Author's Note: This is Part 2 to my version of Teen Titans episode 31 "Haunted". I hope you enjoy it.
(Amber's POV)
My eyes struggled to open, and when they did, I awakened to the plain and familiar white ceiling I knew too well.
I turned my head, just to get a better look at my surroundings, and nearly cried out in pain from several areas on my body. I looked down at myself, noticing that I was strapped down heavily onto the bed.
What is this!?
My thoughts were interrupted as I heard a monitor behind me, and felt wires plastered on my face and my neck. Fighting against the excruciating pain, I began to squirm on the bed, attempting to release myself from the straps.
The majority of my body protested as I moved consistently. The Kryptonite stone was literally still buried in my chest. I looked down to see -
Nothing. My battered eyes widened at the sight of a torn suit, but no stone. Looking at my surroundings, I failed to locate the stone. I felt the pain as I gulped down a scream, but the stone wasn't there.
Even in my situation, I continued with attempts to free myself from the prison I lay in. I stopped when I heard voices outside the door. My friends' voices.
"But must we keep them restrained?" It was Starfire. She sounded worried. Oh no. What did I do!?
"We have to stop him. We're the only ones who can. And we'll take down ANYONE who gets in our way!"
The memory slammed into my mind. My eyes - my heavy eyes could still light up red in that moment. I was ready to hurt my own friends, when Slade plunged the stone into my chest.
I threatened them. I told them I'd take them down. Robin without a doubt sided with me. I've gone rogue - I would never want to hurt them.
"W-why..." I trailed off in my raspy tone. I couldn't muster up the strength to speak.
Why am I acting like such a crazy person?
"They threatened us, Star. They're dangerous," Cyborg protested against her plea.
I gasped slightly and turned my head, searching for Robin. I couldn't see him, but I heard grunts of pain coming from the space next to me.
"R-Robin," I tried to call for him, but my voice was weak and dry.
"Dangerous!? Try totally flipped out coocoolabanza!" Beast Boy agreed, sneezing after.
"We've gotta run some tests on them. Figure out what's going on," Raven's familiar voice suggested. There must be something wrong with us if we're the only two who can see Slade.
"Alone again, Amber?" I gasped, and I began struggling even more quickly to release myself from the restraints on the bed, growling in pain as my body reacted.
Slade stepped out of the shadows, eyeing me like a hawk. I heard my heart picking up speed from the monitor behind me. My mind was turning inside out, giving me no chance to think.
All I knew in this very moment, was that if I didn't run, I'd die tonight. Plain and simple.
"As long as I am around, you are never alone," he spoke with amusement. I twisted and turned as much as I could, trying to break myself free.
I seriously considered going out of my way to break my own wrists, if it meant I could escape. I didn't care. All I wanted was to get off the bed and take Robin with me before Slade hurt us even more than he already has.
Slade only watched me, clearly happy that I was afraid. "Relax, Amber. I promise, you won't feel a thing," he said, coming closer with what looked like a small, but intimidating taser.
"No, please don't do this, please don't do this!" I found myself begging with a burning, dry throat, unable to do anything but squirm as he came closer.
"Leave her alone!" I heard Robin demand of Slade. He only chuckled, and advanced towards me, closing the distance between him and myself. The taser alone appeared to be extraordinary - a blade with space for the electrical current, enough to cut the restraints off my body.
He cut off the first restraint as I attempted to free myself.
One.
Second cut.
Two.
Third cut. He chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.
Three.
Fourth cut.
My mind wasn't functioning to my speed at the moment. It was too fast, and so was my heart. It hurt badly. My heart was practically eating up the poison the Kryptonite provided for it, and with every swift beat, coming together in a flash heard on the monitor, I felt like I was about to leave my own body.
I felt disconnected from everything.
Four.
"Amber! Amber say something!!" Robin's voice urged.
Five.
I leaped off the bed quickly, growling in pain during the process, and ran to the other side of the room. The monitor which had been projecting my heart beat flat lined immediately.
I ran for Robin's bed, quickly and shakily unbuckling his restraints. As they all came off, I was suddenly gripped hard by my hair, and I screamed, feeling my head wound gush more blood. The floor came into contact with my face, attracting darkness into my vision instantly.
Shake it off! You have to fight!
I grabbed on to the railing on Robin's bed and as fast as I could, I pulled myself to my feet. I heard the others outside, their footsteps booming closer and closer to us. This isn't a fight they can get involved in. If our friends can't even see Slade, then there's no point. Robin and I will have to do this by ourselves.
Robin had managed to rip off the air vent's cover, and he leaped inside.
A small counter was mounted, and I ran to it, distributing my weight on it just before I leaped off and climbed inside. I crawled quickly, noisily, banging the little walls unintentionally. I was growling a bit with the overwhelming pain. Robin was about five feet ahead, crawling away as well.
"I've activated the quarantine protocol. Nothing can get in or out," he said.
~
As we made it all the way to the basement, Robin jumped out. I was about to jump out as well, when I heard Raven's voice in my head.
"Guys, I'm here to help you," she spoke calmly.
"Raven! What are you-" I started, but Robin's voice intruding my mind cut me off, "You have to get out! Slade! He'll destroy you!"
I felt my chest constrict painfully, followed by an even faster heart rate thumping loudly in my ears. Raven seemed to have felt it. "Amber, Robin - your hearts. You're both in danger. You have to trust me. Slade isn't here. He's NOT in the tower."
Even when I felt like I was about to fall apart from the inside, I still managed to disagree with her, "No, he's here! He's real! We've seen him!"
"Then let me see through your eyes," she requested.
I suddenly felt a cloud, a thick blanket of a cool breeze brush over me. I took three deep breaths, and it was as if my body no longer belonged. I could still feel that my senses were functioning, but I wasn't the one utilizing them - Raven used my eyes to scan the area, looking for Slade.
"See, guys? There's no one here. There never was."
Right when she took a second glance at the area around us, Slade appeared in our line of sight, and punched me in the face, causing me to fly out of the air vent tunnel. I fell out into a hallway, right at the doorway of the basement. Since I had stopped moving, the Kryptonite's effect inside me caught up. I wanted to lay there and slip into the darkness.
I stood up, too slowly this time as Robin was punched by Slade. He began falling, not even landing on a stair step into the basement, but luckily he caught himself on a railing and stood.
Slade punched him hard in the stomach, and threw him off the stairs. I jumped on a railing and slid until I reached Slade, attempting to usher a kick to his head.
He was practically psychic, as he gripped my ankle and threw me, sending me flying like a rocket straight at Robin. I angled myself to avoid hurting him, landing behind him roughly. I looked behind me to see Slade heading for us.
Robin drew himself closer to me, holding his arms out. Slade landed and hit me again, sending me back while he pummeled Robin. I heard slams against metal, and Robin's yelps of pain, forcing me to get back up and fight.
I ran, following the turn towards the bottom of the stairs. Slade threw Robin off, and an idea struck me instantly. I jumped off from the height that I was at, and stood my ground in front of Robin.
I knew what I had to do.
"You both knew it was going to end this way," he said, grabbing me. I was backhanded hard against my temples, one hit on each side. He tossed me like a piece of trash, and went on with attacking Robin. I crawled, struggling to stand up again.
I couldn't let the night end like this - Robin is the team's leader, and needed to make it out alive.
"S-Slade, stop," Robin began pleading.
That earned him a hard kick to the stomach, and he ran into me, stumbling my knees while I crawled. Swallowing every bit of pain that I was enduring, I harnessed every ounce of strength I had, as I latched my hands around the tops of Robin's arms and dragged him away from Slade.
"W-what are you doing?" he asked weakly.
"You're going to get through this. Slade's not going to hurt you."
"Amber, no. D-don't-"
"Whatever you do-" I whispered, delicately holding his face as I went bold and planted a quick, sweet kiss on his lips, "make sure you're still alive. The team needs you."
"Amber," he whispered so lightly I could hear. He sounded sad, as if he knew what I was trying to tell him.
"Just trust me, Robin. Everything's going to be okay," I whispered. I lay him down, ever so lightly on the ground and stood up, facing Slade's wrath.
Taking a deep breath, I threw out a series of combinations, just like if I were practicing on the punching bag on a normal day. I forced myself to go even faster, ignoring every strong jolt of pain I felt at that very moment. Jab after jab, cross after cross, it was all I could do to keep Slade away from Robin. I had to be enough. I had to-
Slade suddenly gripped both of my arms and pulled them in ways I had never experienced, to increase the pain in my body. I stumbled back, about to usher out another punch, when his next move only ended our fight.
He threw at me what appeared to be tiny explosives, but once they hit me, I was on the ground.
Silver Kryptonite had been planted in small explosives that hit me from every angle. The screaming in the basement invaded my ears, like claws and sharp objects on a chalkboard. Registering the excruciating dryness of my throat, and the burning in my chest, I came to realize that it was my screaming that attacked my ear drums.
Had this been any other night, I would have given myself a pat on the back for screaming almost as loudly as a banshee.
Sharp, steel-like splinters pierced my body back and forth without mercy.
The pain only grew past me, causing me to feel like I had truly broken apart.
I squirmed, trying to make the excruciating pain go away, but I only made it worse. My back arched to a peak as my screams cracked my voice from its high volume.
I felt my eyes burn - the force of my screams caused sub-conjunctival hemorrhaging, broken blood vessels in the eyes.
I slammed my own face into the ground, trying to muffle my screaming. That only made the pain in my head worse, and my screams escaped, much more loudly than before.
Slade used my vulnerability to stand me up by gripping my hair hard and throwing me in a random direction. I was too blinded by the pain to register where I fell, or how I landed in a safety net as I was thrown away.
As I felt my body crash harshly into the ground, I felt my head burst as it took most of the impact of my fall. Blood poured out of the existing wound, and caused black to fill my vision.
I need to die.
"Shhh, shhh, Amber. Amber it's okay. You're going to be okay," I suddenly heard Robin's voice shaking uncontrollably, close to my ears. I could feel someone holding my hands, but I was too tired to say anything.
Nothing sounded better than waking up from the nightmare. The only problem is that I couldn't wake up from the nightmare. I'm not asleep.
I felt hands at my neck, caressing me gently, maybe even strangling me - I can barely feel anything touching me.
My chest hammered away. It pounded quickly, like music blasting on a huge sound system. My back was arching as the beat was quickening on my chest, and it became harder to breathe.
My entire body felt like it was covered in sharp splinters and blood. I guess it wasn't the temptation of sleep that called to me - It was death, and Robin could see it, because he began to beg.
"No, no Amber. Stay. Stay with me. Please," Robin begged me. I felt like I could leave this place, this prison of a body behind and live a happy ending.
I couldn't feel much, but my eyes were able to adjust enough to see that I was by the basement's light switch, with Robin standing in front of me as I lay deteriorating. I coughed and spit out what felt and tasted like blood.
"Stay with me," Robin pleaded.
"I won't stop. Not now, not ever. I am the thing that keeps you both up at night, the evil that haunts every dark corner in your minds. I didn't rest. And neither will the two of you."
He's right.
He kept me up at night, when I tried to think of ways to get rid of him. I knew there was some sort of connection with me, Slade, and Lex Luthor. There was something there. Slade had the same effect on me that Lex Luthor could conjure. Nights would go on and I slowly came to realize I was becoming a monster.
"My friends say...you're not real!" Robin retorted weakly.
"Oh, I'm very real." I heard Robin's body hit something.
"Could you and Amber have gotten all those bruises and wounds from someone who wasn't there? You can't even touch me."
The next words out of Robin's mouth hit me hard with realization.
"All these...bruises on us. But you don't have a scratch!"
I heard my own quick, shallow breaths as I looked back at what had happened tonight. The generators weren't able to be seen. The lightning flashes. The speed. The agility. The fact that Slade was in perfect condition. I then got it.
He was only in my mind, as well as Robin's.
"Every dark corner....You're only in our minds. Only in the dark. My friends are right. You aren't real!" Through the what seemed unbearable pain, I smiled lightly, feeling a tad bit better now that we were both on the same page.
Slade was fuzzy to me now. He began disappearing as my belief that he wasn't in front of us now grew stronger.
Slade grew furious, charging towards us as I picked up on the closer range of his voice, "I'm real enough to finish you both!!!"
"Lights out, Slade." I heard the light switch go on, and my eyes literally gave out due to the blinding light.
"Robin," I whispered. My eyes shut closed, and I was on my injured side - I felt like noodles. The pain from the silver Kryptonite vanished, leaving me with injuries of everything else I had endured tonight.
My ears picked up on his weakened footsteps as he stumbled over to me.
"It's okay, Amber," Robin's weak voice reassured me.
He panted hard and fell right next to me, pulling me lightly and very carefully into his arms, "It's okay."
~
My eyes fluttered open to the darkness - We're in the infirmary room.
I became aware of security around my shoulder and waist - quite a sturdy pillow I leaned my weight on. Blinking a few times, I noticed that it was actually Robin who held me to him, letting me lean on him for support.
"Looks like Slade pulled off one last trick," Cyborg said. "His mask contained a chemical reagent that infiltrated both your central nervous systems."
So we were tested. This is what Raven was talking about.
"The dust," Robin confirmed, "It made us see, hear, and feel Slade, even though he wasn't there," He pieced it all together.
I realized at that moment I had already inhaled the dust before, when Robin and I got into that fight. I had taken Slade's box and opened it, exposing myself to a bit of it before this mess was conjured up. I felt like I really fought Slade that night, but I guess it was all in my head.
"So it was the dust," I whispered, "I opened the box and inhaled the dust by accident when we first thought Slade was back at the carnival. I thought I fought him that day you and I fought. It wasn't real."
"And the more you two fought, the more harm it did to you," Starfire added. She looked at our injuries, mainly at mine with a worried look on her face.
It turns out, I had gotten a major cerebral hemorrhage from that massive fall I took to the head. It could have been worse, but with my abilities and endurance, it was more like a concussion, or so I thought. I had bruised ribs, broken eye vessels that left the whites of my eyes blood red, and lots of bruises and scratches all over my body. Given my being Kryptonian, I was lucky - I would have been dead by now, especially with that head injury.
"And anyone else who got in the way," I heard Raven explain.
"Scans say you're both all clear now, though," Cyborg told us with a smile on his face.
"Well, just to be sure..." Robin hopped off the bed, causing me to awaken as my body's protests erupted. He turned off the light, and scanned the room with his eyes. I looked around as well, praying I wouldn't see Slade.
I checked once more, and let out a breath of relief as Robin turned the lights back on. He sighed, a look of disappointment reaching his face.
"I've been fighting Slade for so long, I guess it's hard to just let it go. But sometimes I feel like I'm the only one still looking for him, the only one who could stop him. I took it too far by involving you, Amber," he said, looking straight at me.
"I couldn't let Slade hurt anyone. I could see how he had an effect on you, so I chose to get involved. He reminds me too much of Lex. That's why I tried to help. I know what it feels like to feel like he's still out there, waiting for you." I stiffened my jaw, feeling disappointed in myself. Even I still had yet to find Lex...
"Robin, Amber, you are never alone," Starfire assured us.
"If Slade or Lex really do ever return, we'll be ready. We've got things covered here, why don't the two of you go get some rest?" Cyborg suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea," I said happily. My voice was still weak, but my smile made up for it. I hopped off the bed, making a huge mistake by acting too fast. I couldn't really feel my feet, but I tried to walk anyway.
As I tried to walk, the floor swirled right up to my face. I took a deep breath, feeling everything start to dim as exhaustion poked at me.
"She's fading fast, get her to bed ASAP." I felt myself get caught in that familiar safety net. My vision blurred, but I was able to make out the outlines and hazy colors - Robin caught me and carried me, burying me into his chest as I took deep breaths.
We reached my room, and I was set under the covers of my comfortable bed.
I felt my body being spooned into Robin's arms, and I smiled.
"I'm so glad we made it," Robin said into my hair.
I sighed in happiness, feeling joy that I would still see his face, hear his voice everyday.
"I'm glad you weren't alone down there," I confessed tiredly.
"With your stunt, I could have been. You have no idea how scared I was, thinking I'd lose you to Slade." Robin's voice quivered, and I knew he was trying to fight his emotions.
"It made sense for me to get on with it, Robin. You're my friend. You've stuck around as a friend despite my wanting to shut you out. How could I not care?" I quickly covered my mouth, shocked at what I had just said.
"And I care about you so much I need to keep you away from another suicide mission," he lightly laughed at me.
"I stayed alive and made it tonight. Now what?" Robin asked casually. But he did have a good point. I gladly went bold again.
"Well, if this is going on the path I think it is, we-"
My face was suddenly lifted and cradled up to Robin's, and we were extremely close to each other. Our noses were literally touching, lips not too far away.
"I know the answer to that," he said, holding my face securely, and planting a warm, sweet, kiss on my lips that warmed up my entire body. My heart pounded faster, and it hurt, but I ignored it.
The kiss was amazing. It wasn't a kiss that made me melt in addiction, and it wasn't a kiss that brought me to life by its electric sparks. It was a kiss of true, comfortable warmth that I could live with and would never be repulsed of.
I nuzzled my head into his chest, listening to his heart beat. It was beating a lot more strongly now, and I was happy to know that. "Sleep, Amber," he whispered into my hair.
"Will you stay with me until the morning?" I whispered.
"Of course I will. I wouldn't want it any other way," Robin confirmed. I took my turn to give him one, quick goodnight kiss, and I nuzzled back into his chest.
I felt my exhaustion take over, as I fell into the slumbering abyss in Robin's arms.