Replacement
Chapter Three

)O(

Wally inched forward, hands tightening into fists. He needed to figure out how to release her, and get them the hell out of there. If Raven was injured, he wouldn't hear the end of it from Robin or Cyborg. He took another slow step, trying to keep in the blind-spot of Deathstroke's vision.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Deathstroke snarled at Wally and pressed the blade deeper into Raven's throat. The paper thin metal sliced into her skin, drawing a few drops of blood that slid down the edge of the blade. Wally froze in his spot, but Raven took a half step back, trying to remove the blade from her neck. Deathstroke barked out a shred of humorless laughter and followed her movements step for step. "Clearly you never learn, Raven… don't you still have a scar on your left shoulder from the last time we played this game?"

Wally's eyes darted to Raven, whose only recognition of the wound was a twitch of her lips and a quiver from her left shoulder. For the first time since meeting Raven and the Titans, Wally began to finally understand exactly how dangerous Deathstroke was, and he shuddered to think how many more scars the long sleeves of her uniform hid.

Deathstroke turned and looked at Wally, who could feel the cold sneer from underneath his mask. "You two seem to find yourselves a very precarious situation. I never thought breaking and entering was your style, Raven… but then again, who am I to judge?"

"Why are you doing this? Why Lex Luthor?" Raven's mouth slanted down in a frown and she tilted her chin defiantly toward him. Wally had to fight back a curse. Didn't she know that she shouldn't egg on the man holding a deadly sword? God, that girl was going to get both of them in trouble or killed.

Deathstroke laughed under the mask and pushed a little closer, pressing his face towards her own. "You think I would tell you such a thing, Raven? Do you imagine this to be something out of a comic? Where I reveal my plan to you because I know you're going to die? You are so very jaded, little demon."

Raven frowned. "You don't need Lex Luthor, Deathstroke. You can defeat us whenever you want. You've proven that on several occasions." She pressed herself against the blade, and snarled as more blood flowed down the curved edge. Wally thought he was going to have a heart attack, why in the world was she still egging him on? She had already made it perfectly clear to him how utterly dangerous Deathstroke was, but here she was, taunting him like it was some kind of game. And not once, but twice.

"And yet even when I win the battles, I somehow continue to lose the war. You pesky brats seem to thwart my every move, no matter what it is…" Deathstroke slid the blade up to her chin and shifted his feet. "You are wearing on my nerves and I am getting tired of this silly game, Raven. Drop the communicator, or die."

"I'd rather die." The air around her crackled and hissed, and Wally saw something he couldn't explain if he tried. Raven's body turned transparent and smoky, as if she were dissolving into mist. The shape of her slid around the edge of the blade, moving through solid objects as it they were made of nothing. Deathstroke didn't seem all that amused. He reached into her misted body and yanked hard.

Wally felt his bones nearly shatter under the sound of her scream.

"I believe I can help you with that wish."

Raven's body reappeared, this time with Deathstroke's arm halfway into her chest. He gave her a maniacal chuckle and tightened his grip. "It has been such a long time since I've had anatomy… but this is your lower rib… is that correct? You see, little demon, I've recently learned a little bit more about your very mysterious powers. You can't move through just any object… you can only phase through inanimate objects, not organisms… So, if I grab you mid-transformation, you suffer consequences." He yanked again, and Raven screamed another blood curdling scream that echoed off the steel walls of the servers and rattled Wally's insides. "Isn't that right? It looks so very painful."

Wally felt rage rise into his chest and stain his vision. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he find the strength to save his friend? His fists shook next to his side and he tried to take another step toward her, but Deathstroke snapped and snarled at him again.

"Do you think you can save her, Kid Flash?" Deathstroke threw Raven into a wall and she screamed. Bones cracked and organs squished, and Wally could see into Raven's body. Half of her midsection was now exposed through a fist-sized hole. Blood poured from the new wound and spilled onto the ground, pooling around Raven as she fought for consciousness and life. "She is beyond saving. Beyond help. She is a demon seed, and she serves no other purpose than being a portal for her father."

Raven's eyes closed and she winced. "That has nothing to do with this battle, Deathstroke. Do not bring my heritage into this."

She was gasping for breath, wheezing and spitting blood. Wally's chest tightened and twisted with unbridled anger, and there was no chance of stopping it. Not against Deathstroke. That bastard! "I don't fucking care if she's Satan's spawn, she's still my friend!" He felt his legs move violently across the floor as he moved to strike Deathstroke. His fist connected with the mercenary's face, and he teetered backwards a few steps, stunned by the force. Wally managed to get a few solid hits in, but Deathstroke seemed to learn his movements, and started to block his attacks.

"Well… how interesting for me." Deathstroke touched his jaw gingerly, as if feeling for a wound. "I didn't know you could be so dangerous, Kid Flash. I would have thought that you were… rather useless."

Wally snarled. "Shut the fuck up." He moved to strike Deathstroke again, but he moved too quickly, and Wally found himself pressed against the tip of a sword.

"You make this such an interesting game, little boy." He snarled at Wally and sheathed his sword. To anyone else it would have looked like he was surrendering, but Wally knew better. He was just teasing both of them. There was enough raw power in one of his fingers to bring down the whole building. "Tell you what. I'll be… generous with you. I'll give you a head start. Ten seconds."

Wally panicked. Ten seconds was plenty enough time for himself… but Raven… he looked down at her, shaking, bleeding, drifting in and out of consciousness. The extra weight would slow him down, and his ten seconds wouldn't be much of an advantage. Deathstroke knew that, he was testing him, trying to see what decision he would make. Save himself? Save Raven?

There was no decision to be made. He would save Raven if it was the only thing he did.

"One."

Wally ran and picked up Raving, trying desperately to not jar her wound. She cried out and clung to him as he hefted her into his arms. Deathstroke seemed intrigued, but he didn't move.

"Two."

He ran. He ran as fast as he could, ignoring the hiss of sadistic laughter as he sped away from the building. This was beyond dangerous, and Deathstroke wouldn't let them have the lead for long. He would track and follow them, no matter where they went. Think, Wally, think! He couldn't lead Deathstroke back to the hotel, there were innocent civilians there. He couldn't lead him back to the others, not when everyone was split up and vulnerable. And he certainly couldn't lead him to a hospital… fuck! What was he supposed to do? Raven was going to die if he didn't figure something out soon.

"Wally…" Raven's hands tugged at his suit, her fingers weak, and he glanced down at her. She looked so small in his arms, almost like a child, and he felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility. He needed to protect her no matter what the cost was. "I can heal myself. I just… I need some place safe… and quiet."

"I…" Wally tried to read her face, but even in the shadow of near demise, she was unreadable. Could she really do that? Could she really heal a wound that would have killed anyone else? A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about what Deathstroke said. Was she really a demon? And did it matter to him? Wally shook his head of the thoughts, she was his friend. He needed to keep her safe, just like she asked. "Safe… okay… safe…. I can do that… I hope…"

"Don't panic, Wally…" Her eyes closed and she leaned against his shoulder, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Wally felt his stomach drop as her lips brushed against his skin. "If you panic, you'll drop me, I know it."

He frowned and stared down at her again. Was she seriously making a joke right now?

Safe house! There was a safe house in the jungle about thirty miles out of town. His uncle showed him once when they were going over escape routes. It wasn't much more than a concrete hole in the ground with a few medical supplies and MREs, but it was hidden and had a security system that would keep even God himself out. That's what he needed. He just had to make it there before his body gave out.

And before Raven's body shut down.

Buildings and concrete slowly gave away to trees and underbrush. The stench of motor oil and cheap street food was replaced by the moist, hot smell of earth and vegetation. He couldn't hear or feel the pursuit of Deathstroke, but that didn't mean he wasn't behind them, slowly stalking his prey. He had proven just how dangerous and deadly he could be, and this "head start" wasn't doing Wally much good. But he would take whatever he could at this point. It would still be a few more minutes before he reached the safe house, he just needed his body to keep running, and he needed Raven to hold on.

"I… I'll be okay for a little while longer…" Her eyes opened and she forced a smile up at him. "Just keep moving, Wally. You'll be fine… I promise."

"How…" He winced as she tapped the side of her head. Right. Empath.

Jungle pressed around them and Wally had to be careful of his steps. One wrong move and he would send them both tumbling, and while that wasn't a huge deal for him, Raven would have probably perished if her body was damaged anymore. Wally glanced down at her again, trying not to feel the sticky wetness of her blood seeping through his uniform. How? How was she going to survive this?

"Just a little… further…" His legs were starting to slow, feeling more like lead weights than limbs, and Raven suddenly felt as if she weighed five hundred pounds. He couldn't stop, not yet. He stumbled, and under his feet he felt the "thunk" of something mechanical under a fallen log. Trick hatch.

He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled. There was a snap and the hiss of compressed air as the hidden access opened. Thin, yellowish light spilled from the hatch and Wally walked down steps, careful not to drop Raven. The lights flickered on and he tried to give Raven a reassuring smile, but he knew it must have looked more like a grimace. It didn't matter how tough her teammates or herself thought she was, there was no way Raven would survive this. "We're here."

"Good…" Raven winced.

"Entering… Kid Flash and… unknown." The computer's cold, steely voice broke the thick silence in the room, and Wally turned to look at one of the monitors, which had started flashing red. "Recognized as a potential threat. DNA analysis reports half-demon, half-human. Code red." Wally cringed, he'd forgotten that Deathstroke had told him her heritage. Was she really all that dangerous? In her current state, Raven didn't even look like she could land a punch, let alone be a portal for pure evil. But then again... he stared down at her and shook his head free of any traitorous thoughts. It didn't matter, his friend was in trouble.

"Are you really… half-demon?"

"Wally…" She gave a sick, wheezing sigh, then winced with the movement on her wound. "Of all the things you could ask me about right now… that has to be one of them? Can you please focus, and try to override the security system, or your computer is going to attack me. And I can't take anymore wounds."

"Right." Wally rattled off his JLA authorization code, and cleared off the security threat, but he knew the incident had already been filed in the main JLA database, and anyone who wanted to see it could. Wally pondered the computer system for a moment. It called her "unknown" … Robin was right, the Teen Titans had no files with JLA, no mentors… so how could Raven have become so strong? How had any of them become what they were?

Raven winced again, and she twisted in his arms. Focus, Wally. Raven was in danger. He moved to the small cot in the room and laid her down on the white covers, staring down at her sallow, pale face, twitching in pain. Her wound was still gaping open, spilling blood onto the sheets, and Wally was almost positive he could see some of her organs. He shuddered and took a step back, trying to give both of them space. "Raven, you can't heal that."

"I can… it just takes time." She popped one eye open and forced a fractured smile, which did absolutely nothing to ease Wally's fears. "My heart and mind is still intact, as long as I can keep a grip on consciousness, I can heal almost anything."

"You're missing a rib!"

"It's just a bone… now shut up, I need to concentrate."

Wally sat there in silence, too stunned to say anything else. Just a bone? She was missing a rib! Wally could almost see into her chest cavity! And here she was playing it off as if this was no big deal! She was wheezing a spitting blood like she was on her deathbed, but it was okay, because if she just "concentrated" she could heal herself. Wally pinched the bridge of his nose and sat down in a chair next to her. "I can't believe you're so… okay with all of this."

Raven shifted. "I'm not okay with being potentially mortally wounded."

"You keep sounding like you are." Wally's head tilted back and he stared at the ceiling, feeling exhaustion slip into his limbs and joints. He pushed his body too far tonight. It would take him hours before he could recoup, and he wouldn't be able to protect her until he was back at full strength. There were like sitting ducks, waiting for the hunter to come by and shoot them out of the water. Great.

"We'll be fine, Wally…" Raven wheezed out another sigh. "You've helped me so much… I can't… I…" She winced as her body rebelled against the wound. Her good hand reached out and touched his knee. He looked into her eyes and felt his stomach drop again. What in the world was this girl doing to him? Was it because she was a demon? "Thank you. For everything."

Wally felt a smile peel across his lips before he could stop it. "That's a lot to be thankful for, why don't you choose one thing to be thankful for and we'll go from there."

Raven gave a breathless laugh. "Cheeky bastard."

"That's part of my job." He leaned over her and pushed hair out of her eyes. The touch felt strangely intimate and something inside him jumped with the contact. Wally pulled away, trying to remember that she was an empath, and if his thoughts wandered too much, she would know. And that could more dangerous than fighting Deathstroke.

"Can I ask you for something?" Raven's voice was barely above a whisper, and her breathing sounded more labored than normal. Wally nodded slowly, not saying a word, but watching as a new shade of red erupted across Raven's face. "Can you… can you help me undress?"

"What." His question came out as more of a shocked statement. In any other situation with any other girl, Wally wouldn't have hesitated in saying yes. But watching this girl (who might or might not be his friend), lay on her deathbed and ask that question, somehow took the magic out of it. He knew the request was out of necessity and not fantasy, which totally sucked. "Are you serious?"

"Look… I'm worried that my uniform is going to get in the way of healing. I just… I just want some help taking it off." Her eyes narrowed and she gave him her best deadpanned stare. Even this close to death she was still scary. "I could actually die if you don't help me. I'm missing a rib, have three other ones that are broken, and I'm pretty sure he nicked a few vital organs. So, can you pretend to be mature for thirty seconds?"

"Jeez…" Wally stood up and leaned over her, his fingers moving to unsnap her cloak. He could do this, he just had to make it a joke. Make it funny. Once the humor was taken out, he would quickly realize how serious and intimate this situation was. "Dramatic much?"

"I swear, Wally West…" Raven closed her eyes and muttered curses under her breath. "Once I'm better I will send you to another dimension and let you fend for yourself."

"You can't do that… can you?" Wally gently pulled the cloak from under her body and watched her face. Her lips twitched, but she gave no other indication of her intentions. How had he managed to get paired with her? "Really, Raven? Can you?"

"Try me and find out." Raven pushed herself up on her forearms, letting out a cry of agony as her wound twisted. "There's a zipper in the back, please hurry… this hurts."

Wally unzipped her quickly, and helped her lay back down on her back, careful not to jar her wound. His hands moved to her shoulders and he slowly peeled the neoprene from her skin, staring at her neck and shoulders. She was covered in scars, and her pale body was coated in damage from her profession. There was something both beautiful and sad about it. Wally's hands stilled, leaving her uniform half removed, and he reached out to feel one of the scars near her clavicle. Raven didn't even flinch when he touched her.

"Bank robbery… a stray bullet nicked my right shoulder." Her eyes met his and she reached out and touched his hand, moving it to a gnarly looking scar on her left shoulder. She guided his hand from her back to front, where the scar ended right above her left breast. "You were curious about this one earlier."

The joke and humor vanished, and suddenly Wally was staring into the face of severity, trying to keep his cool. "Is this… it this what Deathstroke tried to do to you?"

"Mm… I was in the same situation before. Only Starfire stood were you did… I had to make a choice and let myself get hurt, giving her time to escape, or run away by myself and leave her alone." Her eyes closed and Wally continued to trace the scar, intrigued by the jagged shape. "There was no choice to be made. I chose to taunt him, and he tried to cut off my arm."

It was a long moment before the full force of her words hit him. She'd been trying to protect him earlier. That was why she was egging Deathstroke on, and trying to provoke him. So he would have gotten upset with her and attacked, leaving time for Wally to escape. Why… why had she done that for him? He wasn't worth it! They weren't even really friends, right? They argued over everything, nagged at each other, fought like children, but Raven still put his safety above his own. Wally felt his heart twist and pull, and he had to look away to regain his composure. "You did the same thing today… didn't you?"

"Well… I tried… but your stupid ass decided to try and save me." She smiled and opened her eyes again. "For which I will be eternally grateful. He would have actually succeeded in killing me this time. And it really would have pissed me off if he won."

For once, her humor seemed lost on him. She was dying and yet still making jokes. Wally had no problem enjoying a little black humor sometimes, but she just took it to the next level. Acting as if her possible demise was somehow the funniest thing in the world. He sighed and pulled the rest of her uniform off her, gingerly avoiding her wound. "You've got a peculiar sense of humor."

"That's something coming from you. Besides, I thought you liked my sense of humor." She smiled up at him, as if hiding a secret. "When I was teasing you on the plane, your emotions told me all kinds of interesting things."

Wally cursed under his breath. Did she have to make everything so damn difficult? "Will you stop reading my emotions?"

"Will you stop broadcasting them like a radio turned full blast?" Raven's smile vanished and she glared at him. Wally took a half step back, trying to keep out of her range of fire. "I'm sorry that I can feel everyone's emotions. Trust me, I don't want it. I'm trying to block them out, but your emotions are particularly strong and volatile, and they're starting to affect me."

Wally stared down at her, frowning. "What does that mean?"

"It means your emotions are affecting my emotions and my decision making." That was still a vague answer and Wally looked away, deciding it was probably not a good idea to provoke her. She closed her eyes again, forcing out another sigh. "Now shut up, I need to concentrate."

Wally fell back into his chair and watched her, still feeling a little bit sour about everything. She kept reading his emotions, kept telling him not to feel, and told him that his emotions were affecting her. How? What emotions could Wally possibly have that would affect her? He sighed and shook his head, moving the chair so he could lean against the wall. This was one big, fucking mess.

Here he was trapped in a safe house with a dangerous half-demon, being hunted by a dangerous mercenary, and his friends were out in Taipei probably looking for him and Raven. She was half-dead, bleeding profusely from a huge, gaping wound, and Wally had no idea how to help her. Plus, she wasn't exactly the easiest patient to take care of. At least, not when she kept being rude and reading his emotions.

He glanced over at her, watching as her pale lips moved quickly, whispering a silent incantation. His eyes moved to her left shoulder, staring at the scar there. He immediately felt bad about all the things he said or thought about her. Yeah, she was creepy and dark, but she cared for her friends a lot. And this was not the first time she'd sacrificed herself to save someone else. She tried to save him, and he tried to save her, and they both did a half-assed job at it.

This was just great.

"He's going to track us." Raven's voice was barely above a whisper, and Wally's stare moved from her shoulder to her lips again.

"I know." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the stress. "How long do you think we have?"

"A day at most." There was a weird sloshing noise, like a wet balloon being deflated, and Raven started wheezing again. Her breaths were shallow and thick, as if she was fighting for breath. Wally watched as her face became etched with pain, and he pushed hair out of her eyes again. "I can get us out of here once I've healed… but it could be at least another twelve hours before… I'm finished." She tried to cough, but the sound seemed to stick in her throat.

Wally moved his hand to her chest, feeling the rapid beat of her heart and the soupy feel as her lungs tried to grab breath. Raven didn't even glare when his fingertips brushed against her breast. "Are you… okay?"

"Fine…" She winced and her good hand covered his own, fingers weaving in between his as she searched for some kind of support. Her grip tightened to the point where it felt like she might crush his bones. "I lied… I'm not okay. My left lung collapsed … I can heal it… but… I can't get air…" She struggled to grab a few more breaths of precious air, and her fingers tightened on his even more. "Can you help me?"

Wally felt something in his chest twist at the sight of her lying helpless and debilitated in front of him. She was stronger than this, braver than this, but every passing moment felt like she was slipping further away from life, in spite of all the things she said. "With your lung? What do you need from me?"

"I… I need you for force air into my lung… to reinflate it."

Oh. Oh. Wally's hand twitched, as if suddenly aware of the contact between them and he looked at her carefully. Well, this was going to be awkward. "Like… mouth-to-mouth?"

"Wally…" Her eyes narrowed at him. "Please don't make this anymore… difficult and awkward… than it needs to be." She moved his hand to the back of her neck and stared. "Push up on my neck… it'll open my air passage." Wally swallowed hard, and tilted her neck back, opening her air passage. This was a hell of a lot more intimate than he ever expected to be with her. "Now… place your mouth over mine… and breathe as hard as you can."

Wally looked down into her eyes, cringing as little as she closed her own eyes. Like this wasn't embarrassing enough. Thank god none of his teammates were here to see this. He leaned down over her mouth and pressed his lips to hers. For a few moments, he forgot that he was supposed to force breath into her lungs, and his sense of taste took over. She had the distinct flavor of tea and blood and darkness… it was morbid and beautiful at the same time.

Curious, his tongue slid over her skin and touched her lower lip, feeling a small scar at the corner of her mouth. All bets were off. Raven made a noise somewhere between a whimper and moan, and her good hand weaved into her hair, bringing him even closer. He nudged her lips open and slid his tongue inside, tracing the contours of her mouth, reveling in the taste of her.

Somewhere, in a magical place called "sanity", Wally's brain reunited with his body, and he began to realize the severe repercussions of what he had just done. She was going to murder him. Why in hell was he doing this? And why in the world was she just letting him? Wally shook his head and pulled away to grab a breath of air.

"Stop." Raven moved her hand to his shoulder and pushed him farther away, glaring. "Stop feeding my emotions, Wally. Clearly you're clouding my decision making."

He stared at her, fighting for his own breath, but for a completely different reason. It was all, slowly making sense to him. His emotions were legitimately affecting her own, skewing all of her decisions just enough so that it wasn't always her making them. That's what she meant when she said that his emotions were particularly strong and volatile. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Raven's face was unreadable as she removed her hand from his shoulder. Well, that was the most cryptic response he'd gotten out of her yet.

Avoiding her stare, he leaned down again and pressed his lips to her own. Raven gripped the bed sheet as she prepared for whatever torture came from this, and Wally suddenly felt bad that he had to put Raven through any more pain. Whispering another apology against her lips, he pushed as much breath as he could into her lungs. The reaction was instant, she coughed and groaned, and there was another sickening squish sound as the lung reinflated and began to work again. She forced out a series of disjointed curses and pushed him away from her.

"Great… I've just killed you." Wally ran a hand through his hair and stared at her.

"You can't kill me… not just yet anyway…" She forced a broken smile through her hacking. Wally let out a noise that was a mixture between irritation and relief, what was with this girl? And why did she keep affecting him? She grabbed his hand and stared up at him. "I have to kill you first."

Wally snorted and raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"For seeing me half naked."

"I'm seeing more of your vital organs than your generous breasts." His face suddenly paled as he stared at his teammate. Had that seriously come out of his mouth? Oh god. She was going to kill him as soon as she healed herself. That was the end of his life.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Well… it's nice to know you're so concerned."

"With your health or your breasts?" That's it. He had a death wish. That could be the only reason as to why his mouth kept talking without any thoughts on his own mortality. First on the plane, now here in the safe house.

"Seriously, Wally?" Raven's eyes closed and she let her head fall back onto the pillow. "How did you manage to survive as long as you did? I would have thought someone would have killed you by now."

"You'll be the first. My charm always saves me." He watched as a deep, blue glow emanated from inside her gaping wound. He could see the movements of her organs as they began to heal.

"Charm… what charm?"

"Hey… you let me kiss you."

Raven stared up at him, and to his surprise, she laughed. Then winced immediately as her wound was jarred. "I did let you kiss me. But I wasn't swayed by your charm."

"Then what?"

"You're actually… kind of a good kisser."

Wally felt his stomach drop to the floor. "Oh."

"Now, will you please shut up and let me heal?"

)O(

So… yeah. I felt like this past scene came along a little too quickly, but it was somewhat necessary... but please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!