Disclaimer: I don't own anything…too bad; I wouldn't mind having half of the Marvel Universe all for myself to play with.

A\N: Italics is Mia's voiceover.

Interaction Of Shattered Minds

Chapter 1: Reciprocity

"Are you angry? Punch a pillow. Was it satisfying? Not hardly. These days people are too angry for punching.

What you might try is stabbing. Take an old pillow and lay it on the front lawn. Stab it with a big pointy knife. Again and again and again. Stab hard enough for the point of the knife to go into the ground.

Stab until the pillow is gone and you are just stabbing the earth again and again, as if you want to kill it for continuing to spin, as if you are getting revenge for having to live on this planet day after day, alone."

Waking up to the annoying sound of the cell phone's alarm Mia already figured out the date and the phantoms that were resurfacing with it and she had a distant but clear feeling that her teacher would not be making an appearance anywhere near their home today…or any other places where there were familiar faces around.

She hugged her legs as a sigh of defeat. Defeat at eight in the morning…a tremendous disappointment. Even she expected a little more from that day. A sigh escaped her lips as the young woman pushed herself out of the comfort of the bed and into the grey mists of the morning.

The reflection in the mirror didn't seem to differ from the other days but somehow she seemed smaller to herself. She probably was…

The splashing of the coolest water all over her face didn't help.

It was the mourning day and nothing Mia could think about would help her mentor, her partner, her friend, her hero to overcome the grief he was feeling today. The girl herself new a thing a two about grief and guilt but it seemed that Oliver's were reaching the new highs this year. She imagined it had something to do with the number…ten years. The anniversary.

She would have probably crept through the halls if she wasn't sure Ollie wouldn't be there but her steps were as confident as the Green Arrow's main weapon hitting the bull's eye.

The morning jog didn't go exactly as she planned for the thoughts of one Oliver Queen were still invading her mind at every angle possible. And for the most part she couldn't help but be angry at herself. The truth was she was partly relieved not to find him in the house when she awoke because that would mean she'd had to face awkward silences, bitterness and the faded color of his eyes…that was something she wasn't sure she could handle.

Mia cursed herself silently… Oliver was the man that took her in, gave her life a meaning…scratch that – gave her a life back and she was selfish enough to repay him with the cowardness.

The brunette stopped at once as her eyes detected an unmistakable flash of red and a blow of wind that came with it.

"Early morning, gorgeous!" Bart Allen in all his glory was lazily sipping soda from a reddish can, his back against the nearest tree.

"Why up yourself?" She took a couple steps to where he was still stopping at a fair distance, a habit that was now engraved in her sub consciousness thanks to Oliver.

"Wanted you to be the first thing my eyes would see at the beginning of the new fine day." He purred, learning even more against the willow.

"Sometimes I really wish I was naive enough to buy your stuff, Bart." Mia gave young man a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Then do so, princess, I beg you!" He smiled brightly but a moment later his face fell into seriousness. "Come on, I usually can coax a real smile out of you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing important." She dismissed him after a second of hesitation that didn't go unnoticed by Flash.

"Ok…" He knew better then to press further. "Anyway, I'm here as an official messenger. Chloe's party is tonight and something tells me that there would be important announcements there so…you know, she and Victor really want to see you and Oliver there. I couldn't find him anywhere and came to you first…"

"Oh.." Mia nodded her head, contemplating. "Sure…sure, I'll find hind him and make sure he knows."

Bart sized her with his eyes ones again before responding: "I'm not the one with comforting speeches and all but if there's a problem with anything…"

"I know." Speedy gave him something that held some distant qualities of a smile.

"I hope I'll see you tonight." In a flash of an eye he was gone leaving a disposed can on a ground and a small chamomile flower in Mia's hair.

The girl in question reached for the alien subject in her head. The gesture was uncommonly sweet and pure and as hard as she tried this time the smallest hint of a real smile graced her features.

The darkness was gradually taking its tall.

The day went by uneventful for Mia who was now preparing to be off to offer her congratulations to Mr. and future Mrs. Stone and come up with some believable lie as to why a certain billionaire wouldn't be making an appearance to a party that would most likely end up with the engagement of two of his closest friends.

There was still no sign of Oliver. No call, no text massage…at this point she would even be grateful for a broken vase or a destroyed bar or a fight during some public event…anything.

And although previously a young archer decided that she would stick to a theory that he was drinking the sorrow away she made her mind to check just one place before heading to the watchtower for the celebration.

Mia opened the door to what seemed to be the top of the world…literally.

She was standing on the roof of one of the newest building geographically lost in the most quiet part of the city far from the center's unstoppable rush. The fresh hero thought of this place as soon as she remembered seeing the bills for its construction in Oliver's accounts of the Queen Industries.

"You shouldn't be here."

She spinned around at the quiet voice behind her, scolding silently that he caught her off guard as she let herself admire the view. Her eyes widened as she saw him standing on the edge with his back to her, a bottle of something…she expected it to be some famous name like Jack Daniels in his hand, one third of it already gone. Mia relaxed a little realizing that he wasn't planning on jumping.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright…"

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you here." He didn't answer her unspoken question. She knew he was most definitely not alright.

"Well, we live in the same house." The left corner of her lip curved up a bit at his pointing out about her following the Queen Industries business accounts. "I use internet sometimes."

He chuckled. By his actions she could tell that he wasn't drunk, maybe just a little but he was sober enough to speak and think and in the light of the situation at hand she couldn't ask for more.

"Well, you did your job and made sure I didn't do anything stupid like you expected, didn't get myself in any kind of unwanted situation, now go back to Chloe and Victor's party."

Mia winced slightly at the tone of his voice but didn't make any move. She didn't question him how he knew about the party either. He seemed to realize that she was still there.

"Do you know why people drink when they feel the way I feel right now, Mia?" Oliver finally turned around to face his apprentice.

She was too captivated by the amount of pain and distress his eyes were exhibiting to respond.

"We drink because we need to erase the day." He went on, each ward a step to where she was standing. "We drink because what usually is source of revenge, a source of power to go on, this day is nothing more then a dreadful memory, an agonizing reminder that in the end you are nothing and no matter how hard you try you wouldn't be able to reverse what has been done…and you wouldn't be able to help…"

His last wards were nothing more then a whisper. His eyes were haunted, coated with a blur from the comparably small amount of alcohol consumed.

Mia knew that look. She stared back into the tormented eyes of the man that gifted her with a second chance and yet was so stubbornly declining himself with one. She had to stop this torture of recollection and present him with the gift of ignorance…just for the rest of the night. She owed that to him. He was her savior, her knight in black Lamborghini…she couldn't leave him to face his demons alone, not after what he's done for her.

She used to work on the streets; her body was the source of money she earned for living. This time her body would be his closure, this time she would finally do something worthy with it.

Her lips touched his ever so slightly. Oliver trembled. She breathed out.

She opened her eyes to see him about to say something but she shook her head silently and his mouth closed. Mia touched his muscular chest with her delicate hands, the action that felt both foreign and unexpectedly inviting for the blonde man. Her hands made their way up to his neck, bringing Oliver closer to match her own height.

The next kiss was full of force, passion, physical sensation that started to slowly fog the mind of a destructed hero.

Mia made up her mind. Now there was no turning back. She was saving her hero from himself. At least until the dawn.