Homecoming
Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own the show Teen Titans, nor the various DC comics on which this fanfiction is based.
Wotan and Jinx's gaze both snap upward, to where the top of his barrier had previously been.
In its place, a man garbed in a blue jumpsuit with shining, golden accents floats in the air.
Even with the brilliant, white glow covering what lies within the eye slits in his mask, Wotan can feel his enemy's glare on him.
With his attention focused on Doctor Fate, the worn-down sorcerer fails to notice the other mage that came with him.
He does, however, notice the column of fire that wraps around him.
So, too, does he notice that the flames are not those of any mortal realm, the column burning dark red and slamming him into a warehouse wall with a concussive force.
"Where's the harpy?" a gruff voice demands.
Wotan's eyes narrow on the short creature, seemingly made of pure muscle, at the end of the flames.
Orange, lensed eyes glare at the sorcerer, his demonic features cast into hideous contrast from the flickering lights of his hellfire.
"That is enough, Etrigan," Doctor Fate states.
With a huff, the demon cuts off the feed of his power, the hellfire leaving an acrid smell in the air in its absence.
"Thank you," Jinx gasps, her trembling not letting her get to her feet just yet despite her sudden need to cheer.
"Raven's call came through, as did Wotan's spell that kept him hidden slip. It was a simple decision, though evidently it was late in coming," Fate's voice says, seeming to echo from his helmet.
Grinning, Jinx mustered up enough strength to pull Raven into a tight hug.
"You did real good, Rae!" she cheers.
"Feh. I'm just here because I felt the harpy," Etrigan claims.
Doctor Fate lands next to the fallen sorcerer wreathed in an ankh made of golden light.
"Now then, Wotan, it seems you're a part of whatever force is threatening the balance of this realm. This, I cannot allow. You will tell me who is behind all of these thefts, or you will find your punishment grandly worse than what you've experienced before."
Wotan sneers at his long-time foe, eyes narrowed with his hate.
He opens his mouth to speak, the power crackling through the air around him immediately warning Fate.
"Perturbãtiō canere," the sorcerer hisses.
The ankh around Fate brightens as waves of pure black come rushing at him, even the Helm of Nabu's sight not able to pierce the darkness.
The waves expand and form a bubble around Wotan, obscuring him from any of their gazes.
When at last the spot becomes clear once more, Wotan is no longer in their presence, small flames marking where he'd stood.
With a huff of frustration, Doctor Fate turns his full attention on the women.
The feeling of his gaze causes the meta to bristle, and with grit teeth, she slowly forces herself to sit upright.
She grimaces as Etrigan steps close to her, his eyes narrowed on her clenched hand.
"You," he starts while wagging a clawed finger in her face, "give me tha' amulet, now. Le Fey's wha' brought me here, not your ill-fated spat, and I'm takin' that for my troubles."
Jinx's eyes narrow on him, his orange, fiery gaze not so much as sending a tremor through her after the display her lover put on.
"You do need to give up the amulet. Magic like that can't be allowed to roam around to get recaptured," Fate adds, now standing near the demon.
Raven whimpers at Jinx's side, and she levels a glare on both of the men.
"First, I'm using the power in this thing to fix her. I don't have the energy to do a damn thing, and she'll die if I don't. You got any objections, you can shove it."
Not waiting for either of their responses, she turns to Raven and, very carefully, presses the small silver amulet against her chakra gem.
Immediately, the gem flares obsidian, even as Jinx's entire body glows neon pink.
The amulet crackles with sparks of her magic, and the meta winces as it pulls on her power to initiate her spell.
Raven begins shivering violently on the ground as black and pink tendrils of light begin mixing and coiling around each other.
Gritting her teeth, Jinx places her free hand on Raven's forehead.
The psychic's eyes snap open to reveal lenses of purple fire.
Jinx's eyes narrow in concentration, and the amulet becomes even brighter with her power, becoming a supernova of pink around her fist and the chakra gem.
"Maiṁ tumakō, bē'īmānī sē bhāpa nirvāsita!" the meta screams.
A solid bolt of pink light arcs from the amulet into the gem, which quickly takes on the same color.
As it does, the amulet begins glowing black as every piece of Wotan's energy is forcefully pulled out of her lover.
The amulet grows hot in Jinx's hand, but she forces herself to not let the pain distract her until it's done.
When the last bit of the sorcerer's poison is gone from Raven, Jinx immediately drops the amulet and cuts off the power going into Raven.
Spots appear in her gaze at the sensation of pulling on more power than she had, and she slumps weakly onto the dock.
"There… now… you can take… the damn amulet," she wheezes while pulling Raven to her.
Raven's eyes, which are now a pure indigo once more, look at her exhausted lover.
"That was… quite impressive," Fate muses.
As the amulet floats upwards into his hands, Raven gives a nod and finds that, without the poison, she once more has at least enough energy to sit up.
"I have a very gifted partner," she responds.
Smiling softly, she pulls Jinx into her arms, letting her head rest on her lap while making something akin to purring noises.
Etrigan ignores them, instead focusing his glare on Doctor Fate.
"The necklace belongs to tha' blasted harpy. That means it can lead me right to 'er, which means it's mine," he hisses.
Fate meets the demon's gaze with what could only be surmised, by Raven at least, as mild boredom.
"The amulet, in the wrong hands, of which such a category would include Morgan Le Fey, mind you, can grant eternal youth and an omnipotent locater. It can also be the key to the locks on various items that are dangerous enough that even Nabu can only seal them away."
"That isn't my problem, mage," the demon growls.
In response, Fate places his hand against the amulet as a small burst of light forms in his palm.
He proceeds to pinch his thumb and index finger together, and Raven watches in curiosity as a strand of golden light takes form between the digits.
He pulls the strand out from the amulet and, and as soon as it's free it takes the form of a small, round nugget of gold.
"Here, take this," he states before throwing it to the demon's waiting palm.
"I cannot risk Morgan Le Fey retrieving the amulet, but I think that that's what you're really looking for any way."
Etrigan scoffs even as his hand tightly fists around the nugget.
"Fair enough. I'll hope I don't enjoy your company any near time, mage."
With a snap of his fingers, a spiral of bright orange flames pops into existence at his side.
Just before he steps through, a thoughtful look takes over his expression.
Etrigan's fiery portal suddenly stutters, and he turns back to face the women.
"You best be careful, witch," he growls with his index finger pointed at Raven.
A strange sense of foreboding takes hold in the empath's mind, and her sudden tension isn't missed by Jinx, even as she relaxes against her lover.
"We'll be more cautious in the future."
"Yes, you will. But I'm talking about something else. Keep your eyes on the shadows, I hear talk of some wayward relatives that've been comin' from the woodwork recently."
"…Okay, then. More of Merlin's work?"
At that, a grin creeps across the demon's face, a shiver visibly rolling through Raven as she sits up straighter.
"Not my relatives, witch."
With a deep, rumbling chuckle, the flames swallow his body, and the women find themselves alone on the dock once more.
Jinx stares at her lover, something visibly changing in her.
"Raven?"
She watches as her mind goes to work. Usually, it's a fascinating thing to watch, but her instincts insist on telling her that this is nothing good.
Her gaze hardens, and Raven violently shakes her head.
With a huff, Jinx joins her lover as they rise to their feet, both of them unpleased with how much effort the rise takes.
"I'm fine. Well, relatively speaking, anyway. We'll talk about it in a more private setting?"
Jinx nods in agreement, slowly winding her arm around her lover's waist.
Both women smile as Raven's tension is leeched away, her body molding to the meta's side.
"Thank you greatly for the help," Raven intones to Doctor Fate. "It was much-needed and very appreciated."
Instead of the acceptance she expects, Raven is surprised to feel the man's eyes narrow on her.
"You really shouldn't put the good work you're both doing at risk so recklessly. You knew your quarry was Wotan. Calling for aid would have been better to start with, instead of after you almost left this world."
Raven winces, her grimace deepening when Jinx gives her a satisfied grin.
"You are correct. Perhaps you were right to begin with, Jinx," she adds to her lover. "I may have become too assured with the last year of dealing with, well, not weaklings, per se, but certainly not someone on that level…"
"Admitting you were wrong is a step," Jinx laughs, her arm wrapping around the embarrassed psychic's stomach.
"Indeed. As I said, you've been doing good work. But it is clear, now, that they are fully aware of your hunt. If Wotan was lying in wait for you, then their strongest forces will be coming out more. Best you two be more careful with your retrievals onward."
"Agreed," Raven nods.
"Also, I need to let this incident be known. The Justice League, and the other teams out in the world, need to know what they're potentially dealing with. While you two have certainly meant a great deal can return to their daily lives, it only gets more dangerous from now."
Something about his tone tells Raven that he's not just speaking in hypotheticals, and the slight glow in the eyes of his mask confirm her theory.
"Try not to make us out to be too incompetent, if you can help it," Raven sighs. "And leave the Titans to me. There are things they need to know about, not just with this incident. Since we'll be here a few days, I wouldn't want to be accused of not coming bearing some homecoming gift."
Doctor Fate stares at her for several moments, seeming to easily pick up on what she doesn't say about what the other things might be.
Jinx, however, simply frowns at her lover in confusion, though gives no voice to it.
"Very well. I'll leave your former partners to you, then. I must deal with this now," he says with a gesture to the amulet in his fist.
"Then have a good day, Doctor," Raven intones with a small nod of her head.
With a matching gesture of his own, Fate vanishes into a burning golden ankh, the acrid scent burning both of their superior senses of smell.
"Ugh… I need a shower. And a bed. And possibly some 'hell yeah, we just threw down with an immortal and lived to see another day' lovin'," Jinx urges.
Smirking, Raven tightens her hold on the meta as a bubble of soul-self springs up around them.
"Yes, how often will such an occasion present itself? Your libido is a primal force unto itself, love," she chuckles.
In the next moment, they're inside the comfort of their apartment in Jump City, and its numerous wardings and barriers along with it.
The draining of adrenaline from their systems, and their lack of power, makes for a very long and relaxing shower filled with companionable silence and gentle caresses.
It isn't until they're on the almost cloud-soft bed, in each other's arms, that they speak again.
"So what was the whole deal with Etrigan?" Jinx inquires with concern. "It seemed to really get you introspective and in your own little world for a bit."
After a moment of utter silence, Raven pulls Jinx more firmly against herself.
"There have been rumors that I am not Trigon's only sire, in the past. I hoped that said rumors, as well as the possibility of any or all of my hellish siblings being here on Earth, were just rumors. His statement soundly destroyed that false sense of security."
Jinx stares at her lover with wide eyes, her mind working rapidly to sort the new information.
"Well," she begins slowly, "that might not be a bad thing. I mean, you're his kid, and you're so good you landed the pure awesome that's me. Who's to say you're the only one who isn't a basket case?"
Despite her concern, Raven's lips turn up into a smile, her gaze softening as it focuses on the meta.
"We can hope. Now, then, we need to inform the Titans of our mishap. Much as I would love to have that situational session you mentioned, I think we'd be better off getting some rest. I don't think it would be a good idea to face Richard without enough strength to pummel him should he decide to do something stupid."
Even after a year, the meta can sense the anger her lover's former leader and his betrayal caused her.
While she hadn't given the Titans a second thought since Raven had finally stopped crying from her departure, she knows that the psychic has been keeping tabs on them.
That she thinks Nightwing would react to their arrival at the Tower in such a way sends a small spike of worry through the meta's mind.
Shaking it off, Jinx simply smiles and presses her head into the crook of Raven's neck, letting her eyes slide closed.
"We'll give it a rain check, along with the restaurant. A few hours of sleep can't do us any harm, since I'm about ready to fall asleep any second now, anyway."
"I'm sure Victor will be glad to see you again. Wouldn't want us both looking like zombies," the psychic chuckles.
Raven then wraps her arms around the woman's shoulder and mid-back, letting her own eyes close as the meta molds to her body.
It isn't until several hours have passed that they awaken once more, both women feeling incredibly sore but almost back to their full strengths.
The mingled glow of pink and black surrounding them most likely has something to do with their exceptional recovery, though it vanishes the same instant Jinx notices it.
With a quickly made meal to sustain them, the two head out to the Tower.
Raven sets them on the road outside the Tower, giving those within the structure time to notice their presence.
More importantly, though, it gives her time to feel the Tower out for potential threats, a habit her new line of work had quickly drilled into her.
Jinx notices the setting of Raven's jaw and the narrowing of her eyes, and immediately guesses on who is in the Tower.
Bristling at what's undoubtedly going to be ugly, she wraps her arm around Raven's stomach and pulls her close to her side.
The psychic quickly relaxes, and the two travel the several paces to the door.
Before either woman can knock, the door slides open with a rush of negative energy sweeping against their mental shields.
"Oooh, inviting!" Jinx laughs.
Calmed by her girlfriend's demeanor, Raven walks through the opening and heads straight through Zatanna and Nightwing, not letting their glares so much as slow her pace.
Jinx follows her example, though they both tense at the aggressive, almost dangerous vibes that come from the two Titans.
When Raven reaches the common room, a smile forms in spite of the angry warning bells going off in her mind.
Cyborg jumps up from the couch with a large grin, the two other occupants looking at the new guests with only mild interest.
Until one of them, a man, notices Jinx, at which point his boredom becomes a hardened glare.
"Yo, Rae! It has been way too long!" Cyborg shouts before pulling her into a crushing hug.
"Oof… Victor, I have need of those bones," Raven winces, though it doesn't deter her own smile.
His grin becoming more sheepish, he lets her back down onto the floor.
"How you been, girl?"
"Very busy," she deadpans.
Her gaze softens, and she offers him a small smile.
"Sorry about Bumble Bee," she offers.
His expression saddens briefly, before his grin's once again in place.
"Wasn't that bad. We're still friends."
"To have made you come back here, I imagine that it wasn't as easily handled as you claim," Raven counters.
While her words are harsh, and brings even harsher glares from Zatanna and Nightwing, her tone is entirely sympathetic to the half-machine.
"Yeah, well, what're ya gonna' do?" he quips.
Raven nods in agreement to something completely lost on Jinx before her gaze moves around the room.
"No Star?"
Cyborg's grin returns to full effect, equally proportionate to how much narrower Nightwing's eyes become behind his mask.
"She'd've come runnin' if she knew you were back in town. Lucky alien, she got to go out an' work with John Stewart. Somethin' about there being an issue from Tamaran that's in the sector, I dunno', but seriously, how cool would that be?"
"Sounds pretty cool," Jinx admits, speaking for the first time. "No Beast Bo… er… Changleing, either?"
"He's been back with the Doom Patrol for a couple weeks. Apparently they've been looking for Brain ever since they got thawed, and they finally decided they could use his help."
Raven's eyes move to the other occupants of the room, her expression neutral as she meets their gazes.
"And so, naturally, Richard pulled on Keystone City and New Cronus's resources," she quips.
"Raven," Kid Flash greets in a monotone, his glare never leaving Jinx.
"Wally," she responds. "And you must be Wonder Girl… Or it's Troia now, right?"
The woman sitting next to Kid Flash nods, her black hair bobbing around her head.
"Ya' got it in one, hun. We got a call for some help needed around here, my sis's got D.C. covered, and I figured who better to make up for Koriand'r's missing power than an Amazon," she says with a grin. "And I've heard all about you from those two, Raven, and I gotta' say, you don't exactly look like the Hell walking that everyone would think based on all the reports."
At this, Raven frowns, though Jinx quickly wipes it away by wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's neck.
"You haven't seen-"
Raven's hand immediately rises to cover the meta's mouth, which is in a large grin against her palm.
"No innuendo right now. Not the place, Jinx."
With a shrug, Jinx nods her agreement with an even larger grin.
"Been a while, Jinx. I see you've done wonders for lightenin' her up," Cyborg laughs.
Jinx begins to open her mouth, before she sees something in Raven's apparently neutral expression that stops her.
"I can't respond to that right now, Victor, or I might find myself regretting it?" she asks, her eyes on Raven as she speaks.
With a grin of her own, Raven nods and runs a hand through her blonde locks.
"Not even gonna' ask," Cyborg laughs.
"Smart man. Now, if you wouldn't mind, Walter, stop glaring at my girlfriend as though you're willing her head to explode, and we can get to why we've come here."
Wally's eyes widen at that while both Donna and Victor laugh at his expense.
"That's a good point. Why are you here?" Zatanna demands.
"Our team, as I'm assuming you know, has retrieved many items back to the museums."
"Oh, so you're here to brag?" the sorceress quips.
"We were doing just that earlier today," Raven continues, "when we, unfortunately fell into what was a rather… obvious trap, set by Wotan. I would point out, Zatanna, that this means we fought Wotan and are still alive, a feat which would suggest your powers would not be the ones best set for getting on my bad side so soon after my return."
Zatanna pales at this, as the emotions in the room all turn dark.
"You fought Wotan? Holy crap, are you serious!?" Donna exclaims.
"Well, it was less of a fight and more of a shooting contest, but yeah," Jinx muses.
"At any rate, as I said, it was a trap. He is a supplier for whoever the thieves are, and we were, unfortunately, lured right to him. Considering it was just the two of us, despite the beating we took, I think we did not fare too poorly, but nonetheless, it came down to Doctor Fate and the demon Etrigan stepping in to beat him."
"Which brings us to why we've come to enjoy the lovely feeling of mental knives coming from bird brain and his mystical spotter," Jinx adds with a grin.
"Play nicer, Jinx," Raven scolds. "There's something that Etrigan said as he was leaving that made it my responsibility to warn the Titans personally."
"Well don't keep us in suspense, Rae, what's up?" Cyborg inquires.
"As it turns out, I am not the only sire of Trigon's blood. Despite me being the portal, there are others, and going by what Etrigan said in passing, it is safe to assume that some may well be on Earth."
"That's what all the build-up's for? So what? You said a year ago that your blood doesn't make you inherently evil, so of course you having siblings isn't a problem, right?"
The tone with which Zatanna questions her causes Raven's hands to turn to fists and her eyes to narrow to slits...
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Author's Notes:
Perturbãtiō- Latin: "Chaos"
Canere- Latin: "Chant"
"Maiṁ tumakō, bē'īmānī sē bhāpa nirvāsita!"- Hindi: "I banish thee, foul miasma"
Well, I hope their reunion is every bit as awkward as one would expect given Raven's departure. You, as the readers, can certainly feel free to tell me how well I did. I hope you're enjoying, and see you next time!