It was a normal day at Titan's Tower. Well, as normal as it had been lately. After the trip to Tokyo things had been rather slow. Nothing really happened anymore and the teenagers had to find ways to preoccupy themselves.

Beast Boy had given up on the girl that looked like Terra even though it broke his heart to do so. Starfire and Robin were a couple now and were often out together, though always in the city in case they were needed. When Starfire and Robin weren't out together Robin was often in his room trying to track down a few villains, like Slade, since Beast Boy had encountered a Slade Bot, Red X, and that mysterious monster that they were fighting when Beast Boy was with Terra. However there was no new information on any of these criminals, all of them to have seemingly disappeared.

Starfire had taken her spare time to try to learn more about earthly ways. Her English was becoming better and she had taken to trying to cook food that her friends would enjoy. Beast Boy and Cyborg had become closer, they still had their banter, played their video games, watched pointless movies, and played pranks on each other but they did more activities together now. They had built Beast Boy's B-ped and worked on their vehicles together. They upgraded the tower, worked out, and played sports together.

Everyone in the tower had someone they were close to, someone who they always hung out with. Well, not really, Raven had no one. Raven was alone, she was always alone. Occasionally the others tried to get her to join them but she would often refuse. She was drawing away from them, acting like they were strangers again. At first the others didn't notice but over a few months they did.

Raven had her hood up all the time again. She wore her cloak around her body so it could not be seen, she became timid, no matter what the others did they could not get her out of her room. For days at a time she would stay locked up in her room. Getting her to talk was almost as impossible.

One early Sunday morning the team, minus Raven, all walked into the common room for breakfast. A rare sight greeted them. Raven, on the couch, reading. The last time they had seen her doing this was before the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil. Robin was the first to say something, "Um, hey Raven." Then Starfire, who resisted the urge to hug her friend, said, "Yes a very good morning to you Raven!" A grunt of response came from the cloaked figure.

"You ok Rae? I mean we haven't seen you in like, forever." Beast Boy asked examining her over her book. "Rae-ven. It's Raven Beast Boy. I am not a ray of light. Raven, very important."

"Ok then, Rae-ven, are you ok?" Beast Boy asked again. "Supper." The look of relief crossed over the faces of the other four Titans in the room. This was normal Raven behaviour. "Do you want breakfast Raven? Cy's cooking." Robin points to Cyborg already in the kitchen. "I'll have herbal tea later."

Almost noon Raven had still not moved from the couch to fetch her herbal tea. It was eleven and everyone was on the couch watching a movie. Finally Raven took her book and went into the kitchen. When Beast Boy heard the water running he snatched the remote and paused the movie. "Dudes! We forgot snackage! No wonder I wasn't enjoying the movie, we need junk food!" The others looked at him. "How could we forget the sweet, unhealthy, junk food?" Starfire asks. "Ok y'all get you butts in the kitchen and grab whatever you want."

So, much to Raven's dislike, the others came in rummaging around in the fridge and cupboards, using the microwave and clustering the kitchen. She sighs waiting for her tea water to finish boiling or the rest of the team to leave the small kitchen, all the while trying to hold onto her book under her elbow. Finally the kettle is done, just in time too. Cyborg is right behind her looking up at the microwave expectedly waiting for the popcorn to pop, Starfire seems to be right under her to her right reaching for some chips and candies in the bottom cupboard, and Beast Boy is almost brushing her trying to reach for bowls.

Careful not to touch anyone she turns off the stove top. Then reaching under Beast Boy's arm grabs the mug she set out. She holds the cup in one hand and the kettle in the other. Carefully she pours the boiling water into the mug, trying not to burn herself or her teammates around her.

Her hands go numb, she loses feeling. Desperately she tries to control the shaking make it stop, get her hands back. The shaking becomes worse a few drops of water spitting out of the mug. Not now, not when everyone is here. But yes, it is happening now, everyone is in the kitchen, everyone has noticed. They are scared, she doesn't need to be empathic to know that, they all take a step back fear etched onto their faces.

She places the kettle back on the stove, at least she can do that, she can still act normal. She tries to grab the mug with her other hand to steady it, but her hands are completely numb now. The clear glass mug slips from her hands, she can't feel the scalding liquid as it touches her bare legs. The mug hits the ground and shatters, red cranberry tea, tea leaves and shards of glass flying. Everything is going numb, it is time. They will see her for what she truly is, but why did it have to be like this? Emotions overwhelm her as her barriers come crashing down. Her own emotions of guilt and her friend's of shock and fear. She can still fix this.

Raven bolts out of the kitchen, legs somehow finding the strength to carry her. "Raven!" Robin calls but she does not stop or hesitate, she is almost out of the kitchen. Why did it have to be so large? The whole team runs after her. Suddenly she is no longer in her body, she watches the scene before her as a ghost everything going right through her.

Ghost Raven sees her body collapse not even bracing for impact. Her hood has fallen and cloak is not covering her body. The whole team is there but Raven's eyes are already closed. The team lifts her trying to get her to the med bay but she knows it is too late for that. From where Raven stands outside her body she can see her soul slipping out of her body, vanishing back into energy, and she too disappears.

Starfire carries her to the med bay, Beast Boy and Robin hook her up to numerous machines. The heart monitor shows she has flat lined. Cyborg is charging the paddles and Starfire hooks up the oxygen. "Clear!" Cyborg yells and Robin jolts Raven through her white leotard. Nothing after at few more seconds Cyborg yells clear again. After about three times they know it's hopeless but we go on for another fifteen minutes. Starfire is bawling, Robin wants to try again but Beast Boy just puts his hand on his shoulder. The green teen can see tears running from under the mask. Robin looks at Cyborg who just shakes his head.

Beast Boy can't take it, he heads to his room, the others can't see him cry. Starfire clings to Robin and Robin takes her out of the room. This leaves Cyborg to unhook the machines from his friend's body. Finally the endless beep is silenced forever. Tears leak out of his human eye, he covers her pale figure with a blanket. Trying to do something useful without staring at his friend's body he decides to work on cause of death. Of course he tries not to remember who it is that died. The room is too quite.

It is midnight, everyone is still where they were about twelve hours ago. It is Beast Boy who first leaves the confines of his room to grab something to eat, having missed lunch and dinner. He had tried to sleep, tried to get to a dream land of when Raven was still alive, it didn't work. Images flashed through his mind of Raven, her cold, still, limp, and boney body.

"Ow!" He yelped as he entered the kitchen. Holding his foot he flicks on the lights. Embedded in his green foot are several shards of glass. Beast Boy looks down at the floor, his red blood already mixing with the tea. Sinking to his knees he begins to cry once more. Seeing the book she dropped he picks it up, pages ruined with tea and blood and hugs it to his chest. "Beast Bo-." Cyborg stops at the doorway. Seeing the scene he knows what has happened. The two other Titans join and all of them cry together over a lost team mate.

They where heroes, things like this were not suppose to happen. No one even attempted to stop, she was gone, they had a right to cry. She was family, she was their friend. Finally Robin turned to Cyborg and asked voice raspy, "Do you know cause of death?" Cyborg shook his head solemnly, "All I know is it wasn't poison, drug overdose or physical wounds." Starfire clung to Robin like a life line, at least she wasn't using her alien strength. "How can we not know how our friend died! Why did she hide herself from us?"

Beast Boy stood throwing the book to the floor, avoiding standing on his injured foot. "Friends trust each other! Friends allow others to help them! Friends don't keep secrets! She could have told us what was happening but she left us in the dark! I hate her! I HATE her! ...She didn't even leave a note." Starfire slapped Beast Boy across the face knocking him to the ground. Then using both hands lifts him. "How dare you speak of Raven that way! She was our friend, she saved our lives hundreds of time!" Starfire's eyes returned to their normal colour suddenly and she set Beast Boy down, both of them crying.

"I think this might be meant for us." Robin picks a sheet of paper sticking slightly out of the book. The others gather around. It is defiantly Raven's writing. Robin reads it to the rest of the team. "It says:

Alone

Alone I fight, alone I die

Wouldn't have it any other way

Alone I don't eat, alone I don't sleep

Blame you not, it's all my fault

I saved the world alone and now I alone must pay

Father calls me down to Hell, I know I die today

I alone will be his slave

I alone will bare his pain

I alone must die today

With this poem comes a spell to remove from you the lonely girl

Her body will be gone, your memories will fog

The girl so lonely named by Raven will shimmer like a ray of moon light

I am not a ray I am a bird a bird who has flown away

Forget me for I fade like a ray of light from your minds

For now you will remember but that will come to pass

You have forgotten me before now do it again

Alone and forgotten my father claims me

Never will we meet again

Goodbye my friends,

I am alone again.

No one cried. Robin folded the note and put it with the rest of the mail. Everyone cleaned up the earlier mess. Once Beast Boy's foot was bandaged, the movie turned off, kitchen cleaned, and med bay back in order they all enjoyed a meal together and went to bed.

The team continued strong as ever, everything Raven wrote was true. Occasionally an image of a purple haired girl flew through their minds, always they tried to chase it but it would just disappear, she was too fast of a memory, they could not chase her. In the end no one suffered. Everything was right. The now flightless bird named Raven could feel her pain alone. Alone again.