Chapter 11: Problems to Fix
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"Raven? Raven?!" Matt was almost yelling into his headset. "Did she teleport out?" He started clicking on the keyboard, trying to track Raven's position using her ear piece. "She's...on the roof?"

He slammed his laptop shut and left the office chair spinning.

It didn't take him long to find the roof access at the end of the hall. He climbed up the stairs thinking about what she should say to her. She'd obviously be pretty upset. Or would she?

I should really just stop trying to read her. It's useless at this point.

He opened the door and looked around. No sight of Raven. He walked to the edge of the roof and looked over.

"Woah..." Raven's appartment building was pretty much at the heart of the city. All around him were the buildings he knew all too well, but seeing them from a different perspective coupled with the deep blue night sky dotted with sparkling fairy lights? He almost forgot about Raven because of them

After stargazing he continued to look for Raven. After looking for another minute or so, he found Raven slumped against a metal fixture on the far side of the roof. He rushed over to find that she was unconscious. He was reluctant to touch her, but he couldn't just leave her there. He took off her mask.

Despite the fact that she got beaten over the head a few minutes ago, she looked peaceful. The most peaceful he had ever seen her. Her framing strands fell as they were carefully tucked into her mask.

He mulled over what to do.

I can't leave her up here. But if I walk down the hall with her, that probably won't go too well if someone sees me carrying Nightengale. And if she finds out I picked her up she'll kill me.

He looked at her. He shrugged.

"I'll risk it." He picked her up bridal style and walked back to the door. Part of him, uncomfortable to be holding her in such a way, the other part, determined to get her back to her house.

Nobody saw him. Luckily.

He put Raven down on the couch and walked back to shut everything down.

He sighed.

That went terribly. I don't even think it could have gotten any worse. And I can't believe there was NOTHING in that safe! Smart bastards must've moved it. I wonder how Raven's going to react to being taken down like that. Do I even want to know how she's going to react? ... No. Yes? I have no idea.

He went into the kitchen and made a bag of ice for Raven. He figured she probably was going to have a bruise on her head.

The footage of Raven freezing up in front of the safe replayed in his mind. Her strained and confused voice echoing in his mind.

I didn't think she even had the capability to freeze up like that. Raven looked so...scared... What was she even thinking? Or was she even thinking at all?

His thoughts were halted by him dropping half the ice tray on his feet, with only thin cotton work socks to stop the cold, half-melted water from seeping through his socks. He stifled a shriek.

"God..." he looked over at Raven from the kitchen. She hadn't moved from the position he left her in. Left palm facing the ceiling, right hand on her stomach. "Right. Her hand." He walked to her bathroom and tried his best not to look at the things in her medicine cabinet and just look for the bandages.

He eventually found the bandages in a cabinet stuffed behind everything under the sink. He saw a few things he probably shouldn't have, but he pretended not to notice they were there.

He walked up to the couch and wrapped her hand in the bandage. She was bleeding a lot from her hand and her shoulder. Then he realized that he had her blood on his clothes. It was probably on the roof too. He didn't know exactly how to wrap her shoulder, so he did the best he could. Then he headed back to the roof with a bottle of water and a cloth.

He slipped back into the appartment intending to grab his things and leave, but instead he came back in to Raven sitting upright on the couch. She turned to Matt, clearly suprised he was still there. She stared blankly at him and turned away.

"Hey..." he started.

"Hey..." she replied quietly.

"Are...you alright?" She furrowed her brow.

"Don't ask me that." She said quieter than before.

"Sorry..."

"To answer your question, no. No, I'm not." She looked at the bandage as it grew red. "You patched me up. Thanks..."

"No problem." She closed her eyes and put her right hand in the left.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos..." she repeated it a few times and her hand glowed blue. When she was done she unwrapped her hand and the bullet wound was gone. She did the same with her shoulder.

"What about the bullet?"

"Don't worry. This isn't the first time and it won't be the last."

"..."

"I guess...I can't just steal the information."

"Yeah. That's evident now."

"I wish it was before." She makes a frustrated face, then shuts her eyes. "A rumor. I almost got caught because of a rumor that had absolutely nothing to corroborate it! How did I fall for that!" She got really frustrated with herself. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly."I'm so stupid." She mumbled. "I just wanted to get this mission over with. I rushed it, and look where it landed me." She hugged her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them like a teenager. It looked like she was about to cry.

"Raven you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. You had a hunch and you went for it."

"And I almost got caught for it. Killed for it. Do you know how much money is on my head? How many people I've killed that were important to society? I took down the Mayor last year. The Mayor, Matt! I'm wanted and I'd be killed soon after they catch me. I'm too deep in to make any more mistakes."

"This was just one time, Raven. You'll have more chances. This mission will just take longer than expected. It's hard. We have to befriend them to get information out of 'em. Not easy. But you've been through similar things right? Once we get through this part the other part is easy."

"We... We..." Her legs relaxed as she sat up straight on the couch and looked at Matt as if she had gotten an idea. But then the epiphany turned into anger. "We... This is your fault..." she said quietly.

"Huh?"

"This is your fault! I was rushing because I don't want you here! I wanted to work alone just like I always have! Now because you're here I rushed it!" She stood up from the couch. So did he.

"Hey! Just because you're a spoiled brat that always gets things the way you want doesn't mean you can just blame me for your screw up! Take responsibility at least!"

"Matthew, you don't know the hell I've been through! You don't know who I am! The fact that Slade put me with a partner to begin with angered me, and now the fact that it caused me to fail a task like this makes it that much worse!"

"Ok, but you can't blame me for that! I didn't request you! Slade just chose me to be your partner. He gave you a partner because this is a big assignment. You can't do things on your own all the time! Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. Life is not always going to go your goddamn way! No matter how intimidating you are, you're not you're not your own boss! The people who give you your assignments are!" She raised her hand up but Matt caught it before she could do anything.

"And I'm sure as hell that using those powers of yours aren't helping the problem either." She stared at him intensely. "Pushing your problems away doesn't work, Raven. They're still there. Sure, out of sight out of mind, but that doesn't stop them from existing. Whatever problems you have, I'd say it's time to deal with them. Before you get yourself into more trouble." He narrowed his gaze. "And I don't count."

He took a chance and let her go. He expected to be thrown against the wall behind him, but instead she just lowered her hand and stared at him. She groaned her eyes rolled to the ground.

"Why do you have the be right?" She folded her arms, basically admiting to defeat.

"Because I know what I'm talking about. I used to do what you do. Threw my problems on the back burner to be dealt with later. And now I'm paying for it. My friends think can't take on a big responsibility because I never dealt with anything permanently."

"You have friends?" She said slyly.

"I know, shocking." Raven held back a smile. "You get my point though, right?"

"Yeah... I do... But my problems are different from any normal human."

"What?"

"What?"

"You say that like you're not human." He joked. Raven looked at him, then sat down on the couch.

"You...are human right Raven?"

"......Partially..."

"What?!"

"Don't freak out about it!" He stopped freaking out.

"I see what you mean. But if you're only partially human then..."

"I'm half human, half...demon." He couldn't even figure out how to react.

"You're a...demon?" She nodded.

"How do you think I can do this?" She created a gun out of thin air.

"I thought it was from the genetic engineering they were doing."

"That's the excuse I was going to use if I ever got caught. I used to be weaker than this. I couldn't do that when I was younger. I can do a lot. Not everything, but a lot."

"Well Raven, I don't know what problems you have, and part of me isn't sure I want to know,"

"Understandable."

"But I'll help you if you need it." She stared at him again.

"Why would you want to help me, Matt? Why? I'm cold, distant, and a demon."

"Half."

"Doesn't matter."

"Because I want to. Where would we be if we didn't help eachother?"

"I never helped you..." she mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Liar." He said sharply. "I heard what you said. My hearing is better than you think." She looked up surprisedly. She'd never been called out for her lies like that. "And I don't care. I don't always do things for a reward."

"Ok, Matt." She stood up. "I think it's time you go back home. Thank you." She walked past him, grazing his hand with hers again. This time by accident. It still sent him chills. "You can see yourself out." And the bedroom door shut.

"I've waited this long to see Nightengale in person, and I get this." He took a moment. And smiled.

He looked at his watch and frowned again.

"But it won't last for long..."