to Fast Forward Fate [Vi ONLY]

[William Talbot]

Will dusted himself off, although it wasn't needed, he did it as a mental twitch of sorts, his nerves slightly wound up, because, he knew, she was coming. She always came to the training room at this time on Thursday, unless there was an emergency, she came up here for her cardio and meditation, often just after sunrise, and it was six thirty now, so the sun was just starting to paint the darkness with a blueish gray before its golden red rays announced the start of the day...


He took a deep breath and calmed himself, knowing that Violet would playfully scold him for being figidity and yawning so much.
But the truth was that Will had only slept a few hours and had been up since three working on this, getting all the little things he had been gathering and preparing for today set into place, assembled and ready. Today was special after all, since a first year anniversary didn't happen every day, or very often at all really, and for that very reason, Will had labored for the last month to make today...

Special.

After all, he had figured long and hard many months ago just when they had become a couple, and he had reckoned it was on the occasion of their first real, lip on lip kiss, which had come one day while recovering from a robot attack, some random jilted Scientist trying to prove that his AI and Cybernetic design where worthy of the Army's then new armored weapons contract...

Whatever, the Titans had taken down the three large war machines with out too much trouble, yet even so, Will had gotten hurt blocking a fragmentation missile from hitting Violet, and after the customary name calling and deep sighs from her, she at last broke down and asked him why he was always taking hits for the others.

Once he had explained himself, she had grown quiet, and didn't speak to him again until two days later when they both at last fully admitted their feelings to each other, and she had let him lean up and gently kiss her, on the lips...

Sure she had kissed his forehead once, and he her hand, but they where signs of a sudden but deep friendship, something they still had, and treasured, but now, now there was romance involved and while it was far from a storybook tale, it was solid, true, heartfelt and pure.



Letting out one more breath, Will felt in his pocket and fingered the small plain silver band he had for her, a kind of promise ring...

[Violet Schultz]

Violet walked into the training room, pulling her long black hair into a ponytail. Her hair was always getting in her face when she needed to train, but she would never consider chopping it off. Though it was stick straight, her mother had always adored her hair long. She'd cried the one and only time Violet had gotten it cut short. After her mother died, Violet had never gotten it cut any shorter than shoulder length.

Her dark eyes were curious as she walked in, since she could feel that Will was in the training room already. It was unusual, considering that he wasn't generally up at the crack of dawn like she always was. She had always been trained to meditate as the sun was rising, but he had never gone on a sleep schedule like that.

Then there was always the strange strain she felt in his inner flame. Had he been up all night or was he just stressed? Or was it both? It wasn't an exact science. The feeling of his inner flame could only tell her so much. His eyes would tell her so much more. She had a lot of practice reading his face, even if he was generally far more open about what he was thinking than she had any reason to expect. She guessed with a glance at his face that something was up.

"Good morning," she said, walking up to him. "You look tired."

She gently ran her fingertips along the dark circles under his left eye. Taking note of his odd restless twitching, a small suspicious smile touched her lips.

"Have you been up all night?" she inquired.

She knew it was their big one year, but she didn't want him to make himself sick planning something. It would be just like him to do something for her and ignore his health in the process. That boy should've been born in another century. Then he could've died for a good cause and been an official martyr, so she often thought in exasperation. His selflessness was something she loved about him, but it made her worry like none other.

[William Talbot]

"Morning..." he replied with a smile, the fatigue and worry and strain suddenly melting from his heart and mind, if not from his body, at the very sight of her, the presence of her and her inner fire was like nothing words could describe adequately, but, as close as he could put into coherent words, was like a blanket of sweet strong comfort settling down around him, the room suddenly filled with an unseen light and sweetness in his mind.


He blushed slightly at her statement and then query, his much larger hand reaching up to gently touch and hold her small slender and long fingered hand in his own, the soft warmth of her fingertips on his face sending an arc of tingles down his neck and spine; "Hmm? Oh just a tad, but you know me, I don't need as much sleep as everyone else anyway." one of the advantages of being half angel was that one's output exceeded ones need.


He held her hand for a moment then brought it to his face and kissed it with a big smile, his steely blue eyes almost shimmering with power and emotion as he gazed at her almost angelic or royal features, her dark blue eyes, her long silky back hair and her small yet full lipped mouth, the memoric imprint of the warm, bitter-sweet flavor tugging at his own lips for a moment before he slowly let go and then stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her slender middle and pulled her curved frame into his own for a hug.
"I know you didn't forget, but me not wanting to be the stereotypical boyfriend, I made sure not to either... Happy mon premier amour..."

Amour.

Love.

Such a simple word, one that in English had it's root in old high German and had been mixed with other tongues, not unlike the French counterpart, but either way, a word that meant everything and nothing in the modern sense, but it was what they shared, and it was the one pet name he had for her, because he knew that she could never respond to "honey" or "Bug" or "Sweetie" or "Doll" and most certainly NOT "babe" because that wasn't the kind of girl she was.

No, she was his perfect counterpart, a warrior, a fighter, a champion, and a hero, she was more than just a fellow Pyro or former street kid, she was more than a fellow Titan, she was the one person he knew that understood him, knew his every tic and twitch, who knew when his had that one look in his eyes and his voice changed tones, who knew his reasoning and personality so well that she no longer questioned his actions like she once had, even when she still didn't fully follow his thinking, she at least understood the heart of it.

He felt that it was one reason why they had fallen in love, because they had a deep understanding of their shared need to protect not just each other but anyone who couldn't protect or care for themselves.

He smiled down at her with a small blush before he bent his head down and kissed her soft, warm, and bitter-sweet lips lightly, a humble tribute to his personal goddess of fire and of love...

[Violet Schultz]

She smiled at his French. She liked to speak her native tongue, even if no one she knew could speak it. He teased that the only time she spoke French was to curse, but that wasn't exactly on purpose. She sometimes spoke French to him, though. She knew that he could figure out what she meant by peeking into her thoughts. She spoke to him with her voice and with her mind, so he was picking up the language fairly quickly. Her thoughts were often a blend of both languages, but he didn't have to know the words to catch the gist of the thought.

Appreciating the attempt rather than pointing out the minor syntax error, she held herself close to him, enjoying the warmth he always exuded. He was about nine inches taller than she was, but she always felt completed somehow when she hugged him.

"Merci, mon amour," she whispered. "Je t'aime. À jamais."

She spoke with her thoughts as well, knowing that such things were easy to communicate when they were so tied in with her emotions. She kissed him back, breathing in his woodsey scent. His lips were rough against hers, and she felt as if she had every centimeter of them memorized, but she still just enjoyed being there with him.

He was like her other half, the missing piece of her soul. It was like they were both made for each other. He was her angel, figuratively and literally. She could feel the flame inside of him as well as she could feel her own, still pulsing with the pure light at the center that she felt the very first time they'd met.

Pulling away much too soon, she looked him in the eye.

"You still haven't told me why you're up so early," she reminded him, not to be distracted.

[William Talbot]

Will let his mind simmer down and reach out to hers, that special link they had stumbled upon connected them in ways he was sure most people only dreamed of, or found other ways to compensate for, the level of just simply knowing one another was deeper than Will could ever fathom, the only thing close was the now empty link he had shared with his parents when he was what now seemed to be much younger, almost a lifetime ago even.

By the time their lips parted, both of his arms where wrapped about her in a loving and protective embrace, symbolic of their relationship, because he did more than fancy himself her guardian angel, he took the task of protecting her very real, because he knew in his heart that as strong, tough and able as she was, he was more so, if only because he had the power to take so much more punishment than her, and while she may chide him for his selflessness, he also knew that it was one of the many things she loved and valued most about him, and in many ways, he also valued in her, since she had in a very real sense, saved him as well, and had been a source of strength and a valued partner in battle every time they put on they're suits and dashed off into the unknown...


"Forever and beyond..." he whispered to her as their faces hovered closely, his nose a scant inch from hers as he smiled down at her, her arms around him, her fingers playing on his neck at the base of his hair, his one arm almost pinning her to him, the other moving his hand slowly up and down as he lightly stroked her hair and smiled with a mischievous little boy grin at her pointed question: "Hmm, well, I have a few little things planed and I was just so nervous and excited that I had to get up and get them ready for you... So how about I leave you to your morning ritual while I go and eat some breakfast, and then I'll begin my series of surprises and treats for you, umkay?"

[Violet Schultz]

Violet nodded, her usual small hint of a smile on her face. She wasn't all that expressive by nature, and even the happiness in her life wouldn't change that. Her Mona Lisa-esque smile was something almost constant when Will was around, and that in and of itself was a radical development in comparison to the way she used to be.

Robin had always compared her to Batman, only showing emotion when she was feeling it extremely acutely. She had always been so guarded... She was glad that she could lower her guard a little now. Of course, deep inside she still had her fears. She feared that the happiness she was feeling now would be unimaginable pain later, as was the nature of such things if they turned bad. She wanted so badly to hope that Will was different, that he wouldn't hurt her that way. She didn't know if she could survive it a second time.

She also knew that he could see that in her. She could feel in the link that they shared that her mistrust hurt him, even after all this time. It hurt her that she couldn't let go of that fear and he hurt because of it.

She tore her mind away from it and turned her thoughts toward her daily routine. Meditation was going to be especially difficult today. With the prospects of the day up for grabs, concentration would be challenging to say the least. The key to it was to still the mind, and when she was curious and happy, it would be very difficult to do so. Starting with the customary push-ups, she tried to ignore the smells coming from the kitchen. The carnivore was certainly indulging himself today.

By the time she had finished her rituals, her mind was considerably quieted, though predictably she'd had a lot of trouble reaching that point. It was imperative that she did, though. Without the control it gave her, her powers could easily get out of her own control. There was always Blaze to help her, but it was pretty embarrassing when something like that happened. That, and it always dredged up the nightmares.

Stepping into the kitchen, she pulled the tie out of her hair.

"How many animals did you eat today?" she teased.

[William Talbot]

Even as she trained, and meditated, Will could feel her, the almost gentle power ebbing and flowing with her ritual, despite the distraction he knew he had provided, but then was she not a distraction in and of herself many times?

Still, it gave him time to think.

And the one thing that always came back to him, was the hesitation, and the fear in Violet's eyes, hidden deeply under the love and affection she held for him, both of which he knew where true, as true as anything he could think of, but she was scared, and to be honest, he was as well, and it was ironically, for the same reason; What if he failed her and broke her heart?

This kind of self doubt was not a feeling William was accustomed to, but, when he felt it in Violet he felt both hurt and worried, after all, she had been hurt before, she had told him of her former boyfriend, Elias, and he had told her about Destiny, but while she had been taken from him, Elias, had betrayed her, and tried to kill her even, and Will could understand, in some ways at least, how that could feel, and it pained him to even think of hurting her like that, but it also pained him to know, that she still was scared of it happening again, by his own actions or words, and while he knew that he could never do it, the fact that she was fighting so hard to fully trust him, and yet wasn't quite able to, still stung, even when on some level, he shared the exact same fear of him hurting her, because he knew in his heart, that she could never betray him, to do so was against her very nature.

And so it was a fine paradox, they both held a truly baseless fear of his betrayal of her, when they both knew that it was out of the question, and that even if the romance faded, they still shared a bond that would keep them linked beyond any conflict they would go through.

There where times when he felt so ill-equipped for a relationship of any kind, much less a romance of such potential impact...


Later when she walked in and "greeted" him, Will smirked at her as he set his dishes in the sink and sprayed them down with some warm water so that they wouldn't be a gross mess later.
Drying his hands with a burst of flame he walked up to her and then pushed over a plate of fruit and a single egg, sunny side up, on a bran muffin, the sparkle still in his eyes as he sat at the kitchen island on the bar-stool like chair next to her a glass of orange juice in now in hand, and out held in offering to her.

"A whole herd of barnyard beasts gave of themselves to feed the mighty warrior upon this day fair maiden." he then winked at her and stuck the tip of his tongue out at her and laughed; "You should talk, miss I could eat a horse and still look great." he teased back at her. "Go on and eat up, you're going to need the extra energy to keep up

Like himself, Violet's powers used plenty of energy, but being a mutant, they drew more from her life-force than directly from her bodies energy reserves, unlike Will, who due to his unique breeding had the fire in every fiber of his being, its energy source his powerful spirit, driven and fueled by his mind and impressive physiology.

But nuts-n-bolts aside, he sometimes worried about her, not because she would starve herself, but because, well, she practically was a vegetarian ninety percent of the time, and she sometimes would push herself right to the limit and then be next to dead for a day, and while he did that plenty of times, he ended up doing it because his healing factor used so much energy whenever he got himself torn up, which as his many scars proved, was more often then most other Titans.


Smiling at her he leaned back and rested his elbows on the counter, and sighed as he looked at her, her long shiny black hair, her deep dark blue eyes, her small perfect mouth, the soft pale and full lips she had, and of course, her form perfect, long, lean, strong but hardly bulky, curved just enough in all the right places, and now slightly glowing with a sweet warm musk that screamed out to his more feral instincts in ways that he barely dared to allow himself to dream of, but that was another subject...

[Violet Schultz]

Violet smiled wryly and took the offered food. He'd often tried to cure her of her distaste for American meat (which was still somehow classified loosely as food), but she didn't hold well with it. American food was too...strong, she guessed would be the word. Too much grease, too little fine touch. Everything was about the speed of delivery, rather than the quality of the delivery. The rest of the world made fun of the French, but if there was one thing that most agreed on, it was that the French were meticulous with their food.

"Bon appetit," she muttered, taking a bite.

Her dark eyes roamed his muscular form, tall and sturdy, looking just as powerful as she knew he was. His naturally dark skin contrasted with her own skin, which looked like she never went out during the day. Her body didn't burn, not even from the sun. Tanning was absolutely impossible for her, and she was pale enough naturally that it showed. She saved his baby blue eyes for last, since she loved them the most. Besides the fact that the color was absolutely beautiful, she could see his emotions clearly in his eyes. She could see his sincerity and his love. That made it all the more frustrating that she couldn't get past her trust issues.

She stared at her food as she ate, clearly having something on her mind, though the only sign of her discomfort was the fact that she wasn't looking up. She knew that she had hurt him again. It was killing her that she was doing that to him, especially when he'd been nothing but good to her for the longest time. Crying wasn't really her way, but she was sure that he could feel the depth of her regret that she couldn't get past the fear, couldn't banish the ghost of her past. She downed the rest of the orange juice before speaking.

"I'm sorry for what I do to you," she said. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she stared at the empty cup. "I can see how much it hurts you, and I'm sorry."

She put the glass down with exaggerated self-control, since she felt the waterworks rising.

[William Talbot]

William chuckled softly as she ate the carefully and lovingly prepared meal, her culinary penchant for quality over quantity or speed well known to him, so he had carefully warmed the muffin in the microwave on a low setting, with a damp paper towel over it so it would be soft, moist and warm, and he had cooked the egg with a light mixture of olive oil and butter to coat the pan and prevent burning, the fruit was fresh cut, and the orange juice had been bought the night before.

Will smiled at her as she drank her juice, but his smile faded to a slightly worried look as she whispered to him, the tremble in her voice more in the link than her throat, but as she spoke he moved closer to her, slowly, letting her speak and set the glass down, her eyes seeming to shimmer and tremble as she looked down, something hie intended to fix, his hands moving to her, one to her hip, the other to her chin, his hands gently pulling her close and lifting her face to his, his forehead coming to rest lightly on hers as she at last made a sound; "Shhhhh... Hush yourself Vi... I know... You don't mean it, but it's a part of you, remember you told me everything, and... I know... As if the knife had slipped into my own side, and the bullets had landed around me, I understand the pain attached to that part of you..."

He shifted and kissed her lips lightly, the link flowing now between them thick and rich like a river of thick heavy cream, his mind gently touching hers, his heart laid bare to hers, his strength hers, every part of his essence open to her, as it had been time and again...
Gently pulling her in close and kissing her Will smiled softly as he closed his eyes and just held her, everything else in the world fading to a tiny hazy fog that had little meaning as compared to the strong, enchanting, flaming girl he cradled in his arms.

"It's just going to take time... Some wounds just take longer than others to heal, and until it heals, not you nor I can force it, I understand that... Don't think that I love you any less, I love every part of you, even the hurt parts..."

Will just held her there and let his aura flare out some, wrapping her in soft blue warmth as he kissed her forehead again then kissed the top of her head as he tried to sooth her...

He hated when she felt like this.

[Violet Schultz]

She could count on one hand the number of times he had seen her cry, but she couldn't stop the single tear that escaped to roll down her face as he put his forehead to hers. She bit her bottom lip to get control of herself and let herself be calmed by the warmth of him against her and the love she could feel through the link. In the rational part of her mind, and most of the emotional part, she knew that he loved her. She knew that she didn't have to worry about a repeat of history. But there was always that little seed that she could dispose of. She focused on the rest, focused on the love she could sense.

In his arms, she could almost believe it. She could almost believe that there was nothing else in the world but just the two of them; no painful past, no uncertain future. Just two warm lights alone in the world, but still satisfied with that. More than satisfied. She rested her head against his strong chest and closed her eyes. Her practice with meditation made it almost easy to banish the thoughts that kept her in that funk. The soothing warmth of Will helped put her mind at ease.

Her eyes opened at length and she sighed. Pulling away, she rubbed her eyes with the tips of her fingers, massaging away the sticky burn of her tears. Her eyes were dry and a little red, and she couldn't help but be a little embarrassed by her emotional display. She could usually keep a tighter handle on herself.

"Thank you," she said, a self-conscious half-smile on her face.

[William Talbot]

Will let her pull herself away at her own pace, and as much as he wanted to just hold her no matter what, he didn't force it, that after all was counter to everything that they had, and he had once given his word to her, that he would never force her in any sense of the word, for anything at anytime, and he had kept his word thus far.


Looking at her he felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach knot up then untangle itself in a few heartbeats, as she lightly rubbed her now reddened, but still deep and lovely eyes, the self-aware half smile actually being rather cute on her, which made him smile softly at her as he leaned in and lifted a hand up to brush her locks back from her face and then hold her cheek lightly as he smiled at her and nodded; "Its automatic remember? I love you, simple as that... And it's okay to cry love, nothing could ever make me think less of you." he leaned in and kissed her cheek lightly before he reached for her hand and took it and pulled her after him some as he moved to one of the doors, the sparkle back in his eyes.

"Now enough of this, this is a big day, and we should celebrate it- Oh! I almost forgot..."

He reached into his back pocket and fished out the small silver ring and gave it a quick buff on his shirt-tail before holding it up to her: It was a simple affair, a plain silver band with a single twist in it at one point, a tiny heart set into it made of the purest, clearest violet colored glass, a name engraved under it, almost glowing in the light as he held it out to her and smiled, his eyes now glowing with emotion; "Here, this is for you... It's not exactly like "the ring" I guess ya' might say, but it is "A" ring, a token of both my friendship, and love for you, so for you... a tiny piece of my heart for you to keep with you forever…”

[Violet Schultz]

Violet smiled with real happiness this time, and while it was far from a toothy grin, it was by far the most extreme facial expression she'd made in a while. He could feel her emotions perfectly clearly through the link, and that was probably why her lack of expression didn't bother him. He was a lot more expressive than she was, probably because of the differences in the styles with which they were raised.

From what he'd told her, his family had been as happy and loving as hers had been, only he'd been able to stay with them a lot longer than she had been able to stay with her own family. In his teenaged years, he had been around his family. She doubted that a stolid demeanor would've been required by those circumstances. Her upbringing had been a bit different. If she had worn her feelings on her sleeve, she would never have been able to lead the Shadows. Even now that it wasn't important, showing her feelings didn't come naturally anymore.

But she was sure that through their link, he would feel the warmth and inner glow that had nothing to do with fire. The glow of happiness and the warmth of her feelings for him.

"It's beautiful," she said, looking up into his eyes. "Thank you, Will."

Pale purple spread from her pupils to the edge of her irises, washing out like a burst of heat. Her eyes glowed lavender for a moment before she blinked the glow away. It was generally negative emotion that made them do that, but it was a pleasant change of pace to have it be happiness that made them glow. Not that she was losing control, but sometimes when she felt something particularly strongly, her eyes literally lit up.

"So, I've eaten breakfast. What's next on the agenda?" she asked, tilting her head.

[William Talbot]

Will smiled at her, his eyes almost dancing as he marveled and admired the soft yet bright glow her eyes gave off, something that triggered a now fond memory...


It had been during one of Slade's robotic attacks on Jump, this time the target was a Wayne Industries research lab, the item or items he was after where never ID'd but during the fight that ensued, Violet had gotten cornered for all but a moment, however in that moment, as Will charged forward to assist her, he caught a good look at her as her powers flared out and she coiled for a counter attack, and the sight of her dark blue eyes flashing a bright violet-equse purple burned into his minds eye and his memory as one of the most inspiring sights he'd yet seen in his life.


Looking back at her William again smiled, this time, it was more subtle, but his eyes still smiled big at her as he spoke; "Well, we both need to go get changed, and pack a small bag, leather and a swimsuit sounds about right, since I've got your bike gassed up and waxed, and Robin's letting me borrow one of his older ones, unless you wanna ride me up the coast to the north beach..." he shot a lightning fast wink at her, his last comment a reminder of the time the two of them had gotten stranded in the desert south-east of the city, before Will had found out he could fly via his spirit wings; Violet's first motorcycle had gotten trashed chasing Ding Dong Daddy, and while she had gotten away with a few random bumps and scrapes, her bike had been totaled and using her powers as much as she had during the chase, she wasn't able to fly very far, so she didn't even try.

Instead, Will morphed into his timber wolf form, and being about the same basic size and proportion as a motorcycle, after some persuasion and a tad of cajoling, Violet at last relented and rode Will, much like a horse, back to Jump. Or at least until they got close enough to find a phone booth and call Robin up for a ride.


While they never spoke of it to anyone else, not even Tim, they did at times tease each other about it, because it had become a fond memory for them both, and it was one of many examples of how they complemented each other, in so many ways...

[Violet Schultz]

She chuckled once at his words and nodded. Reaching up to peck him on more time on the lips, she put the glass in the sink before going to her room. It had a lot more personal affects in it than it had when she had first come to Titans Tower. She had some pictures of herself and Will in various locations, along with a few candles which she lit on occasion. It wasn't as if she really needed them, but if her own internal flame was running low, being in proximity to some lit candles accelerated the regeneration of her powers. That, and the fact that she prefered candle light to artificial light.

She placed the ring on her finger and looked at it for a moment. Like usual, he had judged her preference perfectly. However, his choice of activity made her nervous. Sure, she loved riding the motorcycles, but swimming wasn't really her thing. She wasn't afraid of water, but it made her a little uncomfortable. Besides, pools were kinda scarce when one lived on the streets. She wasn't all that great of a swimmer. Being immersed in water made her feel confined. Even she couldn't light a flame underwater.

Going to her closet, she pulled out a bag and packed her single swimsuit. Like most of her clothes, it was black and form fitting. It wasn't a bikini; not by a long shot. However, it was more revealing than some would've been willing to wear. Fortunately, she had the body necessary to wear it without self-consciousness. Packing a towel in next to it, she zipped the bag and pulled her riding jacket out of the closet. It was more Will's stipulation than her own, since she thought that in the occasion that she did crash, road burns would be the least of her worries. She pulled it on anyway and pulled on her black cargo boots. With a last glance through her bag, she went back out of her room, her bag on her shoulder.

Walking back into the living room, she leaned against the counter to wait.

[William Talbot]

Will walked into the room with a backpack slung over his shoulder, wearing his own jacket. an older British GP styled jacket Violet had found and gotten for his birthday a few months prior, a jacket he treasured, both for how it fit his compact yet powerful frame, and for the kindness and affection it represented, the memory of the happy glow in her eyes when he pulled it from the bag one of many memories from the last year that he held dear...


"Ready?" He asked as he saw her waiting by the counter, his ever present smile because of her, and how she made him feel loved and wanted...

Once they had gotten down to the garage, and rode the bridge out to the city, Will and Violet rode up along the coast road, heading for the small, white sandy strip of land known as the north beach, an area mostly over looked by the people of Jump, which was why it was the place he'd picked for the start of a day of romance and fun...