Cyborg groaned as he looked at the damage done to Beast Boy's T-phone resigning himself to the idea he was just going to have to give him a new one. This one was likely beyond repair, or at least until he got back to Titans Tower, whenever that happened.
He overheard Amanda's episode and decided there were enough people fawning over her he wasn't going to be of any help in there. So, he sat back and waited for them to disperse to check on her and see how she was coping. He was worried about her; she was so young and so driven to live up to what those around her could do that she was prone to being extremely judgmental of herself. She was her own worst critic, insulting herself when she failed to live up to what the others around her could do even after being reminded they were older and had much more experience than she did. They had already set up the groundwork that she was to go to Steel City and continue to act as a member in the Titans East. There she wouldn't be so tempted to compare herself to Raven, a sorceress she could never match and was only stressing herself in the attempts.
Bumblebee knew she was going to get an amazing young meta-human in Amanda, but she needed some reassurance that she was powerful because she was critical of herself due to her young age.
"Don't worry, Sparky," she'd told him during his last conversation with her about Mockingbird "I know how to handle young Metas… and I'm not just talking about those two little speed demons I've got here. She will be fine… she just needs a place to spread her wings and she'll have that here."
He smiled as he remembered what Bumblebee had assured him, she'd had equal reassurances for Raven but only time would tell how well she'd thrive in Steel City.
Cyborg looked up as Felicity and the Arrow met up at the entrance. The blonde said something then clamped her hand over her mouth as if she had realized she'd said something she shouldn't. Then he realized she had called him "Oliver" not "Arrow" in a clear slip born from the idea that in the privacy of the lair they didn't use the name Arrow, she had always called him by his actual name.
Oliver bit his lip, if anyone was going to slip it would be Felicity, and she did. He looked at the cybernetic teenager as he put his hands in the air in a silent gesture that read he did hear but wasn't going to spread the secret. The name alone, Oliver, meant little to these dimensional travelers especially without a surname.
"I'm so sorry" she squeaked humiliated, and irrationally terrified.
Oliver growled to himself, he'd never hurt Felicity, he would never raise a hand to harm her she was too valuable. She meant too much to him, he'd never say it out loud, but he loved her like he had loved nobody else in his life. The idea of hurting her made him sick but she deserved someone who didn't come with the emotional baggage he did. Though she would have screamed he was the only one she wanted if she could ever find the courage to open her mouth to say it. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to keep his resolve in check if she ever did open her mouth to say those things when thoughts of her drove him to need a cold shower because his mind went over how her lips would taste and what it would feel like to make love to her. He had to get off that train of thought before it got too out of hand, and he couldn't keep himself in check looking into her eyes.
Cyborg nodded then looked down at the tech expert who was shaking for some inexplicable reason.
"Hey… no worries, it was bound to happen…" Arrow pulled her into a reassuring embrace.
It was becoming clear the titans weren't the only ones suffering the stress of the situation, Felicity had been up late working, trying everything to figure out exactly what would work to help him charge his power cells.
"Hey, Felicity, go rest I'll take watch" Cyborg said. He knew her system as well as she did at this point.
"No… Cyborg, I'm fine…" she insisted.
"Felicity… you're exhausted… I can't risk anything… I'm not going to risk your health any more than I already have." Oliver said.
Raven was standing in the doorway watching this go between, she'd heard the name and noticed how Sara had almost slipped earlier and used his name. Clearly the use of the "Arrow" moniker wasn't commonplace here as they struggled to remember to use it.
Sara's words rang in Raven's mind that he, Arrow, Oliver was madly in love with the blonde that he now held in his arms, and she was inclined to agree with Sara on the observation. She knew that action, he loved her, but he believed she deserved better than him. Nightwing had acted that way with Starfire, and Raven found that she was guilty of thinking the same thing at times about Beast Boy. That he deserved better, less haunted, than her, but he'd made it abundantly clear he wanted nobody but her. They would have to convince Oliver that she felt the same about him that he did about her because it was clear she did. That he was causing her more pain by not expressing his love for her than he ever could by doing so.
Felicity went up to the platform and he went on patrol finally giving up on convincing her to sit this patrol out. Cyborg watched her for a moment then went to see how Amanda was doing.
"You love him, don't you?" Raven asked coming to stand by Felicity. She was certain Amanda was okay otherwise she would have never left her cousin's side. Nightwing was trying to convince Amanda that things weren't her fault no matter how much the thirteen-year-old was convinced they were. Raven knew the way Amanda felt, she was young, inexperienced and sometimes made mistakes, but nobody blamed her for anything.
Felicity jumped at the sound of the sorceress's voice.
"Raven… um…" Felicity scowled and that was all the answer Raven needed.
"Look I… I don't know what to do with that situation and… I don't think this is something that you need to burden yourself with."
"You must understand I am an empath, and my powers are coming back slowly. I can feel the tension between you and him and I know what it's like to love someone so much but fear they will reject you. You should have seen what it took to get Beast Boy and me together…"
"Does it have something to do with why your little cousin just had a massive panic attack?"
"Yes… but she'll be okay… she's still coming into her powers… powers I'm not even sure we've scratched the surface on…" Raven sat down in the chair Cyborg had been using "they say she's a meta created by a mutagen gas release in Dakota… but I'm beginning to think her powers are different. Her siblings they got their powers from that mutagen spill but not her… if I didn't know any better I'd say she was a witch, but I've never had her attempt any spells because this is one time I really hope I'm wrong."
"And if you are correct, what does that mean?" Felicity asked giving Raven her undivided attention, her curiosity piqued by the notion of the sorceress hoping to be wrong.
"I haven't figured that out yet." Raven sighed looking away "I know where I got my magic, my father… but where would she have gotten her magic?"
"Could there be magic in your mother's family as well, more latent… maybe clinging on from generations past?" Felicity suggested "Maybe there are born witches in your mother's family or hers, but they just don't draw attention to themselves by practicing their craft openly or practicing the old craft at all."
"Maybe, I'd have to ask Madison and Mason if they know anything, I know Amanda doesn't I've been with her for nearly six months if she did she would have told me." She sighed.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes… but this… this isn't the time we're barely getting our powers back. I'll have to break into my spell books when I get home and see if she can cast any of them… if so her siblings and my uncle will have a lot of explaining to do." She groaned "But that… that can wait until we get home."
"Speaking of that I've been in touch with Cisco Ramon my counterpart on Team Flash and he says that Flash might have the answer to our woes if we can only get enough information to figure out which Earth the six of you originated from we can find where you belong and get you home." Felicity sighed glad to change the subject from her feelings about Oliver though she was certain the sorceress hadn't forgotten the subject just let it go for the moment she didn't seem to be built to back down, not that easily. She seemed too stubborn to let it go that easily especially if she found something she could do about it.
"I had a thought on that" Cyborg said as he approached Felicity.
"Oh yeah, what is that?"
"Here's the thing, every Earth in the multiverse vibrates at its own unique frequency as does every so wouldn't it be easy to say use me as an example find out what frequency my molecules vibrate at and match it to the Earth we came from?" Cyborg asked.
"That is a very good idea" Felicity replied sending a message to Cisco. "Now we just have to wait for her to reply back with how she wants to handle this."
Felicity stopped looking at Raven for a moment before getting back to her work. She wondered exactly what Raven could do. The others she knew, more or less, what they could do, it was just Raven and Mockingbird that were unknown to her.
They had told her Raven was a powerful and talented sorceress who gained her powers from the unusual circumstances surrounding her conception and birth, but as of this time had little by way of her immense power. Mockingbird was a young telepath with a unique array of powers that she could call her own, but it was clear there were mysteries surrounding Mockingbird's powers that left the older teenagers scratching their heads.
Felicity went back to monitoring Arrow as he patrolled the city and Raven watched her wondering what it would take to get the masked archer to confess he loved the woman sitting next to her. She knew the moment the Arrow confessed he'd have her; she was so in love with him it was unbelievable. The problem was like with Starfire and Nightwing he believed someone as beautiful and pure as her needed someone better than him, with a past that haunted his nightmares. She figured Felicity could confess all she desired her love to him, and he would insist that she deserved better than him.
"Raven… are you okay?" Mockingbird asked.
"I should be asking you that question, Mandy." Raven replied turning to the younger girl.
"I did kinda put on a bit of a floor show back there, didn't I?" Amanda admitted sheepishly.
"That's one way to put it." Raven admitted not wanting to get too salty with her cousin, the kid was young and still learning control.
"That notwithstanding I know you're still in pain, Raven, and I know you haven't been able to heal yourself… do you want me to give it a shot?" Amanda asked.
"No, it's too soon, you probably can't do it either and I don't want to risk anything right now…" Raven replied "Yes, this hurts like hell but it's not worth the risk when it is clearly no risk to me or my health."
"Okay, just let me know if you change your mind." Amanda looked at Felicity then back at Raven before silently asking her older cousin to come with her out of the tech genius's earshot.
"What…" Raven asked as they entered the dorm and Amanda closed the door.
"Okay, am I the only one to notice the tension between her and the Arrow?"
"No, I noticed it too, but they're not going to do anything on their own…"
"You want me to give them a shove…" she asked sitting on the bed with a cheeky grin.
"Amanda Mayumi…" Raven said incredulously, dusting off the thirteen-year-old's, rarely used, middle name. Rarely used given the fact that only she and Nightwing knew it, she was sure Cyborg had Wanted the info on a couple of occasions, but she hadn't told him. She was unaware he had just overheard it.
"C'mon Raven… it worked for you and Beast Boy…" Amanda said putting her hand's up in a placating gesture.
"Yes… it did but Amanda it isn't up to us to dabble in their affairs, you're my cousin I gave you a bye because you're my cousin, and you did it because you care about me." Raven explained.
"You're right, but Raven it's so sad… I can tell it's hurting her that he won't confess and he's hurting himself as well." She sighed.
"I'm not saying it isn't sad to see them this way, it is, but there isn't anything we can do about it just let whatever will happen, happen." Raven shrugged.
Amanda pouted but dropped the subject.
"Any news on how we're getting home?" Amanda asked.
"Not that I'm aware of." Raven replied, "We'll get there, don't worry."
"I know… but Raven… I'm just still not myself after…"
Raven looked at the younger girl in concern, that attack had been spectacular and possibly humiliating for a tween who was just growing into her powers.
"Look you know we're not going to tease you over that… we were almost as terrified as you were." She admitted gently.
Suddenly a strange sound echoed through the foundry and a male voice screaming a single word.
"NO…"
TO Be Continued...