Hi, hello, sorry for the unexpected break. Life has been bananas and my family has had some unforeseen medical stuff going on this past month, so I didn't have much time to write. I also hated this chapter and rewrote it several times, but I think I finally found the sweet spot! Or, at least, something I can stand to post lol. This one's a bit short, but I have the next chapter planned out and about halfway written, so that should be out tomorrowish. Happy reading!

Chapter 8

In a musty basement room in the heart of Jump City, a man sat upon the peeling leather of a worn office chair, his unshaven face dimly lit by the monitor in front of him. Upon it was a picture of Madame Rouge, which he stared at intensely, pupils dilated and gaze detached from reality. His chest heaved with the effort of concentration, and he gasped when he suddenly came to. The man brought his closed fist down on the desk, rattling its contents as he loosed a frustrated shout.

"Useless whore..." he muttered, closing the picture then sifting through a digital folder, searching for another. Every day he came closer to understanding his powers, but after nearly four years, the goal sometimes felt impossible to acheive. Each new person was a curveball, every mind having a different threshold for his control. Madame Rouge had seemed like a strong contender, but even she was no match for his and Raven's combined abilities. She must recovering somewhere, though he could only assume as much since he'd accidentally severed their connection when he got a taste of her pain the week prior.

He scrolled past the picture of Adonis, marred with a large black 'X', and landed on the empath as he had a hundred times before. The mouse pointer hovered over her photo, and he hesitated, still catching his breath from the last attempt at a connection. With a determined grunt, he clicked anyway.

Of all the people he'd controlled, Raven was by far the most difficult to reach, despite the fact that he'd been trying to access her mind far longer than he'd bothered with anyone else- years of wasted time and effort. He seethed as he tried to recall how many of the attempts had been even remotely successful, though a small smirk managed to break through as he recalled his latest triumph, the furthest he'd ever gotten with the girl. Making her relive her moments with that psychopath Gabriel had worked far better than he could've predicted, and even now, weeks later, he could still recall with great satisfaction the sheer panic and confusion she'd experienced then. He'd ridden that high for days, though it did end up becoming something of a double-edged sword- he'd finally gotten a taste of the power he craved, and there was no going back. He needed it again, now more than ever.

He focused on the photo, on the empath's smug expression stolen from a decade-old newspaper article, his breaths becoming ragged with the effort. There it was. That purple tinge, the microscopic thread he followed diligently, growing thicker and stronger as his mind raced along the path to her. He braced himself for the familiar nauseating sensation that came with leaping into someone else's consciousness; however, just before the point where the exchange normally took place, his mind slammed painfully into an invisible wall, and suddenly he was back in his own reality, reeling. He tumbled from the office chair, sending it spinning to the other side of the basement room as his head struck the edge of the desk.

"What the fuck," he groaned from the floor. With a wince, his fingers grazed the tender spot on his forehead, and the confusion was abruptly replaced with white-hot rage when they came away red. He sneered, ignoring the blossoming migraine as he staggered back to his feet, then hurled a fist toward the monitor. His hand halted mere centimeters from the fragile screen, and his nostrils flared as he vyed for control. Heart pounding with fury, he huffed out a shallow breath and stiffly turned to retrieve his chair, rolling it back over to the desk and taking a seat.

A calm rage settled almost comfortably within him, welcomed freely like an old friend. He closed Raven's photo and began scrolling through the file again; It only took a few moments before the smirk returned to his now bloodied face, and he clicked on the unassuming, previously disregarded man staring back at him. If only everyone could see the world the way he did- could see the angry, blood-red neon lights that danced around his vision as the photo practically screamed, 'NOTICE ME'. He sighed contentedly.

No more fucking around. This one would work.

On the opposite side of town, Garfield Logan removed one hand from his steering wheel, rolling his eyes in annoyance when he saw that it was still shaking against his will.

"You're fine, stupid brain," he muttered to himself as he reclasped the wheel, as though the manifestation of his anxiety (read: irritation) would simply disappear with a few encouraging words.

It had been an uneventful week since the incident with Madame Rouge, and though it was still on everyone's minds, everything was beginning to return to normal. Too normal, in fact, if you were to ask him. Even Raven, who'd been recovering at Richard and Kori's place, was healed and back to business as usual... which, in her case, meant suddenly becoming unnervingly distant. Every text he'd sent to check in over the past week had been seen and ignored (who doesn't turn off read receipts?), even the one he sent some 20 minutes ago:

11/7 5:03 p.m.

'Hey Rae, haven't heard from you... just give me some sign of life, will ya?'

He huffed out another frustrated sigh as he took a sharp turn into the neighborhood, slowing down just enough to not kill anyone who may run out in front of him. Thankfully, the streets remained clear and he pulled into the driveway with a screech, slamming the door on his Prius and stalking up Richard and Kori's driveway. He raised a fist to knock, but the front door was already swinging open, and he found himself face-to-face with a bewildered Richard. The sharp-dressed man opened his mouth to speak, but was swiftly interrupted by his fiancee.

"She is in the guest room," Kori said, nonplussed. Richard gave her a look of utter confusion and hesitated to move, but she gently shoved him over the threshold and smiled at Gar as she gestured him inside. "We will be back in approximately two hours," she whispered, winking at him as she shut the door. Gar rolled his eyes at the implication but continued on, too focused on charging toward Raven's quarters to care how the situation appeared.

After trudging up the stairs he arrived at the door to the guest room, and for the first time, questioned his actions. Why was he here? Was he really so annoyed that he'd stormed over here without a second thought? He could concede that there was perhaps, maybe, possibly the slightest chance that it was the lingering fear of abandonment that was driving him right now... And yet, as he stared at the door before him, he began to recall the terrifying state Raven had been in when they'd found her last week, and swiftly decided that his irritation was completely justified.

He shook the doubt from his head and knocked gently on the door, before he could talk himself out of it again. After a few moments with no response, he rapped again, his frustration growing with each knock. Still no answer.

"Raven!" he burst finally, "Open up! I know you're in there!" He waited a moment, then raised his fist to bang on the door yet again-

"Gar?" Raven's voice came from his left, and he looked down the hall to see her standing in the doorway of an entirely different room, peering around the frame at him quizzically. He gave the door in front of him an accusing look, as though it was its own fault he hadn't paid close enough attention, and stalked down the hall toward Raven, griping.

"So you are alive!" he bellowed sarcastically, coming to a stop in front of her as he continued ranting. "I know we're not besties or anything, you've made that abundantly clear, but I don't see why it's so difficult to- wait, what the hell happened in here?"

Gar made a show of rising to his tippy-toes to look over her shoulder, despite Raven trying block his view with a sidestep. She yanked the door closer to her, but he'd already seen what she was trying to hide: The room was littered with shredded paper, feathers from down bedding, and shards of glass; it effectively looked as though it had actually been in the direct path of a tornado. Raven avoided his gaze, but he crossed his arms, patiently awaiting an explanation that she couldn't just avoid giving... right?

Actually...

Just to be safe, Gar placed his hand high on the doorframe above her head, hoping she'd at least be merciful enough to not slam the door on his fingers.

Raven glanced up at his hand then narrowed her gaze at him, huffing out an annoyed sigh.

"Fine," she grumbled, fidgeting with the hem of her cropped sweater and revealing a couple inches of her midriff, which Gar was definitely not distracted by at all. "There's... something I've been meaning to tell you."

Gar listened patiently as Raven spoke, waiting with bated breath for her to say something he might be capable of processing. She wove a convoluted tale that began back when they were still teenagers; there was some stuff about voices, about Trigon and Azarath, something with her old landlady Greta- Gar sneered unabashedly when she mentioned Adonis's name- and, wait, did she just say mind control?

"Whoa, Raven, hold on." It was like he'd abruptly returned to his body, back in the present moment with sudden vivid clarity. "You don't think-"

"Yes, I do. The plan I'm considering-" she continued without pause, ignoring the finger he raised to request a turn at speaking, "-would involve letting them in, to hopefully figure out what it is they want and put an end to this thing."

Raven finally concluded speaking and looked up at Gar expectantly, crossing her arms and tapping her foot restlessly after a few moments of silence.

"Well?" she prompted impatiently when he gaped at her still, saying nothing. "Any thoughts?"

"I- thoughts? Me? Do I have thoughts?" Gar shook his head, dropping his hand from the doorframe to instead rake it through his hair in frustration. "No, actually, I don't think I do." He spun around and started walking back toward the stairs, leaving Raven to now gape at him from the doorway where she remained.

"Are you serious?" she called out incredulously. Gar stopped in his tracks and turned back toward her, throwing his hands up in the air.

"What do you expect?" He tried to keep his voice down, but they both knew the tone he was using was not a calm one. "Raven, no offense, but that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Raven's brows furrowed and her mouth fell open, clearly offended. He opened his mouth to go on, but she spoke first.

"Garfield, you don't know what you're talking about," she said darkly, now equally annoyed.

"I don't know what I'm talking about? Do you even hear yourself?! No one who cares about you would let you do that!" Gar subconsciously stomped back over to her as he tried not to shout, paying little attention to his anxious movements. His chest heaved with rapidly-building anger, and he tried to school his tone despite the dread that accompanied his next request. "Tell me the others don't know."

"They have... a rough idea."

Gar, now standing before her once again, stopped rubbing at his temples and snapped his gaze to her face, features contorted with irritation.

"Define a 'rough idea'," he said through gritted teeth. Raven rolled her eyes.

"I didn't tell them the entirety of it. I'm taking time to think it over, so you can stop acting like-"

"There's nothing to think about, Raven! It's insane!"

"Don't say that."

"It is, Rae! You're crazy if you think-"

"I'm not crazy!"

They went quiet when a nearby decorative vase shattered, joining the rest of the collateral damage adorning the area. They both looked down at the shards of blue and green glass scattered about the floor at their feet, but Gar's stare snapped back up in alarm when a tear hit the hardwood near his shoe.

"I just told you," she said lowly, her tone laced with pain and annoyance, "I'm not crazy. Someone is doing this." She glared at his shoes, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Rae," Gar sighed, but she interrupted him again.

"Just shut up," she hissed, swiping a sleeve across her face before she finally looked at him again, anger still coloring her features. His expression hardened again.

"No." he deadpanned, ire seeping into his voice. She rolled her eyes again, trying and failing to stifle a sniffle.

"Why?" she spat, her fingers coming to rest on the doorknob. Gar stepped even closer, knowing for certain now that she was contemplating slamming the thing in his face. Their bodies were mere inches apart as he glared back down at her, snarling.

"Because I care about you." Anger and lust wove together confusingly as he towered over her, hyper-aware of their proximity as they both stubbornly refused to back down. Raven matched his expression easily, her chest heaving with the effort of keeping her emotions at bay, though something she didn't want to ackowledge swirled persistently alongside the frustration. They were lurking in dangerous territory, and something had to give soon. Her gaze flashed to his lips and she chastised herself immediately, biting her own lip so hard she nearly drew blood.

Gar's nostrils flared while they stared at each other in silence, the tension thick and suffocating, crushing him beneath its weight as conflicting emotions warred violently within. The invisible flame between them surged freely, growing bigger and brighter until it was out of control and his lungs burned and he couldn't keep his gaze away from her mouth.

"Fuck it."

Raven's breath hitched as he descended upon her with a low growl, hands plunging into her hair and lips crashing together desparately. The surprise dissipated instantly and she returned his fervor, wrapping her arms around his neck and surging onto the tips of her toes. Gar hoisted her up so she didn't step on the remains of Kori's vase as they stumbled over the threshold, and he kicked the door shut behind them.

Raven wrapped her legs around Gar's waist, his hands gripping her thighs protectively as they staggered further into the room. When her back finally met a wall, she sighed into the kiss as he slid his hands to her ass, squeezing gently. One remained there while the other slowly, gingerly roamed up her back, goosebumps erupting in its wake before he gripped the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. She got lost in the moment as their tongues danced together, and whimpered softly when he broke away to allow them both to catch their breath.

"Gar..." Raven breathed, looking down at him as she gently fingered the hair at the nape of his neck. He watched her for a moment, intrigued, before dipping to her neck and impatiently kissing the soft space above her collarbone. She said nothing further, instead letting slip a barely audible moan as her head lolled back. Gar growled into her skin at the maddening sound, tracing kisses up her neck and along her jaw then meeting her lips once again, this time slower, more intimate. Raven felt like her heart might explode, the way it was pounding in her chest, and she couldn't help herself as her hips moved against his just a little. Gar pulled back instantly, hunger filling his eyes as he stared at her again.

"Raven-" he started, easing her back down to the floor but still gripping her hips possessively after she landed on her feet. She cut him off this time, the grasp on his hair tightening as she tugged him back down to her, renewing the kiss. She needed him, possibly more than she'd ever needed anything. Gar let loose another guttural sound in the back of his throat as he pressed his body against hers, hands wrapping further around her and slipping under the hem of her shirt. She continued stroking his hair with one hand while the other dropped to his chest, tracing along the muscles there before gently scraping her nails down his ribcage, over his abs, making her way down to-

"Rae," Gar groaned into her mouth, drawing back as he caught her explorative hand and began stroking circles over her wrist with his thumb. She frowned at him. "We have to stop."

"Oh." Raven looked down at the shapes he traced on her arm, leaving it there as she let her free hand fall away from him. Her expression was unreadable, but Gar could sense a shift and his heart plummeted as guilt began to consume him.

"Wait, wait," he backpedaled, releasing her wrist so he could take her face in his hands instead. "It's nothing you did. Believe me, I have never wanted to continue something so badly in my life. But..." He glanced around at the room they were in, eyeing the walls as if they could tell their secrets.

"...We're at our friends' house," Raven finished for him, shaking her head free from his grasp and rubbing at her face. "Of course we... I mean, we can't... not that I..." she stumbled over her words, the pink tinge on her cheeks deepening with sudden embarrassment. He didn't dare say it aloud, but Gar found that a flustered Raven was rather cute, and silently tasked his future self with seeing her like this again sometime.

He smiled gently at her, reluctantly taking a step back to give her some space as the fog cleared. He fought off a frown when he was immediately flooded with the insatiable need to touch her again. In an effort to distract himself, he stooped to pluck a feather from the plush carpet, noticing the time on his watch as he did so.

"So... clean up this mess, then dinner? Or the other way around?"

Nightwing sat in a squat, perched atop a skyscraper just north of S.T.A.R. Laboratories, observing the exits with what could be best described as a modern-day spyglass. His vision narrowed when he spotted Victor Stone, his former teammate and now good friend, leaving the building and heading toward his car, briefcase in hand.

So far, he hadn't seen anything remotely out of place on the campus. When the police department received a tip about a man behaving oddly and making suspicious purchases just as he was leaving for the day, he didn't think much of it. That is, until the dispatcher mentioned Victor's name with a glance at Richard, scribbling down the words coming through the other end of the receiver. He'd made great haste to rush to the labs, but it had been an uneventful and, frankly, boring 2 hours since he arrived. He'd checked in on Vic several times, made multiple rounds of the building he worked in, and alerted security to a potential threat. Even now, on high alert with his friend in his sights, Nightwing had a gnawing feeling that he was wasting his time.

He almost missed it.

Far, very far off in the distance on the side of a hill, a glint of light. Barely a speck in the corner of his vision. More than likely, a trick of the bright flood lights illuminating the sidewalks- but no, there it was again. Nightwing stood, a massive pit weighing down in his stomach. The air crackled with a sudden pop, and before Nightwing could so much as shout a warning, Victor was on the ground, blood already pooling around him.

Don't hate me for that cliffhanger. Next chapter will be up soon, I promise!

P.S. Thank you to the pair of new reviewers that popped by, it's always nice to hear from folks who are enjoying the story. Y'all are rad and I appreciate you!