I haven't written fan fiction in a while, but my recent renewed interest in Teen Titans inspired me to get back on the bandwagon. Hopefully my writing style progresses as the story continues, since I've neglected writing for a long time.

Enjoy and feel free to leave reviews and constructive criticism!

Chapter 1

Raven wondered if Robin was asking for a death wish. It was the only logical reason why he'd wake up all the Titans for an impromptu training session at 5 in the morning. The titans ambled from their rooms, bleary eyed and more than a little annoyed.

Robin claimed they needed to practice "constant vigilance" and feared everyone had gotten too comfortable with the recent decline in crime. She felt a spark of annoyance at the thought, blowing up two disks flying at her on the course, and then nimbly maneuvering in the air to evade a third.

Maybe he's the one who is too comfortable, the empath thought wryly. She could sense his concern after Cyborg and Beast Boy's light teasing about his apparent weight gain, telling their leader he must've packed on the pounds due to all the fancy dinner dates with his girlfriend. In actuality the two pranksters shrunk a few of his clothes (which Beast Boy gleefully shared with Raven after they'd done the deed).

Despite any concerns, everyone on the team could admit that Robin and Starfire were going strong with their three-year anniversary approaching. Sometimes the fights got explosive, and there'd been quite a few close calls on missions due to the nature of their relationship, but the couple's love remained unyielding and palpable. Raven felt genuine happiness for her friends, even if at times their emotions made her head swim.

While she could now express a wider range of emotion, it did not make dealing with others' easier. Especially when aforementioned feelings were overpowering. Even now, Robin and Starfire's love screamed at her across the training field as they sparred. Scowling in frustration at the distraction, she pushed farther, encasing one of the platforms in front of her and incinerating it. Cyborg gave an indignant shout at the other end of the gym – "Damn girl, this equipment doesn't grow on trees y'know!" – but she only smirked and flew through the smoke. The sooner she completed the course the better.

Of course, it was at this moment she collided with Beast Boy's back. He was in the form of a bear, standing on his hind legs as he swatted at the obstacles in front of him. As soon as she flew face first into his green fur, he let out a roar of surprise and shifted back to his human form. She rolled off of him and murmured a quick apology, extending her hand to him. He gave her a lopsided smile and accepted, pulling himself up.

"Rae," he greeted, giving her a grin.

"Garfield," she deadpanned. After years of the changeling shortening her name, Raven realized resistance was futile. She stopped correcting him and instead retaliated by calling him by his birth name. She thought it would annoy him, but instead sensed an air of happiness emanating from her teammate whenever she'd do so. While it started as an act of revenge, it ended up as a familiar and welcome routine between the two heroes.

Giving him a small nod, she levitated back into the air and forged onward. She found him distracting, and she could not afford to be sidetracked at the moment.

To the public, Beast Boy was now Changeling. But to his team – his family – he was still Beast Boy, much to the green teen's ire. He may have grown several inches and put on some muscle, but to the Titans he'd never cease being Beast Boy. While his immature antics and boundless optimism continued, he did lighten up on pushing Raven's buttons on a daily basis, scaling his shenanigans to a few times a week. He also picked up a habit of flirting with her, a matter on which she didn't know how to feel.

He's probably proud he found another way to make me uncomfortable, the sorceress thought, weaving deftly in the air and speeding up as she approached the end of the course. As soon as she passed the finish line, she lowered herself to the ground and let out a breath. She felt sweat dripping down her brow and neck as she turned to their leader, who had just finished his session with Starfire. As if he could read her mind, he said, "Good time, Raven. Feel free to hit the showers."

"Thanks," she droned as Beast Boy skidded to a stop behind her. She sensed him leaning in, bristling and reddening when he whispered, "Wanna save water and shower together?" She didn't need to look at his face to know he was wiggling his eyebrows in an asinine manner. Though she knew the question was made in jest, the deeper timber of his voice and the proximity riled her in a way she didn't expect. Refusing to dignify him with a response, she used her soul-self to pick him up by the ankles and flip him on his head. The green changeling yelped.

Raven nodded at Robin, ignoring his raised eyebrows at the exchange, thankful to put some distance between herself and the emotions of her teammates. As she left the gym, she could hear Cyborg ribbing Beast Boy for bothering her.

The empath frowned and made a beeline for the showers, again feeling off kilter due to her friend's flirtatious nature and the strange response it incited.

The warm water felt like heaven, washing away the sweat, soreness, and confusion off of Raven's body. After waking up early and enduring rigorous training, she felt alert and hungry. A part of her wanted to meditate and sift through the complicated emotions that always accompanied encounters with Garfield, but after defeating Trigon, she found she did not need to meditate as frequently. Also, she strangely did not want to meditate. Rebelliousness didn't come easy to Raven when it came to routines, but when it did it was resolute.

She stepped out of the shower and towel dried her hair, briefly glancing at her reflection in the mirror. Frankly, she didn't enjoy looking at herself for too long, but knew the act was necessary as she prepared for the day. Violet eyes stared back. She wondered if her teammates noticed the changes in her, as much as she noticed the shifts in them. Did they see the subtle softening of her eyes over the years? The more prominent cheek bones? The wider range of emotion in her voice? The more pronounced curves of her hips and chest? Raven blushed at the last thought and tore her eyes away from the mirror, wrapping the towel around herself. Why does it even matter? She shook her head as if to rid the thought and opened the bathroom door. Steam seeped into the quiet hallway. Peering around to make sure no other Titans were coming, she began making her way to the sanctuary of her room. Suddenly, the tower blared to life, the sirens deafening in the early morning stillness.

Raven sighed. "Of course."

With no time to waste, she sped to her room and changed into her uniform. This too, changed – her leotard more blackish than dark blue, with knee high boots with a slight heel. Her cape did not change much, but she did magically reinforce the fabric to be tear and bullet resistant. All the Titans altered their hero uniforms as a rebranding strategy. After all, they could hardly call themselves teens; within the next few years they'd be in their twenties.

Raven made her way to ops, where the rest of team waited. Robin eyes met hers in acknowledgement and got to business. "Alright Titans, it looks like there's trouble downtown. From the reports we're getting, it looks like Gizmo, Mammoth, See-More, and Billy Numerous are at it again."

Everyone exchanged exasperated looks. Beast Boy scratched his head and spoke up. "Jump City needs to do a better job with prison security."

Robin rolled his eyes, but silently agreed. "Regardless," their leader said, "let's put a stop to this quickly. Raven, can you get us down there?"

With that the empath nodded and encased her team in her dark energy. In a split second they appeared at the scene, which to put it mildly, was chaotic. The criminals were tearing up the street, terrorizing citizens, and not for the first time (and surely not the last) trying to make a clean get away from the Jump City bank. Robin gave the order to go and the titans sprung to action, protecting civilians and attempting to apprehend their foes.

The changeling squared off with Mammoth, transforming into a rhino and ramming into the giant enemy. Robin and Starfire tag teamed against Gizmo and See-More, while Cyborg protected citizens out in the early morning. Raven went head to head with Billy Numerous, using her abilities to rope the duplicates in. Usually dealing with these typical villains proved to be a breeze, but Raven found herself mildly distracted. Billy was multiplying and zooming in and out of her field of vision at a fast rate, causing the young woman's head to ache. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Black tendrils of power sped towards the villain and his duplicates.

Suddenly, she was on her back. She realized one of Billy's clones must've gotten pretty close and kicked her, for her stomach felt a twinge of pain. "Ow," Raven muttered, motioning to get back up.

As soon as she got back on her two feet, she heard Beast Boy shout. "RAVEN!" Her green teammate ran into her, arms encircling her and pushing her to the side like a linebacker. When they both landed on the asphalt, he let out a blood curling scream. The scolding she had ready for him for manhandling her died in her throat as she felt his emotions, his pain, scream at her. It was as if someone held a megaphone right to her very psyche.

"Beast boy…?" she questioned. Her teeth grit against the pain as she examined him. His face and upper body seemed unscathed, but as soon as she spotted his right leg she inhaled sharply. It appeared completely shattered and bent at an odd angle. Mammoth stood and grinned menacingly, his eyes dancing with sick amusement. If Beast Boy did not intervene when he did, Mammoth would've inflicted serious damage on her. If only she was in her element and paying more attention, she could've saved herself. Raven swept the guilt away for the time being, instead channeling rage.

She felt the anger and power coursing through her mind as she locked gazes with the enemy. She extracted herself from Beast Boy as delicately and quickly as she could and sped towards Mammoth. She couldn't form words as she coated her fists with magic and swung at Mammoth's face. The empath's right fist connected with his jaw, the black magic of her soul-self packing a special punch. The behemoth villain was shocked by her abrupt attack, flying up and back. Raven would be proud of the powerful hit if she didn't feel so enraged.

Without delay she flew toward him and chanted, squeezing him as he writhed on the rubble. The sound of cracking ribs reached her ears, and she smiled in satisfaction. "Doesn't feel good, does it?" She continued to squeeze him, content in making sure he felt every iota of the pain he caused her friend. A small voice in her head told her to stop, that she was killing him and that she was not a killer, but a louder voice seemed to take hold. Hurt him, it said. Make him suffer.

"Raven, stop!" Robin's voice reached her in her fury. She faltered but didn't let up. Starfire came to her side, her hand coming to rest on her left shoulder in a strong grip. "Friend," she said firmly. "Please stop in the violence. Friend Beast Boy needs to be taken to the medical bay."

At the mention of Beast Boy, she stopped, gasping as if an invisible force left her. Raven floated to the ground and bent over. Starfire hovered near her, green eyes filled with concern and a hint of understanding. "Are you well? Do you have the energy to transport Cyborg and Beast Boy to the medical bay?"

The sorceress nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak. She made her way back to Beast Boy, now in the arms of Cyborg. He was out cold, likely passed out due to the pain. The cybernetic hero studied her with wide eyes as she made a portal to the medical facilities at Titan's tower.

Even after they hooked the changeling up to an IV and Raven healed his leg as much as she could, Cyborg wouldn't stop giving her furtive glances. It was getting on her last nerve.

"What?" she grated out.

Cyborg held up his hands in defense. "Nothin'," he said. "It's just…do you want to talk about it, or…?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Well, after that freak out I wouldn't say that."

Raven took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. "I'm tired. I guess I let my anger get the best of me in my exhaustion." Cyborg didn't seem to buy it. He shook his head and turned to the medical equipment, picking up a vile of a strong painkiller and injecting a tiny dose into the line, likely to minimize the pain when their friend did wake up.

"When you wanna talk about the real reason for that reaction, you know where to find me." And with that he left them alone.

Raven closed her eyes and sat in the chair next to Beast Boy's bed. Oddly, she felt tears prickle at her eyes. With some reluctance, she laid a hand next to his on the bed. The stark contrast between their complexions always fascinated her and before she could talk herself out of it, she closed the distance and melded her hand over his. Raven knew despite his bravado, he sometimes got self-conscious about his skin. In all honesty, she thought it was beautiful. It made him unique (though she refused to tell him this, fearing she'd inflate his ego).

Beast boy twitched, but otherwise made no indication to show he was aware of his surroundings. His dark green lashes fluttered against his cheeks and his eyelids moved rapidly. She guessed he was in the middle of a dream, or about to wake up in a world of pain and discomfort. She gave his hand a squeeze and let go. If he was going to wake up, she didn't want to explain why she felt the need to hold his hand.

She scanned his leg one more time, using the last bit of her energy to extract whatever pain she could. Then she slumped forward and rested her head on the bed, utterly spent. "Don't ever do that again," Raven whispered, and then closed her eyes to let sleep overtake her.

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?

See y'all next time.