SQ: Thanks for waiting so long for this chapter, I had some unexpected (and wonderful) life things to deal with. I hope you enjoy reading.
*Note: Hoarfrost is of my own creation, the other characters are not.
[Chapter 10: To Love and Be Loved]
Raven couldn't sit there forever. Not when Starfire had already gotten up to greet Hoarfrost. Not when Raven had already extinguished the flames. Not when Hoarfrost had already said hello. It would be rude. But when had that ever bothered her before. She could be rude… if she wanted.
Warm hands pulled her up and Starfire's questioning gaze met hers. No. She couldn't be rude, not now.
Raven smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way, then turned to face her ex-flame. Gorgeous as ever, white hair flowing down her shoulders when once it had been cut short, Hoarfrost's sapphire gaze still pierced Raven's soul. But didn't affect her the way it used to. Instead of swelling with love, Raven frowned. "Hoarfroast. Why are you back?"
No use beating around the bush so they say, or attempting to melt the cold hard look Hoarfrost now gave her. It seemed she expected a better welcome. Why, Raven couldn't understand. Not with the way they left things. Not with the way they treated each other. Hoarfrost folded her arms and tapped her fingers against them. White gloves against pale skin. She hadn't changed much. Of her outfit anyway, still wearing the same skin-tight blue shirt paired with even tighter blue jeans. That kind of thing used to attract Raven, but now she'd take Starfire in her pajamas any day.
Starfire, seeming to sense the tension, sprang in between them. She held out her hand. "Hello! I do not believe we have met before. My name is Starfire."
"Hello Starfire." Hoarfrost shook Starfire's hand. "Nice to meet you. Do you live alone in this mansion of yours?"
Starfire shook her head. "Oh no, we have many friends here. I am sure that they would like to meet you if you are able to stay for a while."
The question burned Raven, bubbling up her throat before she spat it out. "Are you staying long, Hoarfrost?"
Her old flame glanced her way. "As long as I'm welcomed." Hoarfrost lifted her hand, ice swirled in her palm, forming a shard. She hurled the shard away from them. It wedged itself beneath the door. "As long as it's not painful for any of us, of course."
Her voice lifted at the end. A question perhaps. No, a challenge.
Raven pressed a hand onto her thigh, thankful her cloak covered it. The scar still puckered under her palm. She couldn't let Hoarfrost know, couldn't let her see, couldn't give her the satisfaction. Raven wanted to punch that smirk right off the woman's face, but she didn't. Instead, she unleashed a small dart of power, slamming her darkness into the ice. The shard shattered.
She smiled. "Not for me."
She fidgeted. Too much. She ached to leave, to run from this person. Starfire could probably keep Horfrost occupied for days, but Raven wasn't sure how she felt leaving her new girlfriend with her old one. She needed more of a buffer if Hoarfrost planned to stay any longer than a few minutes. Then it hit her. The living room. The boys. They'd drool over Hoarfrost. Keep her busy until she decided what to do, at least until she told Starfire their… story.
Raven tilted her head toward the door. "Let's go inside."
Starfire linked her arm through Raven's and gently tugged her to the door. "Yes! Yes, inside. The boys may be back by now. I am sure they would want to meet someone new."
They drifted inside, Hoarfrost's footsteps echoing behind them. Raven stared at her girlfriend, willing her to walk past the hallway leading to their rooms. Hoarfrost could be inside the Tower… under supervision… but she'd never enter Raven's room. Starfire seemed to understand, nodding and leading them away from the personal quarters and into the living room.
The empty living room.
Silence ruled this space.
Crap. Raven blinked a few times, trying to clear the clouds that formed in her mind.
What was she going to do now?
Automatically, she meandered into the kitchen and started a kettle. Starfire lingered nearby, resting a hand on Raven's arm. She welcomed the pressure.
Hoarfrost leaned on the counter. "Still making tea, I see, Raven."
Raven's power lashed out. The water boiled, kettle whistling. Raven tried to concentrate on that sensation and grabbed her favorite type.
Starfire rubbed her arm. "Tea is very beneficial to the body. The herbs alone can–"
Hoarfrost interrupted Star. "White cranberry still your favorite?"
The white and red package fell from Raven's hands, berries face up. She elbowed it and reached higher into the cabinet, grabbing a chi spice instead. "No."
Hoarfrost chuckled, but Starfire – thank the gods for Starfire – swooped in and finished her statement. "The herbs alone can boost memory, fight off infection, and even settle the mind."
Raven poured the steaming water into a cup, dropping the spice package in and finally – finally – turned to face her former lover.
The nasty grin spreading on Hoarfrost's face could mean only trouble. "And we all know that Raven needs her mind settled quite often."
Enough pleasantries. On Starfire's part anyway. Raven sipped the clear water. "Why are you here, Hoarfrost?"
But the woman didn't seem to hear her. Instead, Hoarfrost pushed off of the counter and sauntered around the living space. She flopped onto the couch, kneading it with her elbows. A grimaced marred her features. Getting up, she threw a blanket – Raven's blanket – over her shoulders, then let it fall to the ground. Antsy, just like during their relationship. Starfire rushed over to pick the blanket up, folding then setting it on the cushioned armrest. Hoarfrost cocked an eyebrow at her. Her eyes flashed white for a moment and Raven would bet her life that the woman would do something rude. Just as Raven suspected, Hoarfrost grabbed an armful of the throw pillows and tossed them into the air. Starfire caught most of them, save one, and set them back in their original places. The last one – a deep blue in color - landed with a quiet thump on the floor.
Plucking this one up too, Starfire held it to her chest. "For being a guest, you are not being very considerate." Her gaze traveled to Raven's and held it. "Is this a normal custom on your planet?"
Raven shook her head. Damn it. She set her cup down and stalked over to the pair, knowing that ugliness that was about to spew from her former lover's mouth.
"Oh! So you're shacking up with an alien, Rae-Rae?" Hoarfrost leaned against the glass. Sunlight washed over her form. At one time, the sight would've been beautiful. Now, though, her presence dirtied the room.
"Shacking?" Starfire tilted her head, long locks drifting over one shoulder. "Raven and I are not shacking –"
Raven stepped in front of Starfire, interrupting her in the process. She wasn't going to let some old flame badmouth their relationship, much less insult her girlfriend. "Enough, Hoarfrost. Enough. Why are you here? What do you want?"
Hoarfrost smiled. She tapped a manicured fingernail on the glass. "I just wanted to see how you were doing, Raven." Her gaze drifted outside. "It's been such a long time since we've last hung out. Our circle of friends must be different by now. I wanted to meet other people, new people. And besides…"
In less than a heartbeat, Hoarfrost had crossed the room and grabbed Raven's hand. "Between you and me, our old crowd just isn't doing it for me anymore." Hoarfrost's eyes brightened to paper-white.
Raven tensed. Her energy pulsed, spiked, crashing through her in its haste to pool in between their palms. It nearly sang from the contact. Her darkness melded with Hoarfrost's light, connected to it, weaved through it, their energies circling one another like prey and predator. Like lovers.
Raven's eyes widened. Her breath caught. It would be so easy. Just to relax and let this happen. Let her energy leave her like this. Let her power surge through and into Hoarfrost. Let them meld. All of a sudden, like falling asleep, Raven knew what her power longed for. Love, yes. Acceptance, yes. But most of all, intimacy. It craved the physical connection. Yearned for it. And Hoarfrost knew it. Hoarfrost knew how the weave their energies together, dark and light, how to sift this energy off her, to pull it into herself and leave Raven with a manageable amount. It would be so easy. To pull Hoarfrost into the cover of darkness. To love and be loved by her. Get the lust surging through Raven out of her system. Out of her. With her. With Hoarfrost.
Something pushed down on Raven's shoulder, a hand. Hoarfrost's? No. Hoarfrost's hands were thin, demanding, nothing at all like the soft feather touches currently by her neck.
Starfire.
Raven blinked.
Her spiraling thoughts fell away like leaves quieted after a gust of wind.
She wrenched her grip from Hoarfrost's and backed away. But the mad gleam in those blue eyes haunted her, accepted her, promised her love long after their contact had been broken. Raven took another step back, pushing herself into Starfire.
What had they been talking about? Enemies? No, their old circle of friends. Back before Raven joined the Teen Titans. Before becoming a hero. Raven cleared her throat. "I don't hang out with them anymore."
Hoarfrost sidestepped them both. "I noticed. But here comes your new band of comrades. Maybe they can become my new crowd, too."
And sure enough, the door opened and Beastboy, Cyborg, and Robin came into the living room. Raven wished the space could be empty. She didn't want to explain Hoarfrost's sudden appearance. The boys would probably ask.
Starfire, with her gaze still trained on Hoarfrost and her hand still on Raven's shoulder, definitely would.
SQ: I really love Hoarfrost's character - she's so much fun to write! I hope you guys like her, too. What do you think thus far?
Comments and questions are all welcomed.