Heya Guys...
In Christmas spirits we have a joyous song and disclaimer for u...mashed up!
Jingle BELLS! Jingle BELLS! Jingle all the way! / All we want for Christmas is to not get sued for writing this story/ walking in a winter wonderland.
There may not be snow in Australia, but Qweer has a mighty ho, ho, ho, does she not?
Enjoy a wonderfully tailored and hard worked on chapter, who poor little SRF spent all her time trying to incorporate constructive criticism and ideas from.
We've got two chapters lined up this week, so you're lucky. Please find time to review them both. Thanks to XLucy0117X, The Imperfect Me, ravenkakashiluv26, The Amethyst Eyes, Lust for life. Your reviews and advice mean a lot.
Next chapter will be up on Saturday, so look forward to it!
Merry Christmas, and a happy new year!
Chapter Seven
Something was wrong, you could just feel it in the air. A nervous feeling engulfed both Slade and Raven.
They didn't need to speak to confirm the looming emotion.
Nevertheless, someone had to point it out. "What's wrong, Raven?"
Slade almost seemed as if he were mocking her, although knowing him, he probably was.
She wasn't mocking him though. "Something's wrong. I don't know what it is or why but I just, I just know something is. I can feel it."
Slade turned serious. "I can feel it too. I don't know what it is, but, I'd say we keep on our guard. Expect the unexpected, as it's said."
At this, Raven groaned. "I hate surprises. You don't know whether they're good or bad." It was true, part of the reason that she hadn't taken well to her surprise birthday party, not including the whole prophecy.
He chuckled. "You also don't like the anticipation with the anxiety."
Raven half-nodded and half-shook her head. "I'm not afraid, if that's what you were implying."
She could practically see his eyebrow be raised, without having to look. "I'm sure."
She returned the look. "I am. But, how can you do that, Slade? I can't feel any emotion from you; it's just as if you're dead, which I don't doubt."
Slade was unaffected. "Child, I may be dead, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't control my emotions. That's important. If you stay in control of your emotions, you'll stay in control of the situation."
She nodded. "Like you always are, in control. Look, you just make it seem so easy, as though there is no effort used."
Slade scoffed. "There isn't. And as I said, child, you are young, still learning. The Titans are merely making your control worse."
"I'm not a child, Slade," Raven hissed, not commenting about his other remark, as an attempt to keep her own emotions in control.
"But you are, Raven. You're mature, I admit, but you're still a child." She was hurt, but still took a stoic face.
"And you're an egotistical, cold, heartless beast..."
Slade was unaffected."Shall we move on, now that you've had your little pout? If you'd like to show you aren't a child then act like it. Be in control, Raven. Prove it to me. It should become an almost second nature."
She nodded, cheeks tinted, face downcast. He lifted his hand, and gently tilted her face to look at his.
"I'm impressed at you, Raven, but remember, you grow up in time. Be patient. Everything you want will come if you wait." She sniffled, but she kept her composure. He released her chin. She quickly looked away from him, the feeling of anger rising...and falling within her. Time seemed to last forever in the minutes of silence left between them.
"I suppose we should g.." He was interrupted, as Raven pulled a minuscule dart out of her neck. Her eyes widened once she realised what it was. She dropped the dart, her eyesight becoming gloomy and dizzy, while she swooned. Slade grabbed her upper-arm, keeping her upright and she stared into his eyes. He could see the worry in Raven's eyes, and he felt as though she was staring into his soul. It was quickly ended. Her eyelids snapped shut and her body became limp. It was held like a rag doll, by Slade's tight grip.
Slade felt a small nip at his skin. Another dart had penetrated him, similar to the one that had got Raven,letting the sedative flood his veins. He shook his head, and dropped Raven's body. It fell with a soft thud to the floor. Within a minute, Slade too, fell to the floor, succumbing to the strong chemical. Two pair of eyes stared over them, before securing them into a sturdy net and dragging them away.
It was dark. And cold. That's what first registered into Slade's still slightly clouded mind. For a few minutes, he lay there motionless, keeping his lone eye closed. He didn't feel like getting up, he felt like laying there for his whole life. But reality jerked him to become fully awake, and he sat up. Metal clinked and hit his head. For once, he was glad he wore his mask. Without it, that would have hurt. He opened his eye. He had hit a bed pole. It was a bunk bed, but that didn't matter to him. Him, Slade Wilson, had hit his head on a bed pole. He scoffed, and found himself lucky that no one saw.
He surveyed the room. There wasn't much to see. Two beds, both were stacked and pressed against the wall. He was on the bottom bunk, sprawled upon it. There was a toilet in the corner, and a tap that acted as a shower. There were four metallic walls, with a door on the opposite wall to the bunk beds. The door was most definitely locked with a closed window on it.
"A jail cell," a monotone voice said above him. While surveying the room, he had forgotten the other occupant.
Raven jumped off the top bunk, landing in front of him. "I've been awake a while. There's no way out. Listen, before a man came through and convicted us of damaging some of their property. I guess they'll tell us more later. But I guess now, we're in jail." Her eyes were smiling, as though it all were a bad joke.
"Raven, can't you just rip the door off its hinges?" The person in question turned around, and showed a metal ring tightly bound across her neck.
"Power clampers. I haven't got any now. There's no seams, and I can't break it."
Slade nodded, taking in the information. "Let me see it." She complied, and turned. He placed his hands on the collar, and Raven fought shivers. He examined it for moments, checking everything.
"You're right. Extremely well designed, I've got mechanisms like this on the Sladebots. Perhaps before their moment of death, we can discuss it."
Raven rolled her eyes. "How do you know they'll die? I'll be there to make sure the minimal amount of death ensues. Anyways, it's night. We'd best get to bed."
He noticed that she said minimal. That meant she didn't doubt that there would still be deaths. He smirked.
Slade nodded, agreeing. Both weren't bothered about their rumbling stomachs. Raven climbed back to the top bunk, while Slade lay down on his bottom bunk. "Goodnight, Raven, Pleasant dreams." She found it trivial. Good dreams were barely her. Mostly it she slept with an empty void in her mind. Sometimes it filled with her emotions, or memories of the day, sometimes her father sent nightmares to haunt her. She laughed inwardly. Is that what it came to? Slade wishing her a goodnight.
Raven placed the thin cover over her body. It was still cold. Taking off her cloak, she draped it over her front.
Slade also was uncomfortable. He usually would've taken off his mask by now, but he wasn't going to compromise. He would deal. He didn't go under the covers; just lay on them, staring at what was above him. He closed his eye. Raven closed hers.
Slade cleared his throat, getting the attention he wanted.
Raven spoke, with a hint of irritation held in her voice. "What?"
He opened his eye. "I believe you forgot something."
Raven didn't respond, which Slade took as a misunderstanding.
"When one bids another a goodnight, it's returned. I thought I deserved it," he said, almost demanding.
His response was unexpected, and surprised even him. Raven was laughing, chuckling softly and quietly, though it was still heard.
Slade narrowed his only eye. "Did I miss the joke?"
"No, sorry. It's just so trivial, you know. I've been thinking that all day. I mean, we're in jail. Jail! Plus, a hero and a villain, working together."
Slade smiled, and he felt the whole idea to be mad, the mess they were in- it was crazy! The days were getting to them. They both laughed now, sharing the bad joke.
"I can see what you mean. It's unbelievable. We're talking and laughing, with no glares either way. Strange isn't it, we're like old friends."
Raven froze, and Slade could sense her hesitation. Friends. Friends? They were enemies; she swore to protect people from people like him! "Listen, Slade. We're enemies, both on the different sides of the law, the line between hero and villain. We can't be 'friends', it wouldn't fit."
She sighed, and he could feel her stress. Her monotone voice crept down in volume. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let it come to this."
Slade didn't say anything, but Raven knew he understood. And he really did. Raven was still young, as he'd said. Still naive, unexperienced. She still didn't know there wasn't a line between good and bad, she wasn't aware of grey in-between the black and white of the world.
She needed to know people did everything for their own benefit, and it was useless saving people who wouldn't even appreciate it. People went and did things that suited them, and didn't do it because of the law. People were selfish. When she realised that, then that was when she had matured and when she saw that the world couldn't, and wasn't like Jump City. It wasn't the fake hero like place she grew up in.
Raven probably felt torn with inner conflict, he guessed. She was going against some of the things that made up her life, her teachings. She probably felt confused, and unsure of what to do.
Slade remembered when he threatened her, to tell them about her destiny. The prophecy. The look on her face, sudden worry, the trapped feeling of not knowing what to do. It reminded him of a lost puppy. It also reminded him of Joey's face when they sli...
He quickly rid himself of the thoughts. It'd all be fixed soon though, he hoped.
He'd make sure of it.
The chapter is over. But fear not fellow readers, for SRF and QLF are NOT doing anything over the holidays! WBU?
Okay, no romance, but if u have any ideas we'll try and incorporate as many as possible.
MERRY X-MAS
SRF and QLF.