. For some reason Vesper couldn't contain her nervousness. Only after her dresser drawers had shot out and spurted clothing for the third time, did she finally grab a coat, slide her balcony door open and fly to the roof. It was dark, so no one could see her. Gar was right about the snow. It came down in buckets and made it rather hard to see, especially while floating. As if her floating wasn't poor enough after years of uselessness…
The cold didn't matter though, because her home world had temperatures like this almost annually. When she had moved to Jump City it had been hard to adjust, but she had managed. The cold was her friend in respects. She was most definitely a winter person. No one was on the roof – like anyone would want to be at the end of December – and she proceeded to fold her legs and hover. She began to repeat her bland mantra, falling deep into herself.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" she reiterated. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…"
Vesper became consumed with the sound of her voice; the slight tones and accents filling and forming the words of her meditation. The words became portals, taking her far away and out of reach. She found peace and tranquility smothering her like a heated blanket out in the depths of a frozen river, ever keeping her safe. The tumultuous emotions stabilized as she inhaled a new outlook – that of reason and pragmatism. Finally she emerged from her haven, and when she did she realized she was running late and that she couldn't feel her fingers, toes, or ears.
Back inside she found that she only had half-an-hour to get ready to go. Gar would be arriving soon. "I'm feeling the impatience of rush hour and I'm not even in a car." She muttered sourly. She raced to her closet, pulling out her one and only new dress. As always, it was black, but it was absolutely beautiful.
It was sleeveless and had an empire waistline, accentuating her breasts and slim figure. The waist was tight, but snug, so that she could still breathe comfortably. Along the gown, which trailed in a loose, flowing silk, were dark crimson vines, weaving wildly from hip to toe. The same pattern rolled across the bodice. (A/N: Sorry, it's a crappy design.) Her earrings and necklace displayed ruby jewels in simple silver designs. Her hair was held up by a large, black clip with rubies also adorning the handle. James had bought her that for her birthday. She wore little makeup, for her features were already bold enough. She did, however, go for a fairly simple shade of red on her lips, not globbing it on like Kori used to when she was first introduced to the 'mall of shopping'. Satisfied, she waited to get the phone call. Vesper had asked him not to come up and get her, and that instead she would come down. As always, she was very private about her living quarters.
Yet panic rose again and she began pacing. "Come on, Raven," she murmured to herself, using her real name. "Don't lose it. You can't meditate; the dress won't let you fold your legs. He'll be here soon. It will all work out in the end. You are no damsel. Do not be weak. Do not –"
The phone rang, ruining her train of thought and causing her to jump in place. After putting a hand to her heart, she walked over and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey, Vesper." It was Gar. "Coming down?"
"I'll be right there." And she hung up.
She swung her black coat over her shoulders, sliding her arms inside, and grabbed her purse. This was it. This was the moment she had been dreading for two days. She opened the door and made her way down the hall, pausing. Two men were standing at the elevator door, examining it.
"I dunno what's up with this thing…"
"It acts up all the time…"
She came to stand behind them. "Um, hello? What's going on?"
They turned around. The first speaker smiled sadly. "Elevator isn't working. If you need to go down, I suggest you take the stairs, miss."
"Actually, Bernie," the other man said. There's a spill on the stairs. One of janitors dropped a bucket of soap water. It isn't safe for you to go down in those shoes, ma'am. If you hang on for a few minutes, we'll have the stairs dried up."
She sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. It wasn't a complete dilemma. There was more than two ways for her to get down. "No thanks," she said. "It's okay."
"You sure, miss?" Bernie asked.
"Positive." She turned on her heel and reentered her apartment. Locking the front door, she walked over to the sliding balcony door. A blast of wind shocked the hell out of her, but she braved it and stepped out to the rail, sliding it closed behind her. Down below was Gar standing next to a red rental car. The snow had calmed and was barely a hindrance to her line of sight. No one was around. It was too dark to be seen and it was too far from the main road for anyone driving by to notice her. If she did it, no one would ever know.
She wasn't doing it for the thrill or because she was reckless. Vesper was just impatient. Slowly and carefully, she grabbed hold of the rail and lifted her skirts, climbing up to stand on the rickety little barrier that kept normal people from plummeting to their deaths. Her heels disagreed strongly with her course of action, but she balanced well. She was probably well out of practice with hovering, as the day's earlier events had proved, but she had the utmost confidence in herself. Looking down, she called out to her 'date'.
She could tell he heard her, because she heard a faint, "Holy shit, what the hell are you doing!" And not only did he hear her, he saw her too, apparently.
Laughing slightly at his astonished and terrified reaction, she wasted no time in shouting, "I'm coming down!" This was so not like her. Either she was learning that she would do anything to be near him, or that she was going mad. It didn't matter that much. She jumped anyway.
Gar, knocked senseless, cried out as she leaned forward just before the fall, "No, think about the dress!" But it was too late. She was dropping.
Vesper concentrated on nothing but her, the distance between her and the ground, and her brakes. Freefall felt wonderful. She didn't mind the air biting her legs as the skirts danced around her knees. She used a bit of her magic to keep them down. She also didn't mind that her hair would be trashed. She didn't like that hairclip James gave her anyway. Total control was what she felt and it wasn't something she had sensed in a long time. As long as nothing happened that would throw off her attention, she'd be fine.
But, alas, she was beginning to believe that fate had a twisted sense of humor.
Half way down she panicked, losing sight of Gar. Picking up on his presence, she looked up, and saw a pterodactyl swooping down to grab her. This threw off her concentration completely, and now her definition of freefall became gravity's definition. She now tumbled downward without any control whatsoever. But the reassuring grip of claws on her shoulders told her she was safe.
Vesper thought irately that he was so going to suffer for this.
They landed safely on the ground, still unseen to anyone else. Gar took human form again, but came out of pterodactyl form literally green. His ring had fallen off. Vesper rested in his arms, like the damsel she told herself not to be, fuming at her would-be savior.
"Vesper, are you alright?" Gar asked, concerned.
"Gar!" She responded wrathfully. "You messed me up!"
He gaped, clearly not expecting that reaction. "Hey, dude, I saved you! You were tumbling at the speed of someone who had no control!"
"Wait, I had no control?" Vesper growled. "I was doing well until you freaked out and played knight."
"No, you wouldn't have stopped on time!" Gar fought back. "When was the last time you did something like that?"
"It doesn't matter." She snapped. "Flying and levitating come naturally to me."
"Are you forgetting who I am?" He asked. "I've been too many birds to count. I think I know more than you do."
"Are you saying I misjudged?"
"No, Raven, I'm flat-out saying that you could have screwed up and gotten yourself killed!" His grip on her tightened.
Vesper was furious at him for defying her. "I trained my mind and body for years when we were younger to be able to calculate and react to distances. Not only my mind, but my body, would have naturally known when to slow down. Automatically."
He glared down at her, a red tint in his eyes, whereas hers were an icy, steely violet. "Yeah, well you seemed to think you knew what you were doing, but your body was definitely out of practice."
Her arms – which had circled his neck – tightened as well. "So you think you know my body better than I do, Beast Boy?"
They were both oblivious to the explicit sound of her innocent, angry sentence. "Yeah, Raven, I think I do."
Her voice grew cold. "Well, I'm inclined to agree with you, finding that you're the one grabbing my ass!"
"Hey, I –" And Gar froze, completely ceasing to speak. Her own glare turned to one of embarrassment.
"This…this is ridiculous," she finally managed to say. Vesper slid out of Gar's arms. As she primed herself, she said, "We better get going. Someone may have seen us."
"Yeah, you're right," He agreed. "I mean, what'll people say when they see a green guy, an attempted suicide, and a pterodactyl all in one night?"
"Nothing, because I'd silence them." Vesper said sharply. "I – Gar, where's your ring?"
Gar shrugged. "Must've fallen off when I morphed. What, you didn't notice me green? You were looking right at me."
"Well, yes, I was, but I guess I'm so used to seeing you this way that I forgot when and where we were." She bowed her head, then seeing the ring on the ground, bent to pick it up. "Here." She took his hand and slid it back on. When in place, it activated, beginning to turn his hand, arm, and soon body back to normal shades.
"Better?" she asked and he nodded.
Vesper didn't let go of his hand, nor did he pull away. It was a good feeling; holding his hand made her happy. It made her think back on their last private moment before the Titans had separated.
"I love you, Beast Boy…I love you, Garfield Logan…"
A blush she couldn't control shot up her cheeks. Frantically she dropped his hand and looked away, allowing strands of hair to cascade over her face. She couldn't have Gar see her this way. Before she could suggest they leave his hand reached out and pulled the wayward strands from her view, tucking them behind her ear.
"You know, the way we were talking, it was almost like we switched places. Remember when you used to be the sane one? Now you're jumping off of balconies and being disciplined."
Vesper smiled, still not looking at him. "You've lost a lot of your boyhood fire. Where'd the maturity come from?"
He crossed his arms in mock offense. "What, a guy can't age out in the real world? Shit happens, baby, and I happened to walk in a lot of it. Now, can we go?" He held out a hand, waiting for her to take it.
She shot him a tempered look. "Smooth. I can see why women love you. You're a regular Prince Charming."
"Ouch, and I thought my humor was dry."
With a slight chuckle she took his hand, admiring his handsomely dressed form. He wore a sharp tux with a red vest underneath, matching her dress.
She looked back at the apartment complex and groaned. The balcony rails on many levels had been bent into wild forms, victims of her transferred rage. Gar tugged at her hand.
"No point in worrying about it. C'mon, Vesper." As they walked to the car, he said to her, "You know, I shouldn't be saying this, but that dress on you is sexy."
Her heart skipped a fluttery beat and the windows of the car on the passenger side of Gar's rental cracked.
"Th-thank you," she managed to stutter.
He sent her one devilish wink before they opened their doors and slid into their seats.
Okay, New Year's Celebration next chapter! Sorry to keep you waiting, but I thought I'd throw in some one-on-one time with our main couple.
And for your pleasure, one and all, (and my embarrassment for my lame attempt at humor) I introduce you to:
A Day In The Life Of The Teen Titans' Biggest Fan.
(Dedicated to Rose, who wanted funny bloopers, but got this.)
You carry Nerf balls, a baseball bat, and a Frisbee in your dad's tool belt, which is fastened to your waist at all times in case of an emergency
You want a chakra tattoo on your forehead
You hate Yoda, convinced that Beast Boy is a much cooler green hero
You ask internet translators to convert English into Tameranian, but all you get are websites on Turkmenistan
You want a Titan's ringtone on your cell
When there's a thunderstorm outside, you yell at the sky, "Thunder! Lightning! Quit it before I kick your asses!"
You shave your eyebrows to look like Starfire's
You practice voodoo to see if you can bring your TT dolls to life
All you read are fantasy books, praying that somebody's stuck inside one
You hate pet stores because the don't sell larvae (Silky)
You want to live in a glass dome because you don't trust terra or cinderblock
You sing the TT theme song instead of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance
You tried cutting off your hand in order to successfully make a sonic cannon, but stopped when you discovered that it hurt
You are a museum stalker just waiting for a villain to rob one
You keep looking for Jump City on a map
You say Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos when you meditate and cry when you learn it doesn't make you levitate
You're in trouble with administration because you won't take off your Robin mask
Just because tofu upsets your stomach doesn't mean you won't eat that soy-beannie goodness at every meal
You harbor deep feelings for anorexic blondes
You try to move objects with your mind but all you get are headaches
You talk like Starfire
You expect to see Slade on America's Most Wanted list but you never see him. Why!
You built yourself multiple miniature clones of yourself and named them Barry, Jerry, Gary, Mary, and Terry, etc
Okay, that's all I have right now. Does this please? I know, why don't we have some fun with this? Everyone vote on your favorite TT character (can be a hero, villain, or background character) and the winner will be the subject of my 'A Day In The Life Of-' list. And if I suck, tell me so and send me your own list and I'll put it on an upcoming chapter.
Yay!
Isaac out.