patattack and aspiringTechGuy, I give you a tiny glimpse of Raven. Are you sure you guys really want to meet her? I think she'll be a little rough on CJ and I think CJ will be a little judgmental towards Raven. And honestly, I never thought of Raven that way, having as difficult of time controlling her powers. I mean, she is half demon and everything, but one would think that she'd have a lot of power and therefore control. But I see what you mean, and I do think that maybe CJ could learn from her.

I also think I make Dr. Wallace a little weird or antisocial, but I appreciate that you guys are informing me that you enjoy him. Maybe he and CJ will get close, if you know what I mean. If that's okay with you guys. Heehee.

And I put Killer Frost out there, but I never thought about her and CJ being opposites and actually fighting. It would be difficult if she can absorb heat, so wouldn't she defeat CJ in seconds? Unless CJ could keep growing hot like a super nova or something, but I don't even know if that would stop Killer Frost. I'm reading that she only absorbs heat to survive, so would she be able to do it and kill CJ? Would she work?

Just one more thing. This has been killing me for about a week now, and I've been dying to tell someone. My twin is completely opposite from me and is a Marvel geek, so she won't even let me rant to her. Anyways, I was in Barnes & Noble last week and I was flipping through a Flash the New 52 comic, and I stopped on this page with Captain Cold on it. I think the comic is called Flash versus Rogues or Rogues Gallery. I don't remember. Anyways, I instantly recognized Captain Cold, because of the ridiculous goggles that sometime look like 3D glasses and the furry lined hooded winter jacket that he always wears, but something was different. I usually see Cold as a shriveled up old man that had nothing better to do than snarl at people and freeze things in ice cubes all day. I have a 2008 DC Encyclopedia, and so when I am writing this, I'm looking at a pretty ugly old man. But when I saw this Cold, my perspective was completely changed. This Cold looked young, muscularly built, and pretty cool. I saw his hair! One might have said he was attractive, if you're into cartoon characters. But seriously, I would have dated that Cold. I mean, I would show you the picture to prove it, but I don't remember what the comic was called or have any way to let you see the picture! I want it! Ugh, I'm in total fan girl mode right now. I'll stop.

Yeah, sorry about wasting precious reading time, I just had to tell someone that. Back to CJ. OCxOC or what?

Sorry again for you guys having to read my ranting. There goes 300 words….

Chapter 9

"CJ. Wake up. CJ"

CJ felt herself shifting side to side, like in a very fast rocking chair. She was half in her dreams, thinking it was an earthquake, and her other half knew it was someone waking her up. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and jumped and sat up at the sight of the man standing over her.

Dr. Ted Wallace was standing over her bed. She instinctively searched the room around her. The lights were off, and the only light was from the table on the other side of the glass, a small desk lamp shining on some papers. She was under her blankets, which she didn't remember doing, and the clock Wonder Woman/Red Tornado had given her read 1:22 am.

She looked up at Teds grinning face. "What could you possibly want at 1 am?"

"I was testing your blood sample, and thought of a new idea."

"A new idea for what?" She asked, throwing the blankets off her. She rubbed her face, trying to wake up completely.

He knelt in front of her, since her bed was low to the floor anyways. "Well, we know that you are impervious to your fire, but what about fire from an outside source?"

"An outside source?" She asked, eyebrows raised, looking down at him to see if she had heard him correct. He nodded enthusiastically. "What's that mean?" She asked, rubbing her face and pushing her hair away.

She heard a click, and saw a small blur of light. She focused her eyes at his raised hand and saw a small fire. He was holding a lit fire from a lighter.

Her eyes widened, realizing what he had meant. "You want me to touch it?" She asked, shocked. At his nodding again, she shook her head defiantly. "No. No way. I am not touching fire! Are you crazy?"

His head tilted to the side in an "are you kidding me" gesture. His thumb left the lighter, making the small space between them dark again. "CJ, I already tried it out on your blood. You'll be fine." What he didn't say is that she already was fire.

She crossed her arms. "Well, if you tried it already, then you don't need to see me do it."

He sighed, then shifted on his feet. "I-"

"Theodore," she glared.

His mouth fell open for a second, then he closed it, drawing backward, stunned. "Did you just….?"

She continued to glare. "Yes. I did." She hadn't known if he would react that way to his full name, but she was proven that he did. He was only stunned for a few seconds.

He shook his head, shaking out the confusion. "CJ, I promise you, you will not be harmed. I just need to see it for myself."

She took in a deep breath, and he nodded encouragingly. He lit the lighter again and held it up. She stared into the flame. He had to be right. It couldn't hurt her. She was fire. Fire doesn't hurt fire. If anything, it makes it stronger.

She lifted her left hand, and only put out her pinky. Slowly, she brought her pinky closer, and slowly, she could feel the heat of it. Taking another deep breath, she put her pinky right up to the flame. Then she took a big leap and put her pinky over it.

She instinctively cringed, but she felt no pain as her pinky hovered in the flame. Seeing it dance under her pinky and sway from one side of it to the other, harmless, CJ opened her palm. Focusing, she absorbed its heat and pulled her hand away, the flame with it.

She laughed at her hand. Wallace had been right. And even better, she could manipulate it. She could just as soon create fire as she could absorb it. The question was now, could she only manipulate fire, or could she grow as hot as lava, or even a star?

Ted stood with a smile. She smiled back, and he turned and went back to the desk, shaking his head, amused. CJ stood, releasing the fire in her palm. She slipped on her jacket and put her hair all to one side, trying to flatten it. She joined him by the desk. "So, how does this help with the portal thing?"

He typed away, glancing at his notes on the papers. "It doesn't. It's just been bothering me for a few hours."

She snorted. Of course he was that type of guy. She informed him that she was getting in the shower, and she did. Once she finished, she put on fresh fireproof clothing and a gray t-shirt to cover herself, with her jacket over it. She was confident that she wouldn't burn it, and she was tired of walking around in just a bra.

Once her hair was dry and brushed, she left the Doctor to his work and went to the cafeteria to find some breakfast. She wasn't surprised at all when she saw a few league members pass her in the hall, or that four were in the cafeteria, three sharing a table and one eating alone in the corner.

The one in the corner was in a deep purple cloak, with a hood that covered most of her face. The cloak, as she sat there and then, was covering her shoulders, but opened up to reveal the rest of her body and surrounded her in darkness. Her arms were covered in the same colored purple sleeves, but left her thumbs, pointer and pinky fingers bare on both hands. Her thighs were bare, but she had purple boots that were knee high. CJ could see that her eyes were blue, and she was staring down at her tray of food. She wasn't eating, and the glint in her eye told CJ that she was in deep thoughts.

The three men at the table were having a meal together. One of them raised their glass, and the other two followed.

"To Phil," one said, and the others waited for him to finish. "For being a complete idiot and running after that crook on those rooftops." Two laughed, the one that was Phil clearly getting the joke. The other one chimed in. "It was a stupid idea, jumping from roof to roof."

Phil shrugged, but they all clinked their glasses together. "Whatever. I got him, didn't I?"

They continued their meal, and she thought maybe this is what Leaguers do when they're relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Green Arrow and Green Lantern had both said that they had lives on Earth, as normal humans. Did everyone have dual lives? Was CJs this world?

CJ went up to the buffet thing and grabbed herself some toast. Along with the buttered bread, she served herself a plate of hash browns. With a full plate, she sat at a random table, far from the others that occupied the room with her. She ate alone, and the room stayed silent except for the quiet conversation that the group of men shared.

She took the time to think of her sister again. Caroline was the only family she had, and soon, she was going to have a brother-in-law. CJ didn't even think she remembered his name. Keith? Kevin? She was pretty sure it was Keith. Or was it Heath? She definitely didn't remember his face. She didn't even know if Caroline truly loved the guy. She was planning to ask her at the lunch date they had set up, but of course she had to step through a portal on her way there.

She desperately wanted to go home, but she was kind of attached to the idea of having powers. They were new and exciting, and totally not an everyday thing. She wished she could keep them if she went through the portal. Then she'd actually be happy back in her world. She'd have so much fun with it.

Then she thought of all the horrible things that could happen with them, and didn't know anymore. Where they a gift or a curse? Why did she have them? And who would send her specifically through a portal? Why would they? How did they? Why her?

Could it maybe be destiny? Then her mind thought of Doctor Fate, and she highly regretted ever thinking that. It was coincidence. It had to be.

It only took her ten minutes to finish eating, before she deposited her tray in a dirty bin. She was fortunate to be done, as a few other people trickled in. She quickly left, glad to have dodged a possible crowd.

She didn't even make it back to her room before she saw Dr. Wallace walking towards her down the hall. His shirt was rumpled and slightly shifted, but at least still tucked in. The top two buttons were unbuttoned, which was one more than he had unbuttoned last night. His hair was ruffled and sticking up in some places, where in others they were flattened. He had slight five o' clock shadow across his jaw, and his face was scrunched up in excitement and determination. He was taking long, quick strides, as if he were in a rush. He had a clipboard at his side, with many papers clipped onto it. When he saw CJ, his eyes brightened a little, but he didn't stop to say hello to her.

She turned from her direction she had been walking and fell into step beside him. She had to pretty much jog to keep up with him, he was walking so fast. It didn't help that he was taller than her. "What's going on?" She asked him, glancing at his clipboard. All she could see were some formulas, scientific words, and a few hand drawn pictures of some circles and line. She didn't understand any of them.

He didn't look down at her, and he stopped at an intersection. He looked left, then right, then left, then right again, sharply looking down each hall. "I need to find Batman." Without a warning, he turned left, and CJ jumped to catch up with him again.

"Did you find something?" She asked, her eyes widening. Her veins pumped with anticipation. Had he found a way to get her home?

He didn't seem to hear her, looking this way and that, as if he was lost or he was making sure he was going the right way by checking for the little details.

She wouldn't consider herself his friend, and even if she's only spent an hour or so actually talking with him, she felt as if she knew him already. He was the type of guy that was either busy in his head trying to keep everything fresh in his mind, or he was ignoring her, thinking her questions were irrelevant. At the moment, though, she couldn't tell. She didn't know him that well.

So she followed him silently, eagerly waiting when they would confront Batman. But they didn't find Batman; instead, they ended up in the teleporting bay. Wallace didn't even hesitate to walk over the eight white circles on the floor, and passed over them as if they would do nothing to him. CJ had paused, and watched in horror. From what she had seen, they teleported people, and CJ had thought that Wallace was going to be teleported somewhere when he stepped on one. She was shocked when he didn't, and was even more shocked when he approached the man at the computers.

CJ snapped out of it, forgetting that this world was strange for a moment there. Cautiously, she stepped over the circles, cringing when her shoes accidently touched one. Wallace had found something; she couldn't be teleported to who knows where right then. She didn't go anywhere, though, only across the circles to join Wallace and the man at the monitors.

The dark-skinned man was talking into some ear piece. "Luthor's at it again, this time with back-up. And there is a tornado warning in Columbia." He was looking up at the computer screens, eyes darting from screen to screen. He looked up at Wallace as he approached. "I'm sorry man, I can't help you right now. The League needs my help."

That was when CJ looked up at the screens to see what the fuss was about. On about six of the ten screens, she could see many people in costumes in some kind of battle. She immediately recognized Wonder Woman, Flash, Batman, and the man with the red S on his chest along with the green skinned man. They were all fighting some man in a green suit, but CJ couldn't really tell what was happening. On a few other screens, there were heroes flying or directing traffic, all hustling to evacuate some very large town.

The man in the chair raised his hand to his ear. "Are you sure?" Pause. "Understood. Mr. Terrific out." He sat forward and began typing on the keyboard, switching the screens from the battle to news feeds.

"I need to speak with Batman," Wallace told the man in the chair, after he was done with whatever conversation he had been having.

CJ stared up at the screens curiously, watching reporters talk about car crashes, detectives investigating an overdose, and a "crazy" lady being dragged into a police car, all on three different screens at the same time. Nothing life or death dangerous.

"Batman's busy in Metropolis," the man stated, not looking away from the screens. CJ saw that he looked a little tired, with bags under his eyes, messy hair, and a deep frown on his face. And when Wallace spoke, it looked like the man wanted to kill himself. He must have been having a bad day- Err, morning? It was 2 am, and he had probably been at these screens all night.

Wallace ran a hand through his hair, making it even more messy, and gripped the clipboard tighter. "I may have uncovered news on the portal from Tuesday," he said, and CJ noticed that he, too, sounded groggy and tired. Duh, he had been up all night as well. Your fault, she would have told him, but he didn't look like he was in the mood.

The man at the monitor rubbed his face. Still not looking up at him, he said, "I'll contact Batman as soon as he is available."

"You were just on the phone with them," Wallace pointed out in a growl.

The man turned and looked up at him. "You think I don't know that? I have-"

CJ stopped listening to them, a screen catching her full attention. On it, it had the little tag in the top corner stating it was live. It was a helicopters view, circling a bridge not unlike the Brooklyn Bridge. It was the break of dawn, so it had to have been the West Coast, or was it the East?. There were about twenty cars stopped on the middle of the bridge, and more stopping by the second since the traffic wasn't moving. People were getting out and seeing what was up.

At the front of the pile up, there was a silver car hanging off the edge, the cement railing totally demolished. There were two other damaged cars, but the passengers seemed fine. The ones in the silver car, were, however, not okay. They were pinned, due to the cement digging into the sides.

The two men were busy bickering, not seeing what she was seeing. CJ turned to them. "Hey." When they still didn't shut up, she yelled. "Hey!"

Both men glared at her. They had been a heated, quiet glaring contest themselves, and she had interrupted them. She glared back at the man in the chair. She pointed to the screen she had been watching. "You've gotta send me to that bridge. Now."

If you didn't know: In the 2000 Justice League, Mr. Terrific is always at the teleporters, beaming people up and down, and so I used him. I made him grumpy because whenever I watched the show, he was always there, so I figured he stayed up a lot. Is this a correct assumption? Oh, and CJ may have been a little crazy wanting to get teleported down.

Are there still any more villain suggestions or requests? Just wondering before I write future chapters.

Also, I had already had a loner in the cafeteria when she went in there, but when I got your reviews about wanting Raven in here, I made the loner her. I promise to add Raven and another Titan to the four that you've already met in probably chapter 12 or 13, I think it was. I'm not really sure if you guys want Raven from the Teen Titans TV show or the comic Raven, because I know both. Cyborg is not a teen, therefore he cannot be the other soon-to-be-revealed Titan.

I feel like there was a spelling or sentence mistake in there, but I re-read it about three times and I couldn't find anything…. Sorry about the cliffhanger. I promise there will be more to come.

Captain Cold. Heehee.