Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or any characters or other parts it includes.

Welcome to this story! It took a while to get it started, beginnings are hard for me. (;

This story is dedicated especially to the people who have read my writing in the past and put up with my crazy ideas. I love you all!

This story is rated for probable extreme violence and some unpleasant language, as well as numerous other things. There will eventually be pairings, which might give some of you reason to keep reading (;, but I'm not giving them away beforehand. The pairings will change as the course of the story goes on, so if you don't like the pairing that may seem like the destined one, there's no reason to give up hope. This story might end up being relatively long, but I don't know yet.

Hope you enjoy the first chapter! Sorry if this chapter isn't very exciting.

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Darkness was a blanket. A deep, all-consuming blanket settled for a comfortable nap over Jump City. Its boundless mass stretched over apartment buildings and houses, businesses and streets, snuggled into every single nook and cranny of the city, chased away only by the infrequent blot of light from a lamp or television set, used so little at this time of night, and the thin circles of watery light spotting the sidewalks from street lamps. The darkness filled, flowed, overpowered comfortably, bathing every square inch in its painted cloak of blues, blacks, and purples, blended together like paint from the brush of a true artist. The city lay in cozy, peaceful slumber, and the inner chambers of the large metal-and-glass T on the island off the coast in the calm bay were no exception.

One person in particular felt the comfort and peace of another typical night in a town so confident in its routine. Even unconsciously in her slumber, an unusual feeling of content had wrapped itself around the girl and her pale lips were curved into a smile as she slept.

It had been nearly a month since the ordeal. The feared other-dimensional demon, Trigon, had attempted to overtake the Earth, completing the dark prophecy that had haunted her since her birth. But eventually he had been overcome, and Earth had been returned to its original state, after a long and grueling battle. This victory gave the Titans something to be celebrating about, and it definitely put an extra spring in her step. They had done the impossible. They had accomplished the one thing even she had believed impossible, defied all the laws of destiny and shattered the supposed future forever, leaving the world an open book, a new story to be written, the threat wiped away in a single day of strain and retribution. And she had been freed from her dark fate, released from her lifelong emotional prison, and left with only a freedom whose taste was quite foreign to her. Even in sleep, the delight of the new liberty left its radiant mark on her, and a peaceful look had laced itself over her face.

Suddenly, that slight smile disappeared abruptly from her lips. The pale hand gripped a handful of the blanket that covered her, face contorted into an expression that was almost one of pain. Body shaking in her sleep, her hands clenched into tight, white-knuckled fists, and then suddenly the large violet eyes shot open and she stared straight ahead, trembling. When she realized that her terror had been only in an internal world, she slowly calmed down, sitting up straight. Ignoring the trails of cold sweat that snaked down her spine beneath the black fabric of her leotard, stretched taut over the skin. She ran a hand over her iris hair, disheveled from sleep. Turning sideways, the blanket slid off of her body as her impossibly pale foot hit the floor. She walked barefooted across the length of the room and stopped before the large windows that covered one entire wall, staring out at the distant pinpricks that were street lights of Jump City.

She gave a shudder, wishing longingly for the blue cloak that she had left discarded for the night (it was rather uncomfortable to sleep in) at the end of her bed. Decided to bear the chill of the sparingly-heated bedroom, which went well with her like for cooler temperatures, rather than waste the time to grab the cloak, and instead wrapped her arms around her leotard-clad body. She stared intently out at the blackness of the water now.

Since she was merely a child, the Prophecy had haunted her mind every day of her life. But since the defeat of it, she was plagued by a different nagging fear, a far more haunting one at that. It had all seemed so easy, almost too easy, beating Trigon, saving the world. She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the worst was yet to come. How could victory have come so easily? True, it had been the hardest thing she had done in her life, but she had always imagined it would take months, years even, to weaken her father enough to destroy him. And so she had a nagging fear that there was something more, though she hadn't told her teammates of her fears. She couldn't bear to ruin their good spirits with her ridiculous, ever-constant paranoia. And yet, the fear was still there, and her recurring nightmare didn't make matters any better.

She could still remember every detail of the dream even in consciousness. As hard as she tried to make herself forget, it stuck with her, and it was unnerving. The same dream had been repeating itself, starting a few days after Trigon's defeat. It always began the same, ended the same, and left her with the same cold, bitter taste in her throat.

The desire to shake off the aftereffects of the nightmare overtook her, and she turned and left the room in favor of the dark hallway. She passed the rooms of the other sleeping Titans, and couldn't help but wonder if they might be feeling the same uneasiness she was. This feeling was just so overwhelming, so overpowering. In the darkness of night it was near impossible to shake off. The next morning, in the light of the day and surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Titans Tower full of life, it was hard to remember exactly what the horrors of the night before had felt like. But at night, it was a whole different story.

Raven wasn't the type of girl who was frightened easily. There were things in her room that would scare a grown man to tears, and she weathered it all without so much as a grimace. But there was something about these nightmares that was different. It felt so real, had such significance, and they scared her because they were the only thing that gave justification to her fears that the worst was yet to come.

Raven swept into the kitchen, the thought of familiar herbal tea calming to her nerves. When the teapot was filled with water and sitting on the stove, she turned around to find the rest of the fixings for the tea. She could have sworn she left them right here…

"It's a little late for caffeine, don't you think?" asked a voice from the relative darkness before her. She resisted the impulse to jump and crossed her arms, staring at Robin's shadowy face before her.

"And it's a little late to be sneaking up on people, too," she pointed out as his hand came forward and placed the small jar of Azarathian herbs she kept for tea in her palm. "What are you doing in here so late, anyway?"

"I could ask you the same question," Robin said, backing up and leaning against the refrigerator. "But I won't, because I know how much you hate small talk."

Raven rolled her eyes and, at the telltale whistle coming from the teapot behind her, went and poured some of the steaming water into a mug she had left beside the stove. She opened the jar and sprinkled a small assortment of Azarathian healing herbs and relaxation herbs into the warm water in the mug. "So, you never seem to hate small talk. What are you doing up? Stalking me, or do you have a valid reason?"

"Touche, Raven," Robin said, tapping a few fingers against his forehead in salute as he watched her sprinkle several spoonfuls of sugar into her mug and stir before leaning back against the counter. "I just felt a little restless. Something seems a little off. Like….something isn't right."

Raven's tea stalled in her throat for a moment at this. He was having suspicions about something too. But she concealed her shock well with sarcasm. "Really, Miss Clevelle?" (Madeline reference, hehe), Raven asked. "And why would you say that?"

"Something feels….strange. I don't know. Out of place. Maybe….never mind," Robin said with a shrug. Raven didn't press him to say any more. They knew each other's terms. She sat there silently, sipping the warm, fragrant tea rather than speaking. "So, what about you?" Robin asked.

"What about me?" Raven asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Has anything felt strange to you lately? Like maybe something is just…wrong?"

'Yes' "No."

Robin nodded with no expression whatsoever on his face. Or, no expression that Raven could see, anyway. She did respect his desire to fuel his insecurities and keep his eyes covered, but she hated that mask. She always would.

The last gulp of tea went down her throat and she stood. "Well, goodnight," she said, starting to leave the room.

"Raven?"

"Yes?"

"I've been meaning to ask you…you seem a little preoccupied lately. Is something wrong?"

Raven stopped. 'Yes, a thousand times yes.' "No."

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Chapter two soon.