Hey ppl. This is my first fanfiction story ever. It is also the second piece of creative writing I have ever done thats not school related. I'm not telling you to take it easy on me, in fact be as agresive as you want. I'm looking forward to feedback and constructive critisism. Its a great way to grow as a writer.

THE NEW GUY

Robin sprinted up the stairs two steps at a time, the sound of metal on metal echoing harshly in the dark room. Further up the circular flight of stairs a second pair of frenzied footsteps raced to the roof.

"Is everyone in place?" Robin asked, flipping open his communicator. The black screen flickered briefly before revealing Cyborgs worn face.

"Just reached the top." He said tersely. Robin glanced up at the fleeing shadow, the criminals' silhouette thwarted by the pitch black that permeated the building. The criminal made a sharp turn, straying away from the stairs and barging through a nearby door. Robin put on a fresh burst of speed; he did'nt like not having him in sight.

"Get ready. He'll reach the roof soon." Robin said curtly. He snapped the communicator shut.

Raven scowled. Four…In the morning. she thought. Even I would be asleep by now. She stifled her annoyance, focusing on the task at hand.

"What crime has this man committed?" Starfire asked wearily as the titans took up positions around the only exit onto the roof.

"According to the computer this building is a high security facility that is used for technological experimentation and development. This guy broke in and was detected by their sensors about half an hour ago near the storage room."

"Aww man! Where out here at four in the morning because of a thief! This sucks." Beast Boy whined. And then he literally did whine, turning into a large green coated wolf, its full glossy coat rippling in the wind. Ravens cape billowed behind her as she hovered into formation beside Cyborg and Starfire.

"Yeah well, we all kinda signed up for this when we applied for the job." Cyborg said, powering up his hand canon.

"Though this is most inconvenient, you are right. We should not complain friends" Starfire said lighting up her own fists with alien energy. Let's just get this over with. Raven thought.

The Titans waited, the silence broken only by the faint, almost inaudible, sound of metal on metal. Beast Boy glanced over at the others. This was their third late night in a row, and the exhaustion was starting to show. Even cyborg had bags under his eyes. For a reason none of them could understand, crime had come to the city with a vengance, and though not many got away, it was all the Titans could do just to keep up. The footsteps got louder. Dude this seriously su- Beast Boy was cut off mid thought as the door suddenly burst open, the criminal stumbling out and sliding to a stop before them all.

"Busted" Cyborg said, or would have said if he hadn't just taken a mental bowling ball to the face. Blinking through his surprise, cyborg realized that standing in front of them all like a common thief, was Slade.

Starfire hit him first. Her green alien energy flashed in the night as it blasted Slade in the stomach, sending him flying. Her blast was joined mid-flight by Cyborg and Raven. Sparks flew as Slade crashed against the pavement. He didn't get back up.

"So...that's it? He's done, just like that?" Beast Boy said hesitantly after a minute. Cyborg walked over to him, gun at the ready, and poked him with his foot. "Of course it's to good to be true." He said gravely, lowering his gun. He would have explained, but just then Robin burst through the door and onto the roof. Robin took one look at their hesitant expressions and abandoned his stance, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Give it to me straight." He said.

X X X

Later that night, long after the troubled Titans had departed and retired to bed, faint metallic footfalls could be heard sneaking around inside the technological experimentation facility...

X X X

The next day everyone slept in. Well, everyone but one. It wasn't until 1 in the afternoon that Beast Boy decided to raid the kitchen. Of course the scent of food was a calling that Cyborg had never been able to sleep through, and soon the noise in the kitchen signaled a new day for the Titans.

When Ravens left eye first creaked open she immediately noticed two things. One, she had slept with her cape on and it was now tangled around her waist and legs, and two, she hadn't stayed awake long enough to even reach her bed. She shifted onto her back, her neck crying out from the awkward position it had been in. Raven rubbed her right cheek, certain that the carpet had stamped its design onto it, and closed her eyes. She'd never been a morning person, and after last night she was in no mood to get up. She began to drift, allowing her consciousness to dissolve into day dreams.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERES NO BBQ SAUCE?" Cyborg bellowed downstairs. "I TOLD YOU MAN. ILL TRY YOUR STINKIN TOFU, BUT ONLY IF I MAKE IT HOWEVER I WANT!" Raven groaned. Why? Why do they have to yell? Why? The sound of pots and pans banging together could be heard from the kitchen.

"WHO THE HELL PUTS BBQ SAUCE ON TOFU?" She sighed, resigned to an unwilling fate. BBQ sauce or no, When I get down there I'm going to stuff BOTH their mouths shut with tofu. Still groggy, she began to get up. "EAT. THE DAMN. TOFU!" she tripped on her cape and fell on her ass.

"FUCK! NO!" Raven winced at the noise. She levitated to her feet and walked to her bathroom with a yawn and a stretch. She turned the lights on as the door slid closed behind her, muffling the commotion with an extra layer of steel. She sat down on the closed toilet. After a few seconds of semi-silence she reached with her right hand for the clasp at her left shoulder, stood up, and discarded her midnight blue cape on the floor. She walked over to the shower stall and turned on the hot water, stepping back and beginning to undress as the steam began to rise. By the time she'd finished peeling of her skin tight suit the steam in the room was thick enough to hide the toilet.

Raven stood there, naked, allowing the hot steam to relax her muscles and collect on her bare skin. After a minute she reached for the knobs and adjusted the water so that it wouldn't burn her. She tested the water with her hand and, satisfied, gingerly stepped into the shower. Under the still steaming water Raven turned her face up to the stream, feeling the water slide down her hair and back. She shifted slightly, allowing the stream to hit her chest and slide down between her breasts. She turned away from the stream and looked down at her hands. Gray. She thought. I'm so freakishly pale… she flipped her hands over and then, with a sigh, reached for the soap. It could be worse. At least I'm not green.