LOVE + FEAR

OH NO!

You know what you have to do, mate. Clear the board. Start again.

This can only be looked at as a prelude to war.

NO ONE WILL MOURN YOU.

Can't even be a corpse in peace.

You're the strongest person I know.

YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME — AND NOW I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY!

Oh, bollocks, it's my ex!

King Shark is a shark!

And so it ends, my race is run...I regret nothing...it was fun.

It won't be perfect. We'll be a long sight better than what we've got now.

...I had feelings for you.

Raven removed her arms from Damian's neck to massage her temples. What is this? An entire lifetime crashed over her, filling her mind. Like repressed memories coming to light.

"Raven?" Damian's hands covered hers. "What's wrong?"

Flashes of glowing eyes and glimmering fortresses, one alight with magma, the other crystallized like ice. Triumphant shrieks of Paradooms, swarming over cities...

Raven tried her best to push the overwhelming thoughts away. She focused on Damian's face before her, "You don't see it?"

"See what?"

It took her a minute to even find words to describe it. When she did, her breath stopped.

"He was right." Her voice was small. "It's all real."

"Who?" More raindrops fell, flattening Damian's hair as water trickled down his jawline. He didn't move to brush them away.

"Clark — the Flashpoint. It's real. I remember...I think Bruce does, too," She pressed a hand against the gem on her forehead that was now throbbing. Trigon was shifting through the images, watching, observing. A furious roar entered her mind whenever memories of Darkseid resurfaced.

Damian's eyes narrowed. "What did you see?"

When Raven opened her mouth to answer, a buzz cut her off. Someone was calling Damian. When he glanced at the screen, his expression hardened. "Hold on. Let's see if Father can answer."

Raven nodded as he brought the phone to his ear. Part of her was relieved for the interruption. It was hard to form sentences with the flood of images in her head, sucking away at her concentration like a ravenous maelstrom.

Raven overheard the low monotone murmur of Batman's voice on the line.

"How long have you known about the Flashpoint?" Damian cut him off. "Why haven't you informed the Justice League —?"

Damian's question was met with a harsh tone. Raven stood awkwardly silent before him, trying to not stare at his lips. She surveyed the abandoned rooftop as the rain continued to pour, seeing things that weren't there.

"No. I won't be joining you," Damian's refusal caught her attention. Raven had no idea how the conversation had morphed.

"I don't care about the most useful skill set — ask Cass. You assigned me to the Titans, I am doing what you asked," Damian snapped. "Raven told me she remembered —"

His expression blanked, shock caressing his features. Damian glanced at the call screen, then his eyes flitted back to Raven. "He wants to talk to you."

"What?"

Raven thoughts trailed back to the calm, collected billionaire at the store. She doubted this exchange would be as lighthearted — that term hardly applied to their first conversation.