Summary: An exploration into the relationships between Speedy and Raven, and Robin and Raven.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

Intrigue – Chapter 1

Speedy's mind played the fight scene with Raven over and over again, like a broken film stuck on repeat. Brother Blood may have brainwashed him, but he could still remember everything he did while under those evil shackles, and he was mortified. He was mortified at how he had almost hurt her, but at the same time, as he remembered the fiery glint in Raven's violet eyes as she concentrated during battle, he was also intrigued. He was intrigued by the grace of her movements that almost made it seem she could predict his thoughts, and he was intrigued by her surprising strength. The only other person who could stop his bow in mid-air as he swung it down with full force had been Robin. For a girl so fragile-looking, Raven sure was tough. He had no doubt (and this was surprising, since he had such supreme pride in his abilities) that she would have beat him, if it were not for the advancement of Brother Blood's army.

As Cyborg packed up his things to return to Titans West, Speedy's eyes searched for Raven. He found her leaning against the railing, looking across the bay. Her hood was down, and the sea breeze tugged at her purple strands. He slowly approached and leaned against the railing next to her.

"Our view isn't as great as Titans West," he spoke, gazing at the blue-grey waters down below, "Your waters are bluer."

"No, it looks the same," answered Raven, glancing sideways at Speedy, "It's winter over there too."

Their eyes both followed a pair of seagulls as they flew by, calling to each other. A brief silence wrapped around the pair.

"I'm…" Speedy's voice trailed a bit, the apology foreign on his tongue, "I'm sorry about before. I hope I didn't hurt you…"

Raven merely gave the smallest hint of a shrug, "You don't have to apologize. You were under Brother Blood's control. And plus," she turned to directly face him, "You couldn't hurt me even if you tried."

Speedy stared at the girl in front of him. She said everything in a steady voice devoid of any emotion, so he couldn't tell if she were joking in her last sentence, or mocking his fighting abilities, or simply just teasing him for the hell of it. Her face didn't betray any tell-tale signs of emotion either. She simply just gazed at him briefly with those large indigo eyes of hers, and then returned to observe the rippling waves below.

Speedy could do nothing but laugh. "Is that a challenge?" he asked, his eyes never leaving Raven.

Raven turned once again to face him, this time a faint smile forming on her lips, "Only if you think it is."

Before Speedy could respond, Raven had left the railing with a faint whoosh from her cloak and was walking back to her team, who had gathered around the T-Ship and T-Car, ready to leave. Speedy's eyes followed her as she walked away and flew into the T-Ship, but never once did she look back.

Yes, he was intrigued.

Speedy wasn't blind, and as a normal heterosexual male, he could not pretend to not have noticed Raven's physical features either. Sure, Starfire was beautiful, but she bared her all her beauty and left nothing to be silently enchanted by. Raven however, hid her physical finesse under her cloak and stoic personality. Her long legs were as alluring as they were mysterious, and her violet eyes were shocking as they were haunting. Those eyes, framed with full, midnight lashes, glowed with an ethereal light, even under the shadows of her hood or in the darkness of night. Starfire's beauty sparkled brightly like the summer, with all its floating butterflies and glittery rainbows. But Raven's beauty glowed like a moonlit night in winter, with all creation covered in a blanket of fragile snow—cold, but calmly hypnotic and delicately enticing. Starfire was pretty—all light and air; but Raven was sultry—pure darkness and mystery.

In the days and weeks that followed, Speedy sometimes would find himself thinking of her. These thoughts crept up to him only during the quietest of times as he gazed westward into the ocean during sunset, jealous that the sun could shine on her; or as he sat alone on top of the highest building in Steel City during nightly patrols when the glow from the moon reminded him of her eyes. He couldn't help it. There was something about that dark girl that piqued his interest in a way no other female had ever before. It wasn't a crush, he advised himself, but more of a curiosity. He couldn't explain it, but he really wanted to talk to her, to see her, to spend time with her. Their terse conversation only made him long for more. However, having 2000 miles between them did complicate things a bit. There was no other way to communicate, with the exception of the Titans Communicator, but those were reserved for emergencies really. He couldn't really just call her up on one and commence a casual conversation without it seeming awkwardly suspicious.

Every few weeks the Titans West and Titans East would gather for a video conference, briefing each other on current villains and crime scenes. During those conferences, Speedy would try to steal glances at Raven, but the dark girl was unmoving and unresponsive to his gaze. Once or twice when it was Speedy's turn to speak, he thought he saw that faint smile again, but before he could register it, it was gone. Maybe he was just hallucinating; he was hoping for a smile, so therefore his brain imagined her smiling.

Months later, the Titans East were asked to watch the Titans West tower as the other team went abroad in their quest to defeat the Brotherhood of Evil. Speedy found himself walking through the dark hallways and stop in front of Raven's door. He gazed at the carving of her name, wondering about her, when his thoughts were interrupted by Bumblebee.

"And what are you doing?"

Speedy turned quickly to face Bumblebee and stepped back, "Just wandering."

"Uh huh," Bumblebee peered at the door in front of them, "Any reason why that particular door had your attention so fixed on it?"

"No," Speedy turned to walk away.

"You're interested in her aren't you," Bumblebee's voice was dripping with amusement. It was a far-fetched guess, as nothing Speedy had done in the past really gave away his opinion of Raven, but Bumblebee always liked to tease her teammate.

Speedy stopped and faced her with crossed his arms, "And what makes you think that?" Bumblebee noticed his slightly defensive tone.

"You had that look on your face when you were looking at her name," Bumblebee crossed her arms too, an elusive grin creeping to her face.

Speedy raised an eyebrow, "What look."

Bumblebee waved her hand around, twirling the air as she twirled her thoughts, "Oh, you know, that pensive look you get whenever you stare out our windows during sunset. Like you're awed yet confused at the same time…like you're not sure why there are so many wonderful colors in the sky."

Speedy scoffed, "Poetic. You make me sound like I was probably drooling too."

Bumblebee shrugged, and walked away. She had noticed Speedy never did deny his interested in Raven. "Who knows," she called over her shoulder, "You probably were."

"Unbelievable," Speedy muttered. He glanced again at Raven's door.

Bumblebee might have been right all along, because he was definitely intrigued.

Hmm. Let's see where this takes us. I honestly don't know how this journey will end, but come on and join the ride!