A/N: Good grief I was an obnoxious younger writer. All the things that bother me as a reader, i.e. begging for reviews, out of character-ness, and lack of plot, I had done in this story. I deleted this story simply to repost it with a fresh start… honestly this isn't my finest work… but this was my first story. So I decided to give it some justice and give it the attention and refinement that my other stories get now.

For starters, this is a revampand a rewrite. I've changed a lot of things, up to and including the ending for those of you who read the old story you might be lost. For new readers, welcome! None of this applies to you hahahaha. The old story is deleted. I was torn on that for a while, but I decided it was best to just redo this from the beginning. I can't even read my old work without cringing. So some of the chapters might have a hint of the same things going on but don't think this will be the same as what you guys initially read.

I would love constructive criticism and any tips. If you like the changes, great! If you hate them just explain why and I'll try my best to fix them or flat out ignore them. I'll be honest if you hate it for any reason I don't understand or I deem stupid, I'm not going to fix it. If this isn't your cup of tea… well it's mine so I'll drink it, you don't have to. ;)

With all that being said let me now present the new and improved story~

The Grey Line

Times of Peace

Jason stared at the document that lied on his desk. It might have been childish but in some small part of him held out the hope that he had misread it. An hour passed, and still he could only stare at the paper in front of him. His eyes searched restlessly for a hint, any glimmer of hope, that this was false. It was becoming apparent that wasn't about to happen. Something inside of him snapped as he angrily crumpled the paper and tossed it into the bin beside his desk.

His tie felt constricting, like a snake was wrapping around his neck and squeezing the life out of him. Yet he refrained from violently ripping it off. His office was in plain view behind the big bay windows and many of his employees still resented him. He didn't want to fuel their fire by causing another disruption; it was a bad habit he had yet to break. Earlier in the week he had grown bored and decided to spice things up a bit. He went to a local pet shop, bought at least 10 dozen crickets and set them loose near the ladies restroom during lunch hour. He was the only one with a sense of humor in this damn place so of course he had been the first suspect and despite his mischievous ways he was a terrible liar.

That last prank had landed him in the hot seat with his boss though, and seeing as his boss was the CEO and the only one above him, Jason was forced to start playing 'nice'.

This had lasted a week. The grave news in front of him however, left him feeling rash and feeling the need to lash out. Pushing back from the table, he stood and quickly made his way to the restroom. He ignored the few greetings he received and ducked into the temporary haven.

He made sure to click the lock behind him before he ripped off his tie. He rushed to the sink, and enjoyed the feeling of the cool water splashing against his skin as he dunked his head into its embrace. Tilting his head so that he could glance up at his reflection, Jason noticed that despite the cool water his cheeks were flushed.

Bright green eyes stared back at him with a coolness that normally is associated for cruel or mean-hearted folks. His medium length sandy brown hair looked darker than it was, as it was wet and plastered against his face.

To be honest his reflection reminded him of a madman, and for a second he scared himself. He shook his head and righted himself. Staring hard he grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and dried off.

"Get a grip," he whispered watching his lips move in the mirror.

He felt so disconnected at the moment. Yet given the circumstance he had little time to react. The paper said 3 o'clock at it was now 1:45. Scowling, he brushed his wet hair to the side and ruffled the paper towel through it to collect some of the moisture. With a deep breath and one last look at himself he made his way back to his desk.

Was that the last time he was going to see Jason? The last time he was going to be a normal civilan? He was losing a lot responding like that, and putting so much more at risk. Was it worth it? Maybe he should just let the mad-man do it. It wouldn't be hard to deny. He had always had an alibi. As he slipped back into his desk chair he made a decision that would make his life infinitely harder and yet much more peaceful.

Picking up the phone he dialed the extension for his boss.

"Mr. Wayne? I think I'm going to be leaving a few hours early today," he said speaking into the phone. The reply was quiet but Jason nodded as he listened to his boss on the other end.

"Yes I understand. It was probably that Greek food, lamb never sits well in my stomach," he commented lightly. He gave a fake laugh at something being said on the other end.

"I understand sir. I'll be in early Monday morning," he promised and without waiting for a response hung up the receiver.

()()()()()()()()()()

An attention getter, that was what he needed. He had little less than an hour to figure out how to draw them out, the Teen Titans. With crime rates at an unbelievably low rate, as hardly anyone wanted to mess with the Titans, he needed to do something over the top to get them involved. One normally had to be a super villain with a low I.Q. to get their attention.

Back in the day, he had gone out of his way to mess with the young group of teens when they caught him in the act. The suit he had stolen from Robin had given him an identity and made him a target of their wrath. He rarely flaunted about and tried to get their attention back then but somehow or another they always showed up. Now was different.

Thinking made him itch, although undoubtedly it was probably more of the suit. It had been a few years since he had worn this thing. It was snug, yet not in the way that made him think he was out of shape, far from it. If anything he had filled out more. The suit rubbed against his skin and constricted him in ways it hadn't before. He felt hot and uncomfortable. The need to do something made him pace across the rooftop he had decided to occupy. Part of that might have been the state of his mind, but he was convinced that it was the suit's fault that he felt so uncomfortable.

Maybe he should just walk into the mall in that suit and set off a bomb in the fountain. Then no one would be hurt and get could get his brawl with the super powered teens.

It was insane, but at the moment it was the only idea he could come up with. With a gentle press of a button on his suit he was standing in the middle of Jump City Mall.

Almost immediately there was a scream that echoed throughout the mall.

"FREEZE VILLIAN RED X!"

It confused him for a moment. The Titans were already here? Screams erupted throughout the mall and a mass of people rushed for the exits and cover. Starfire flew before him, hovering in the air with glowing green eyes and charged hands ready for battle.

Well this got the job done. Might as well do it.

Disclaimer at the bottom because my author's note was entirely too long. I do not own Teen Titans!