Welcome to a long chapter. I feel this one is one of my moderate-skilled works, but if you Read and Review I can get a better gauge on how I'm doing. Thank you guys for reading and enjoy the show!

Chapter 6: A Tense Wait

"and remember to bring extra medicine vials. You never know what might happen."

"Mom…."

Levitate groaned. His mother had been at this for over an hour now, dressing and undressing him for the big ball. He really wished that she would just let it drop already. Sure it was a big event, but it wasn't something to get obsessive over.

"Don't you 'mom' me Billy! Tonight is a big night and I will not let my boy look like a hooligan in front of the mayor! So stop squirming and let me tighten this tie."

Levitate felt the "tie" tighten around his neck. He didn't care what everyone else called it; to him it felt like a noose and made it hard to breathe.

"There. Now don't you look handsome?" The ground manipulator gazed in admiration at her work. Her son actually looked like a respectable man of society! Though it did take a suit as expensive as that to make it happen. It was a vested suit, plainly colored with penguin black and white. Levitate just hoped nobody at the party would mistake him for a waiter.

Terra smiled at her son. He looked so much like his father that she could hardly stand it. A tear was brought to her eye just thinking about it. Her little boy had been grown up for a while now, she just never wanted to admit it. Ever since the day his father died he had been so selfless, always playing the "silent hero" in the background. He even had gotten that job those two years ago at that chemical factory. A knot formed in her stomach just thinking about it. If he hadn't gotten a job there, he never would've had been knocked in those chemical and wouldn't have to take that stupid medicine and he wouldn't of had to live like a Titan as she had (no matter how brief it was). Still he never complained, silently taking on the responsibility that had been thrust upon him.

She knew that it could never make up for what she had done to the old Titans, but just seeing her son take up the reigns as a Titan and doing the right things (the things she never had the courage to do) made her feel better. She may not deserve forgiveness, but seeing her son overshadow her mistakes with his accomplishments brought an unexpected peace to her heart. She was just so proud of him.

Levitate watched as her mother trembled, tears streaming down her face. She was still holding onto his tie. He didn't know what she was thinking about, but he brought her into his embrace. Maybe she was afraid? It had been a close call that one time.

That man.

Two weeks had passed since their encounter with those weird creatures and the casual man and everyone was feeling on edge. Nobody really understood it was all. To them, the man looked as though he could finish them off without any effort at all. Both Nightwing and Starfire were still recovering from their injuries (though Cyborg gave them clearance to move around). So why didn't he? Why did the man just attack and vanish like that?

Levitate sighed. His mind really wasn't meant for that kind of thinking. He just simply did and did not. To him it was that simple: you do the things you need to and leave alone the things that you don't. He moved to grab the suit's jacket. It was that simple.

####3

Vicky continued her furious typing, the massive computer in front of her whirling violently as it ran its programs. She gulped another one of her energy drinks, her eyes never leaving the screen of the monitor in front of her. The entire Stone family had been working practically non-stop in the computer room since the incident; running programs and calculating variables, acting as add-ons to the supercomputer.

She looked to her mother, a blanket draped over her shoulders as she lay face down on her keyboard, snoring unattractively. The three Stones were stretching their limits with this search: chasing every crime and suspicious circumstance that happened to come up. Ultimately they ended up the same way they started: with nothing. And now they had that stupid dance to go too! Her brow furrowed and puckered her lips, a trait she picked up from her mother whenever she felt stumped and frustrated. What was the motive?

She laid her face down on the keyboard and whispered curses to it. She always hoped that it would act as a sort of spell to get the computer to give her what she wanted. To date it has never worked. She sighed and looked towards her father. He was still typing furiously, though she could see the dark bags under his eyes. Cyborg may be part machine, but he was also part human and needed to recharge as frequently as everybody else. She didn't blame him for not taking a break these past two weeks. There was still so much that needed to be done! She looked at her watch, her agitation growing even greater. She had to get ready for the ball soon. She turned back to her monitor and kept typing – she could spare five minutes.

#####3

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Please No!"

"Garfield Logan you will take a shower this instant!"

The green man gave his wife his mightiest frown. It wasn't very effective.

"Fine."

Spencer watched as his father marched out of the room and into the bathroom. He didn't blame his mother for her ferocious insistence on her husband's cleanliness. Both father and son had been training these past view weeks, practically non-stop, save to eat and sleep. Those two weeks of sweat had seemed to stick to them both like a second skin and Spencer could tell his mother was going to have none of it. He was feeling lucky that he had had enough sense to shower earlier so that he didn't have to feel his mother's wrath.

Though she didn't look the part at the moment, Spencer always knew how devastating his mother could truly be when she didn't get her way. Behind the elegant dark purple dress and bunned hair of the wife to the heir to the Steve Dayton (Mento of the Doom Patrol) fortune, laid the half-demon Titan who could make anyone submit to her will if she desired. Spencer had seen that side plenty as he grew up and he knew it wasn't pretty to be on the receiving end of it. Tonight, though, he had to admit… his mom looked stunning.

"Spencer will you do me a favor and put the holoring on your father's clothes for me? I know he hates it, but he was invited as Garfield Logan and so he has to go as Garfield Logan." She was putting her earrings on in the mirror, fiddling with how they went on. She never used them much, so putting them on was always a pain in the ass. The one piece of jewelry that Spencer had never seen leave his mother's body, though, was a small bracelet. It wasn't fancy or very decorative for it only had one "bead," well, a penny actually. Spencer had never asked about it before, it had always been there.

"Got it mom." Spencer grabbed the ring and placed by his father's clothes – a white shirted suit with a green vest and tie. Typical him.

Spencer stared at the suit and, though he couldn't explain why it had to be this moment, he felt unease. Here they were, casually preparing to go to a high-class party as a family, and the strange man was still on the loose. Spencer clenched his fists. That man needed to pay for how he made him feel – frightened and alone. He was supposed to be a hero for Azarath's sake! Heroes don't stand around in shock watching as his friends get beaten. Next time, he planned, the man would be sorry to have met him.

He straightened his tie as he thought. Him and Levitate had gotten similar suits, both dark and white in origin, save he kept a purple vest and tie instead of a black one. He felt uncomfortable going to a ball considering the circumstance, but the parents had insisted on going and let the computer run its program. They weren't doing any good here, so might as well relax a bit.

He sighed and donned on his jacket. He sure hoped they could relax.

#######3

Telly sat in the chair quietly as she listened to Nightfire hum a tune as she curled the teleporting girl's hair. She had never had the privilege of siblings before, so the "getting dressed and ready" girly stuff had always been a sort of far off dream. It felt kind of nice.

Never once had Telly had a proper home. Hell, she didn't even know her real name. When she was born she had been dropped off at the Gotham City orphanage without even a name to be called on. She grew up there, simply shying away from the other kids. No one really called her anything. It wasn't as though she was picked on or called "freak". The kids and adults just let her sit in her corner and daydream. She guessed that itself was tragic in its own way. When she had reached thirteen she decided to leave, just to escape. She knew she wasn't going to go anywhere there and nobody would really have asked or notice if she was missing anyway, so she got up and left. Until now she had been active in moving from place to place, taking care not to overstay her welcome at any one time.

"So Telly, you got to tell me…" Nightfire started off, continuing to curl the blonde girl's fair hair. "what's going on between you and Billy?"

She could feel the blush reach through her entire body at the sheer mention of the blonde boy's name.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She muttered, casting her eyes down; tracing the swirls of the carpet. Absolutely no idea.

Nightfire chuckled. Sure she didn't.

Nightfire always had this extreme girly side to her, courtesy of her mother, and relished in the idea of prepping for dances and dates. Her dress shimmered elegantly as she worked on Telly. It was a shiny black dress that looked as though it belonged on the red carpet and Nightfire had squealed the second she had laid eyes on it. It really was a beautiful dress and Nightfire couldn't help but feel confident in the "knock-out" factor it would bring. She continued her humming, imagining a certain dark-haired boy in his best suit.

#########3

The Jump City Mayor's Ball was always the most elegant event of the year, where the city's rich and famous attended to satisfy their desire to be noticed. Everyone from politicians to actors to the heirs of large fortunes and even a few superheroes (though it had become a sort of game for any hero that attended, disguising themselves to see if any party attendee could find them out) attended the event. As it turned out, though, the Titans had not been invited as heroes, but as their alter egos (Nightwing was the heir to the Wayne fortune, Beast Boy was the heir to the Dayton fortune, Cyborg and Sarah were there as well-known scientists and researchers) save for Terra, who Beast Boy had persuaded the city to be "his personal guest". It had been almost tragic when Raven had found out, practically every appliance and object in their room had broken by the sudden emotion. Of course her husband failed to notice and Garfield had just kept smiling, oblivious to having done anything wrong. Spencer didn't get it either (he never knew about Terra and his father's history together) but just figured that the changeling probably deserved it. The episode did, however, caused a brief feud between Levitate and Spencer, the former being pissed at Raven for hating his mother so unfairly with Spencer retaliating that Levitate had no right to judge his mother. For two days they had their "war". Many souls were lost.

Spencer wiped a tear from his face in recollection. Poor Pigsy… that brave, brave soul. May he rest in peace. At the moment the two were at a cease fire (but only at Cyborg's insistence). Both boys were never actually angry at each other, but after seeing how much fun they were having as well as how much it agitated the man-machine, they had refused to let up on the battles. Unfortunately, Levitate had been in the lead by the time they had paused the "war".

Spencer looked out the window of the limousine. To keep up appearances, each family had to arrive in their own cars, save for his and Levitate's (since him, Terra, and Telly were his family's special guests) who were riding in the same vehicle. He had been to this ball plenty of times before with both Nightfire and Vicky when he was younger, but as the years went by his family had become less and less frequent to appear at them, making this one his first in five years. He turned away from the window and caught Levitate in the corner of his eye briefly glancing at him. Their eyes met and the spark of rivalry erupted between them.

"Ready?"

A brief nod in response.

"Ok. 1…. 2…. 3!"

"Rock!"

"Scissors!"

################3

Levitate relished in his victory for the rest of the ride, Spencer seeking solace in his mother's comfort. It wasn't long afterword when they arrived at the ball. A red carpet was set before their door, paparazzi flashing their cameras in their direction, reporters holding out recorders to get a brief word from Jump City's incredibly rich and famous. Spencer just kept walking besides his parents, looking straight ahead. It was unfortunate, but tonight he had to play the role of not Spencer Logan the hero, but Spencer Logan the civilized son of wealthy parents.

The ballroom was grand and Victorian. A high crystal chandelier hung magnificently from the ceiling. A miniature orchestra and band was set-up in the corner next to a large stage and podium. Everywhere he looked there were the rich and famous of Jump City and beyond.

"Oh my dear. Is that the delightful Spencer Logan I see? Spencer!"

He winced slightly at the voice, its sweet gentleness stirring unpleasant emotions inside him. His animal instincts screamed at him to disappear, for they had certainly recognized the voice that he had thought himself to have forgotten. He turned towards the owner of the voice and smiled as, what he hoped would be considered, genuinely as he could muster. A rather young looking woman glided to his side. She was about his age, yet most would contest her beauty to be timeless. Her black hair shone brightly though it was in a bun and her long silver gown seemed to sparkle at her every move, no matter how subtle it seemed. She was truly radiant and beautiful as well as truly accustomed to the social elegance that most children her age tossed aside at their earliest chance. She was the prize that every wealthy parent strived for in their daughters, yet she was the one who seemed to have succeeded at such aristocratic perfection in both looks and grace. And Spencer was terrified of her.

Her name was Maria Thompson, daughter of successful corporate business owners Lloyd and Amelia Thompson. She had always looked and played the part of the perfect daughter and society member. Even when she was little Spencer could remember the grace in her gait and the delicate smile she would give. It was a smile that made you fawn over the girl and throw yourself to her whim. The shy, dainty, look of a young girl who seemed flattered at the attention as though she had never seen or heard it before (though she already had).

She smiled gently at him, gracing him with her perfect teeth. When she smiled most people would claim they felt as though they could melt on the spot in the presence of such majesty, but not Spencer. No, he would feel an alarm of sorts go off, as if the smile was simply a distraction to hide some ulterior motive that lay behind her eyes. Spencer would always make the effort to look at Ms. Maria in the eyes whenever they had the unfortunate pleasure to meet. His animal instincts screamed at him to do it. He recalled the first time he stared into her eyes: a deep intelligence and planning seemed to work behind those eyes and it had scared him. Even now he would still see those eyes somewhere whenever he had a nightmare. Always those eyes.

"Ms. Thompson," he bowed. Always bow before a Thompson. "You look rather elegant this evening." Those etiquette classes his mother forced him to take with Nightwing had really paid off.

She laughed. A sweet laugh. It was a laugh one would imagine someone of her standing and beauty to have. Its sweetness always tried to stir Spencer into a laxity that he struggled to shrug off. To him she was a siren and her voice would lead him to his doom, but to what doom he did not know. It just an inkling of paranoia, but Spencer had always liked being paranoid; it made it easier to fight. If his instincts said something wasn't right, he was going to listen to them.

"Why thank you Master Logan. You yourself look rather handsome." She eyed him up and down, just briefly without moving her head, and when their eyes met again, Spencer saw the new look of hunger in her eyes. He gulped but she didn't seem to notice.

"But please, no more formalities. I would rather be called Maria and to call you Spencer. We have known each other since we were children." She smiled again. That distracting smile…

"Whatever makes you comfortable Ms. Maria." Wow I sound like a damn butler.

"Delightful! Now you must tell me of all your exploits since we've last seen each other. When was that? I believe it had been at the Christmas fundraiser if I remember correctly. Yes, yes I think I do. You were wearing a most handsome sweater at the time weren't you?" She wove her arm through his and pulled him near, reddening Spencer's face to be so near. Spencer may not have trusted her, but he was still a young man, and a man could not help but blush at the touch of such a stimulating woman, especially one whose body would rival that of the gods.

Ok. Concentrate. Don't fall for anything. There's something weird with her. Just focus… Her scent reached his heightened nose and Spencer just about lost control of his composure right there. Her smell was divine! Strawberries! She smelled of fresh strawberries! His momentary lapse in concentration was enough for him to forget where he was supposed to be looking. His mind stopped as he recognized the young woman's true beauty.

Her curvature was bold to behold. The body of a goddess with breasts that would shame all others. His hand briefly touched her exposed arm and the simple act of touching her skin made him weak at the knees. She was soft – smooth. Just the touch stimulated his animal instincts to the surface, but he pushed them back down. Her face, though, now that he was seeing it fully (instead of only her eyes) he couldn't tear himself away. She looked as though she had been the product of an artist who refused to stop working on her. The more he looked at her, the more beautiful she became. She kept talking, but her words didn't reach his ears, her beauty was just so enticing. He moved his stare back into her eyes, wondering what gems he would behold, and the spell was broken.

Her eyes flashed the same arrogance and manipulative thinking that he had so often imagined. Looking into those eyes forced his mind to click back into place and remember his paranoia. He tore away from her gaze and focused straight ahead. She didn't seem to notice.

"…. So I must take you to my family's winter lodge. Oh the two of us could ski together and relax. Oh I'm certain that my parents would lent it to the both of us. What do you say?"

He didn't know what to say, he had missed a great deal of the conversation already. He was afraid to look at her again. Never before had this happened to him when he had seen her in past events so why was she so attractive to him tonight?

"uhhh…."

"Oi! Spencer! Get over here! There's someone I want you to meet!"

Spencer turned at the sound of his father's voice. He was waving ecstatically, his empath wife holding her head in her hand as if she could hide in it, shaking it back and forth in embarrassment. Next to them was an older man dressed in a tux that had obviously been used excessively. Despite his obvious gray and white hair and winkled face, the man was in decent shape for a man in a wheelchair.

Spencer took this opportunity to escape from the vacuum that Maria seemed to make. He turned to her and bowed quickly, being careful to keep his eyes trained on the ground. She curtseyed in reply and he rushed off to meet his father.

"Spencer, I would like you to meet Master Bruce Wayne of Gotham City." Garfield swept his arms dramatically as he gestured to the alias of the renowned Dark Knight.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Rachel and Garfield have been telling me all about your, ah, 'recent activities'. I must say that I'm quite impressed. It sounds as you did more than that lazy bird over there." His thumb gestured behind him and Spencer couldn't help but laugh to see the Bat pointing at none other than his former ward who was too busy showcasing his wife and daughter to the other wealthy couples at the party.

"Well Mr. Wayne, I'm flattered that you think so." Always be polite, act wealthy. It took every ounce of resistance in Spencer's body to keep from ecstatically shaking the hero's hand. The Bat was in front of him.

##########3

Nightfire kept her poise and emotions in check. God how she hated it. Nevertheless, her father had trained her well in how to walk, talk, and act like the daughter of a wealthy family and she was not going to let that training go to waste. Tonight she was under the alias of Cindy Grayson, daughter of Dick and Kari Grayson. Yet despite all her grace and poise, she could not help but give a fleeting glance and now and again towards her friend Spencer. At the moment he was arm-in-arm with Maria Thompson, the beauty of the ball. She always hated her. How dare she put her arms around Spencer as if he was hers to take! Though, come to think of it, Spencer didn't seem to be resisting. Actually he seemed to be enjoying it.

No! You know Spencer better than that. You and him had never liked that stuck-up bitch anyways! She was always so… off.

God damn it! Why did he have to look at her as if she was the only girl in the room! She could practically feel the starbolts forming to her hands. She may have just attacked the girl, but Spencer seemed to break the spell. He finally turned away from the girl and stopped, a look of confusion painted his face. Nightfire continued to stare until she saw him finally bow and walk away. She breathed a sigh of relief as her friend made his way to his parents and a winkled old man in a wheelchair. At least Spencer wouldn't get caught up in a lustful desire over a crippled man. She returned her attention back to the men her father was introducing her too. She smiled. It was obviously fake.

###########3

"And that's when I said, '401K? I can barely be bothered with my fifteen limousines!' AHAHAHAHAHA"

Vicky smacked herself in the face. Her father always did this around rich people. The two men he was telling this particularly bad joke to, though, seemed to understand it enough to let out chuckles. Perhaps the joke actually made sense? Doubt it. Vicky was 99% certain that it was less of a laugh directed at the joke and more likely a laugh directed at her father. She turned to her mother, pleading to get them out of this, but was only granted a smile of sympathy in return. They were both stuck with her father's terrible acting.

"Well Mr. Stone, it seems that you are a busy man. With your "fifteen limousines" and all." This man's voice was particularly monotone to Vicky. She had already forgotten his name, and thus was resolved to call him "Mono! Protector of jack shit!"

"Yes, I totally agree. Mr. Stone, it must be difficult to deal with such ignorant peasants. Right?" The man beside Mono spoke with a bright shining smile on his face. Vicky noticed he had never let that smile falter from his face, though (if she was going to be honest) it was kind of hard to see it behind that giant nose of his. She called him Long Nose.

"Well, let's be honest. Although I have to practically whip my idiot servants around all day, nothing is too good for my daughter! Tell them Victoria about my wonderful fatherhood!"

Cyborg pushed his daughter in front of him, offering her as a sacrifice to the wealthy gods Long Nose and Mono. She was totally going to have to get back at her father for this humiliation.

"No it's quite alright Mr. Stone. I'm sure you're a wonderful father." Why thank you Long Nose for your attempt to get me out of this.

"No no! She insists! Go on Victoria! Tell them all about how you're daddy's little girl!"

"I'm not."

"Oh yes you are!"

"DAD! YOU'RE SUFFOCATNG ME! STOP THE HUG!"

"DADDY'S LITTLE BOO-YAH!"

"GAHHH!"

Sarah chuckled at the scene between her husband and daughter. She was so happy this was her family. Mono and Long Nose, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed – Mono with not even the slightest shift in expression or Long Nose faltering from his magnificent grin. Sarah had to admit that it was very unsettling, but then again… they were rich people.

#####3

"They're a strange bunch aren't they?"

"Don't have to tell me twice."

Levitate (or Billy, he guessed tonight) and Telly (who was going under the name Trinity) were standing by the appetizers, simply chilling out. His mom had gone to the restroom briefly to "freshen up" for all the handsome, young (and incredibly rich) bachelors at the party and had left the two blondes alone. The food seemed to be the only interesting thing at the party, well, one of the "only" interesting things.

Levitate couldn't help but give fleeting glances towards his pretty companion. Nightfire had done a hell of a job making Telly look drop-dead gorgeous. Her blonde hair was curled beautifully and bounced slightly at the shake of her head. It was practically hypnotic. She was in a blue dress, similar in style to Nightfire's, but (if anyone asked him) she seemed to wear it better.

There was nothing to do at the ball for them. It wasn't as if they knew anybody or were actually invited. They were there simply because Garfield had insisted as a gesture of friendship.

The symphony struck up and the music floated through the room. Classical ballroom music – perfect for close dancing.

"May I have this dance?"

Telly stiffened and turned towards her stoic friend. He was gazing towards the dance floor, purposefully looking away from her face, but his hand was outstretched for her to take. Her heart leapt. She took a hold of his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. They were so intimate, yet not a word was spoken. Telly could not help but continue to look just at her feet, a red blush rushing to her face. She had never danced like this before, though it seemed Levitate knew just how to lead her. All she wanted to do was teleport away and disappear. She gripped his hand tighter; no, she wasn't going to run from this.

Levitate looked down at the beautifully shy girl in front of him. There was no place he'd rather be.

#############3

Nightfire looked at the two blondes and couldn't help but utter an awe. The way that Levitate was looking at Telly was the look that every girl wanted a man to give her, yet the stupid girl was so flustered that she couldn't look up and notice it! It was so cute that she could've died on the spot! A moment like that never comes around genuinely anymore.

A hand grasped ahold of hers and pulled her forward.

"What the fu-"

She spun in a complete circle. She stopped and only saw the close-up of the man's chest who pulled her. Who the hell would be bold enough to force her onto the dance floor? It was slightly peeving. She looked up to see the face of her "captor" and give him a piece of her mind. She was met with sparkling emeralds for eyes.

"I can't let Billy be the only one to show off his dance skills right?" Spencer said.

"eep"

"Yeah I got that vibe too. What a buzzkill right? Haha. Don't worry, we'll sweep them on the dance floor."

"….. eep"

"Now I won't lie: I was going to ask you to dance anyways, but that dumb blonde beat me to the punch. Oh well, guess that just means I should dance my best for you. What are your thoughts Ms. Grayson?"

Nightfire gulped. Words couldn't describe her thoughts at that point. She just grabbed hold of him tighter and brought herself closer to his chest. After everything that they've been through, she never wanted to let him go again.

Spencer smiled and accepted her desire to hold him close. They were all under a lot of stress. Fear was inevitable. He would do anything to keep that fear from surfacing, especially in Nightfire. So he danced, and failed to notice the slick man approach the microphone on the stage.

But of course fate had other plans that neither of them could control or predict, but for now…. For now they treasured the brief dance.

"Ladies and gentlemen…. May chaos begin."

They didn't even have the chance to pull away from each other as the dance floor exploded beneath them.

Well ladies and gentlemen that one took a while to write, but I'm glad that I got it in. Please tell me what you guys thought. I know it was a really boring chapter with an obnoxious cliffhanger. To tell the truth I finished this at 2:37 am, so don't judge me. I'm also working on concept art for each character (which I may or may not put as the cover). So more soon! Again R&R. Story can't get better unless if I know what I'm doing right/wrong, am I not correct?