In Repair

[William Talbot]

In the weeks that had followed the whole ordeal with the Labs and the rounding up of random supers, William and Violet (as well as a few of the other Titans and superheroes in the area) had been staying low, and limiting the time in public.


For Will and Vi however, it was as much to recover from their whole ordeal, as to stay under the radar.

It also was because there was a lot to recover from.


Since they had sat down and talked about it, they had spent a lot of time together, leaning on each other for strength, and support, and... Given the brutality and emotional impact, they had been sharing William's bed for the last week, due to Violet's recent rash of nightmares, and Will's sudden affliction of insomnia, both of which seemed to be rebuffed by them being close to each other.


It was why as the sun was rising up over the mountains to the east, Violet and William could be found, slightly tangled up, under a light blanket on his bed, which while only a twin, was just big enough for them both, as Violet was somewhat on top of Will, his arms protectively around her, as he dozed lightly, the lavender scent of her hair right under his cheek, his mind still wandering about, unwilling to let his fully rest...

At least Violet seemed to be sleeping well.

[Violet Schultz]

She didn't know what it was about herself that made her so prone to having violent nightmares. Maybe it was just the way her brain was wired, maybe it was her way of coping with trauma, since she didn't do a lot of dwelling on it during the day. She knew that clinically speaking, she had what the psychologists would call PTSD, but she had always been leery of doctors, and this most recent encounter had made it so that she despised them on an almost instinctual level. Perhaps it was only the fact that Kavanagh never wore medical scrubs that kept her from disliking him too. In any case, she wouldn't consider going to see someone about it, and even if she did, there wasn't much else that could be done for it.

The only thing that really had a significant effect in reducing the nightmares was sleeping next to Will. Maybe it was the security she had always felt in being near him, maybe it was the powerful inner flame so close to hers, maybe it was knowing that he understood, but for some reason, he kept the nightmares away, for the most part. She would've been lying if she tried to say that she'd not had any nightmares since they'd started sharing his bed, but the intensity was certainly far less than it might've been otherwise. She just felt safe beside him, and the security carried over into unconsciousness.

Plus, he seemed to sleep better when she was around. She could tell that he wasn't sleeping, due to the exhaustion she could sense in his inner flame as well as the fact that she could always feel the restlessness of his mind when she was dozing off... If she could help him, she would do as well as she could. That was how she ended up half on top of him as they she woke up that morning, her fingers resting on his warm chest as her head rested in such a position that she could hear his heartbeat under her. His powerful arms were wrapped gently around her, their warmth comforting as it always was. But she didn't have to look up to realize that he was still awake, his mind wandering lethargically.

A new wave of warmth washed out from her core, encompassing him in the comforting heat that she was always more than willing to share with him. For both of them, heat was never anything but pleasant, and there was always the chance that maybe it would help relax him enough that he could fall asleep.

[William Talbot]

William knew that, while their bodies had healed, and recovered, their minds and hearts, where still trying to sort themselves out, and while he wasn't fully aware of all the jargon that Doctor Kavanagh had used when talking to Robin (honestly, there where few places that where particularly sound proofed in the Tower, other than the bedrooms, and as such, if there was even a loud murmur, and Will was on the same floor, he could hear it) about their condition's, but what it boiled down to for Will was that they had both been hurt, from the outside in, the people in that lab had tried their damnedest to break them, and turn them into mindless, soulless, thoughtless lab rats to jump through hoops and be prodded until they dropped dead.


Clearly, and thankfully, they had failed, but William feared it was not by much...


His thoughts where slow, plodding, unshakable, and methodical in the break down of the whole situation, from word of Violet's arrest and then "transfer" all the way through the process of tracking her down, to his somewhat botched, attempt at breaking her out, through the two nights of what could only be best described as hell on earth, until their rescue in the badlands...

So many things that had gone wrong, some many mistakes made, and to top it all off, he was okay with that, until it was only because once they had captured him at the lab, he had been next to helpless for just long enough, for Violet to suffer under them, a second time...

He could care less about himself, but the fact that he had not been fast enough to stop them the first time, and too drugged to stop a reprisal, scared, and angered him more than anything, and even as the line of thought reached it's end, the same echo rang in his mind over and over, and that echo was of her tormented cries and moans, and pleadings for him, as he was powerless to do anything.

Just like with Destiny.

For all but the last short hours of that whole ordeal, he had been helpless, and it was the single worst feeling in the world..


Then mercifully the repeat button turned off, and his mind wandered off into a blank gray area, a few moments, or a few years passed by before he felt the slightest stir from Violet, and then was bathed in a warmth that pushed the darkness and the fear back, and drew in the better feelings, and emotions, his eyes closing fully as he felt sleep suddenly reach for his mind, and gently caress it, the last think he could think of, was to kiss at Violet, his lips grazing her hair before he almost literally passed out, both from borderline exhaustion, and the ease he felt with her there, the comfort of knowing that, so long as they where together, they where stronger, they where safer, and above all else...

She was safe...

[Violet Schultz]

Under normal circumstances, Violet would've gotten up at the break of dawn to train and to meditate, but she knew that if she moved, it would probably wake him, and he really needed the sleep. Besides, she was loathe to move when she was laying there with him like that, feeling his warmth and the soft lull of sleep in the link. The strong heartbeat that she could hear in his chest was like a relaxing metronome, the rhythm to a lullaby. A year ago, it would've seemed a fools bet that she could ever feel so safe with another person, but then a year ago, she hadn't yet met him. She knew that it was the same for him as well, and the bond between them was something that they were both better for.

A few hours later

It felt odd to be getting up when it was nearly noon, since she was trained and conditioned to wake up so much earlier than that, but she still awoke from her light dozing feeling more refreshed than she had been lately. The nightmares always took their toll on her, keeping her from sleeping soundly, but in their absence she could sleep much better, without any dreams that she could remember.

More importantly, she knew that Will was greatly bothered by what had happened, and with the occasional impressions she was getting through the link, she wasn't sure if it was the fact that she'd nearly died or the fact that he had been unable to help her right away that was bothering him more. Knowing him, it was probably the latter, since she was fine now, and he'd always maintained an almost superstitious faith in her strength. The physical pain wasn't something she could discount in her own memory, since even though she'd not lived a sheltered and comfortable life, she'd never been in such pain before. She didn't feel nearly as strong as he thought she was.

Even so, she knew that his faith in her ability to endure would make it less of an issue for him to process than the feeling of helplessness that he'd felt, at the lab and at other traumatizing times in his life. He wasn't a control freak by any stretch of the imagination, but he saw his purpose as giving himself to protect others. When it wasn't possible, it always hit him hard.

She lifted her head to look at him as she sensed him awaken, her eyes soft and relaxed.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she said softly.

[William Talbot]

William had at last fallen asleep, and in his sleep, all he could fathom was Violet, her warmth, and her heartbeat, the gentle push and pull of her mind through the link, the worry, and the care she had for him was like a blanket of comfort that wrapped him up and protected him from his own, more subtle, and likely far darker nightmares, which, she was hopefully, blissfully unaware of, and for the moment, although he disliked keeping secrets, he was fine with keeping from her.

She was so much stronger than she knew, he could see it, but right now, she didn't need to be strong, and honestly, neither did he, right now, they just needed to be close, and in that closeness was a haven that protected them from the outside world, the darkness and the cold...



Will's eyes slowly opened, and he for the first time since Violet had been arrested, felt rested, sleepy still, and not one-hundred percent, but refreshed, something deep down inside felt... right, better, just about whole somehow, and it was like his strength had returned somehow, and if he could trust the link, which he did, the same could be said for Violet.

The memories of his fathers words, and teachings pulsed throughout his heart and mind, as he remembered the one thing that he held above all else: Love made one stronger than any dark or evil thing in the world.

"Hi Sweetheart..." he replied as he shifted lightly and then gently tightened his embrace around her before he leaned in and kissed her forehead gently then reached a hand up to brush the few stray raven locks from her dark violet-blue eyes, his own softly glowing from some place deep within as he shifted onto his side and pulled her in tight to himself, and then softly kissed her full on the lips, a gentle longing within him prodding him to hold her there, and pour his affection out on her.

[Violet Schultz]

Violet's lips met his, and she could feel the emotions tugging at him, a need for the closeness which she was happy to share with him. Her fingers caressed his cheek, feeling the light stubble that had grown there as well as the warmth his skin always exuded. She pulled away after a long couple of seconds, her hand returning to rest over his heart. Her long black hair was swept back over her shoulder, revealing her pale neck. The sizable t-shirt and pajama pants she wore were not revealing, but one couldn't doubt the grace of her build, even with the less than flattering outfit.

"How are you this morning?" she asked, her voice as soft as her eyes.

She couldn't remember what she'd dreamed about, but that was the way she preferred it. The dreams she remembered were never pleasant. She could feel his contentment through the link, which, while incomplete, was still a definite improvement over how he'd been feeling lately otherwise. He had definitely needed the rest he had gotten, but she knew that he still had a ways to go before he was back to his usual self. Much like herself. Whether or not she was sleeping better, she was still recovering mentally and emotionally from what had happened. The order to "lay low" had been one that was necessary for multiple reasons.

Still, she couldn't help but feel mildly restless. Down time wasn't something she was used to, and she didn't like going so long without any kind of training. It wasn't as if her skills would degrade after only a week, but her physical condition was definitely something that needed improvement, even setting aside the injuries. Constant training kept her body at the level of performance that it needed to be.

[William Talbot]

Will smiled at her, his eyes a bit heavy as she pulled back, her hand again resting over his heart, in a gesture that was comforting to both of them, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder as she spoke, his fingers teasing her raven tresses some before he leaned his head back and yawned softly, then chuckled as he looked back to her and replied; "I'm... Getting better..."

Shifting himself once more, Will moved Violet up hos body slightly so that her face was closer to his, his heat tilting slightly to rest his cheek on hers, the need for closeness powerful, his affection all but boundless at this moment, and his sense of well being was being rebuilt with every moment they spent like this, in a close and intimate embrace.

"What about you?" he asked softly as his hand reached up and cradled the back of her head lightly, and he hugged her close, the thought of breaking contact at this point, seemed somewhat painful in fact.

He smiled at her lovingly, the moment soft, quiet, and very personal, and at the moment, the rest of the world didn't matter at all.

[Violet Schultz]

Violet looked in his eyes, her smile still soft, and as his face rested alongside hers, she rubbed her cheek ever so lightly over his, enjoying the warmth and the affection she could sense through the link. She could feel the need in his mind, the need for being here with her like this, and she felt much the same. He was her strength, her counterpoint, all the best parts of her and more, and she loved him more than she could express through words, so rather she just lay there with him, her mind open to his so that he could sense her love and affection, and the bond that she felt to him, that they shared. Heat pulsed from her core, her eyes glowing softly, in rhythm with the waves of warmth.

But she hadn't been expecting him to pull her closer, and when the distance closed between them, all she could feel was the restraining bonds that had kept her immobile on the second night, the horror of one of those men so close, the sensation that she would suffocate with his weight on her torso and her ribs so fragile already. She could even smell his horrible breath, and her gut tightened as she remembered the pain he had been inflicting on her at the time... She pulled away quickly, retreating until she was sitting on the floor, her knees tucked against her as she sat beside the bed, her eyes wide with remembered fear as she stared sightlessly at the sheet hanging off the mattress, her breath coming in frantic pants.

Slowly the image faded, and she realized where she was again, her glowing eyes going back up to look at Will, confusion and sorrow mingling in her expression as she finally figured out what had just happened.

[William Talbot]

The moment was wonderful until suddenly Violet went rigid, and then pushed back and all but fell off the bed, and curled up in a ball, eyes wide with something he'd hardly ever seen on her face before: total and utter fear and shock.

But he knew exactly why, thanks to the link. The echo of the memory reverberated in his own mind, and the fear anger, pain and surprise pushed at him, but he fought it, as hard as he could, until it passed, and surprised as he was, William had the presence of mind to not make any sudden moves or sounds until she looked up at him in puzzled surprise and sorrow, which he took as his cue to reach out to her.


"Easy Vi... It's okay, just you and me here... It was just a memory, it can't really hurt you."

Moving to the edge of the bed, Will then climbed down onto the floor and knelt in front of her, a hand out, offered to her for comfort, the longing to just scoop her up and hug her being held in check by the sense that she should come to him now, so he paused mid reach, and waited.

A part of himself somewhere was in total agony at the lack of contact, and while part of it was indeed reasoned to console her, another part was a bit more selfish in that it just felt good to touch her, but the issue at had was that she had reacted badly to a memory that had been triggered some how.

"You're safe Violet... You know I won't hurt you." he reached an inch closer to her and then waited, knowing instinctively that she would either take in and calm herself, or that she would curl up tighter and just shut down. But she was stronger than that, he knew it in his heart.


The next logical step was to understand what, and why...

[Violet Schultz]

She could only stare for a couple of seconds as she caught her breath, but she looked down, her cheeks burning. She couldn't believe she had lost it like that, but it had seemed so real at the time... Was she losing it? She met his eyes for another second before looking away, her hand shaking as it clutched the pant leg of her pajama pants.

"Will, I... I'm sorry. I don't know what... I'm sorry," she whispered, completely at a loss.

Her other hand rose to her forehead, and she was silent for a long moment, trying to get a grip on herself. Her breathing slowed gradually, and her hand fell back down to rest on her knee. The look in her eyes was tired and sad, but calm. She hated feeling so weak, so fragile. She was a warrior, a fighter. She couldn't stand feeling so pathetic, and although she knew that Will wouldn't look down on her for it, she was less tolerant with herself. If she froze up like that when it counted, no good could come of it.

She pulled herself closer to him, steadying her hand with a heavy sigh. His presence was a comfort, but she was still bewildered by what had happened, and confused as to why it had happened. It made no sense that she would recoil from being close to Will. She was always safe in his arms, so why should this time be different? Had they stolen this from her as well? No tears, no tears....

[William Talbot]

Will let her steady herself, and when she moved closer to him, he moved so that he sat next to her next to the bed, his arm slowly and gently encircling her as he reached over and tenderly brushed her hair back, then kissed her temple lightly, his fingers tracing up her cheek bone to her nose where he gently stroked the length of it then simply held her closer, leaning her head onto his shoulder as he softly shushed her then whispered; "It's okay... I saw... I saw it again... What happened..." he paused and took a moment to compose himself, and find the words he needed...


"You are not weak Violet, you are one of the strongest people I've ever met, but some times... Some times you need to let go, you need to let yourself feel the pain, the hurt, the anger, and let it get out... Sometimes... You just need to cry..."

He turned his head and looked down to her, his own eyes wet, with tears ready to flow, his face a sad understanding smile as his hand again caressed her face, his other hand finding hers on her knee, and gently holding her fingers in his own.


"You can't harm me Vi... So let it out... You can't hold onto everything for ever..."

[Violet Schultz]

Let herself feel the pain? But... the numbness was all that was keeping her grounded. She could lose herself in the pain and the shame, and who knew who she would be if she ever resurfaced? During the ordeal, she had defaulted to her defensive mental and emotional state, and with the help of the drugs and the injuries, it hadn't been hard to stay numb. But she couldn't help but remember everything far too vividly, and Will was right about one thing: she needed to let out all of the caged emotions she had stored for her own protection, the emotions that roused her inner flame into a fury and pierced deep into her heart, which despite her best efforts throughout her life, was nowhere near callused.

For nearly a minute, she said nothing, just leaned against him with distant eyes, her expression blank, but it wasn't long before the images rose again in her mind, and she flinched nearly imperceptibly, her eyes closing as the emotions flooded her again, the memories as vivid as the unexpected flashback had been, only this time she was allowing them to pass through her mind, rather than trying to block them out. Her hand held tightly to his as she remembered... The first memories were of the fight, the chaos and blood, ending in the feeling of total and complete helplessness seizing at her, her muscles not responding as they should, as the drug took effect.... The clothing ripped away...

Her jaw clenched as her eyes started streaming, and it wasn't long before her she broke down, sinking into him as ragged sobs tore from her chest, her skin hot to the touch as she lamented for what she'd lost, what had been stolen, how defiled she felt, how ashamed... The fury and rage and horror, the sickening pain... She'd felt like less than nothing, just a piece of meat for them to use as they wished while she lay prone in silent agony, hurting from the fight but hurting more from what was happening... Pale lavender patterns crept down her neck as she cried for herself, the tattoo-like marks extending to her shoulders and down her forearms, but the pain of it was beyond her notice, even with the heat radiating from her flesh.

[William Talbot]

William held her close, as she sunk down onto him, her face buried in his chest, and her hand gripping his tightly, the shuddering sobs that rippled from her washed over him, as his own tears fell from his eyes.

Even with all the heat in the room, Will held her there, letting her get it all out, the flashes of pain, memories and emotion flowing through the link, and out of their eyes, filled the room with a sadness that anyone could sense, and yet...


Will could feel a shifting, deep within himself, and deep down, a kind of release inside Violet as well, subtle as it was, he could still sense a kind of... Purity? Cleansing? He wasn't sure what, but he could sense it, inside of them both as the held each other, and cried.


However long it took, it didn't matter, but after a time, she at last calmed down, the sobs ceased, and while the tears still flowed, a kind of peace settled over the room, as if the first few layers of troubles had been peeled away, and discarded.


Cradling her in his arms now, Will bent his head over and gently kissed away the few traces of her tears, as he hummed a soft tune his mother and father used to sing and hum to him, as he held her as closely, and gently as he knew how...

[Violet Schultz]

Much as she wished that none of it had happened, she wasn't a fool, and she was strong enough to not try to escape reality, but to face it instead. And Will was no small measure of comfort when reality became too much to deal with. Her breaths became slower and more even as she sat there, leaning into him as the stream of tears subsided into a few sparse drops. She closed her eyes, willing her mind to rest as she listened to his husky voice humming a familiar canon. A faint headache pulsed at the back of her skull, but she ignored it as they took strength and peace from the presence of one another. He had always been a lot more comfortable showing his tender side than she was, but that didn't mean she didn't have one that she showed on occasion.

"Thank you," she murmured again, her voice still slightly rough from crying.

Her thumb rubbed along his knuckle, feeling the strength and warmth of his hand in her own. There was a good reason that she always felt so safe with him, despite the power of his muscles, and she could only hope that he trusted her in the same way. Love was one thing, but trust was something else entirely, and something far more difficult to build and maintain. But it was hardly a concern for either of them. They had no one else in the world, and they were the only ones that either of them really needed. She could feel his need for her through the link, just as ardent as her own need for him. Such proximity to another person was against the grain for her instincts, but it felt right to be there.

There were still trials to come, and a problem larger than both of them needed to be solved, but as long as they still had this, they didn't need anything else. He was right. There was nothing stronger than the both of them together....

[William Talbot]

Holding her as he was, William savored the gentle, tentative peace that had settled over the room, the quiet of it, the warmth, the presence of Violet there resting on him, was comforting in it’s own way to him, his own deep dark fears and phobias suddenly melting into a tiny well known corner of his mind as he could feel the reassuring thrum of the link, and the sense of agreement that Violet had with him, the wounds they carried deep inside now healing, time and love the balm needed more than anything anyone could do for their bodies, the only thing that could mend their hearts and minds, was this, being close, and resting easy in each others arms, basking in the warmth, every layer of it, from the physical heat of their bodies, to the warm feelings they caused in each other, the love that drew them to one another, the trust that knit them together in such a way, that it seemed to Will, that it was becoming harder and harder to tell where one ended and the other began.

“I know you would do the same for me…” he said, saying more than what was spoken, but then, sometimes words didn’t do feelings justice, now did they?

Shifting his hold on her slightly, he gently rested one hand on her shoulder and pressed into the musculature of her neck with a practiced hand, his thumb moving inwards and up to her neck, then back along the trail it had made, the soft warmth of her skin was… well, when it came to Violet, Will had a hard time comparing the wonder of her person to anything else he could think of in words, she was for him, the nearest thing to being an angel, aside from his mother, who had been made of half of such a being.


Leaning his face over, he kissed her jaw softly, his thumb still gently sliding over the tightness in her neck and shoulder, his other hand still holding hers, mimicking the motions she was putting on his knuckles, gently down her wrist.


Thanks to his mother, his gift of empathy was a powerful, and useful trait that, again, thanks to her, had been honed to as fine a point as possible, and with his instincts, William knew that she needed him to be as gentle as ever, not because she was weak or frail of body or heart, but because her mind was not currently dealing with brusqueness very well, and in this state, most anyone would reason that she needed time to work herself through all of the stress and strain, with help of course, but sometimes, one needed a gentle nudge, and not a jackhammer.


He indeed knew one of the reasons she trusted him so, and given her own skill and power, he returned her trust, not so much because of her unyielding strength, but because of her exacting control, and the precision she had honed within her self.

The broadsword, and the rapier they where, two ends of a very sharp and powerful spectrum, respect and trust was vital to their relationship, even without considering their power…


“You know how much I love you…” he said softly, as he nuzzled her cheek lightly and closed his eyes, and just… Savored the moment, even if the source of it was painful, he could in fact seen the beauty that could come from these ashes, as she had seen in him, almost a year ago, as he could always see in her, every day.

He opened his eyes and tilted his head to look into hers before he whispered again, his emotions suddenly welling up, pressing outward, and threatening to override his composure like a stampeding bull crashing at the door to a china shop; “So you know that nothing will ever keep me from you, nothing… No one… Ever…” he kissed her lips softly then whispered so low, he himself wasn’t even sure if he was speaking or if it was the link that carried his thoughts to her; “I’m yours Violet… Never doubt that.”

Then Will leaned in and rested his forehead on hers, a single tear wiggling out and trailing down his cheek…