Disclaim: As far as I know, I don't own the Teen Titans ~.~

It didn't matter that it was past 3 a.m.

The first buzz of his communicator was enough to stir him awake. With a quick swift of his hand he put his mask on and opened the line, to be greeted with a mirrored image of his mask.

"Speedy?"

"Robin," the stern business-like voice -not to mention the highly impropriate timing of the call- made it clear that this was not a friendly call, "remember the guy, that Raven help the police catch a few months ago? Chemzo?*"

Robin found himself wide awake and fully alert by the mention of that name. How could he forget? It was a simple undercover mission, which could not have gone more wrong. Raven barely made it out alive, and it was all duo to his poor judgment as a leader. A lesson he will never forget, 'never send your team member on an undercover without your team's backup, no matter how smart and powerful the member is, things still can go wrong, and police reinforcement can't be trusted'.

-he watched for a distance, as the police walked Chemzo to the police car, his manic eyes meeting Raven's, as he passed by her, "the minute I step out of prison, I'm gonin' to rip your pretty, fucking eyes out, and put them in a jar." He said through his teeth.

Chills ran down Robin's arm, while Raven rolled her eyes and walked away as if nothing has happened. -

"Yes, speedy, I do remember."

"He's striked again." There was a long pause, where Robin tried to focus his thoughts.

Hinting that the Titans West leader was having trouble forming the right questions, Speedy added "I need you to come meet me up."

'Wait...I?'

Only then, did it hit Robin, that Speedy was calling him on a Titans business. Something that was usually done between the two teams' leaders. What could have happened that led Bumblebee to let the archer take over? The girl was nothing if not fierce and undaunted, so what made her shy away from calling him?

'He can't be THAT reckless...?'

"Speedy...where are you?" The boy wonder narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his long-time friend. He wouldn't be stupid enough to go after a murderer and a rapist, himself...would he?

"Star city"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"Such pretty eyes," was the first thing she heard him say to her. His voice was smooth and endearing. "May I have this dance, ma'am?" He said, with a charming smile.

'Charming.'

That was the first impartial opinion Raven made about the man. Little did she knew, she was staring at the eyes of a sociopath.

"Catch the drug dealer". An easy enough task for someone with her expanse of powers, right? To the best of her knowledge (and to the best of the police's knowledge, as far as she know), the man was nothing but a gang leader. A big-shot drug dealer who thought the police couldn't take him down.

It was going to take a few tactics. The Titans and the police laid down a few plans. Steps to make him get caught red-handed, with enough evidence to convict him.

This plan was simple, let him buy her a few drinks, 'til he thinks she's drunk enough to take home. In a few minutes, she can have him knocked out cold –without him noticing- by a simple spell, and then she can perform her other spell that takes a few minutes to do. A tracing spell to keep track of him, he won't be able to sense it or trace it, unlike a bug device.

'Just another gun-shooting, drug dealing, pathetic womanizer.' She thought. If Raven would have known what he was capable of, even she would not have put herself in that risk...there was a line between fearless and stupid.

- chocking, screams...were those her screams? That wicked smile as he tightened the rope... -

Eyes shot open, Raven stared at the darkness of her room, she refused to let her mind wonder back to that day, not tonight. She done that already, plenty of times. It was the only way to get over the fear that haunting her, to face it.

Putting that memory aside, she willed her mind to think about what happened after, she still remembers Robins gaze on her through all the mess of police officers and police cars that filled the place, she sensed his guilt and concern, he blamed himself. For what she thought it was her failure, and no matter how much she wanted to scold at him for thinking in such way, she couldn't bring herself to meet his eye much less utter a word. She was SURE that he'll gaze through her stoic, unmoved act, and see how much she was feeling vulnerable. She had to keep it together, for herself, for him, for the team.

Yet when Chemzo walked by her whispering those words, she didn't have to force herself to put the poker face, no, her body was actually frozen in fear. Gaining her composure in a few seconds, she managed to roll her eyes and marched as far -as her legs could carry her- away from the scene.

His words were something she heard and read a million times in movies and books. Eyes in a jar.

Unoriginal, tedious, dated.

Yet, she had no doubt that he will carry out his spoken vow.

It's been 5 years since I even dared to try and write something, but sleepless nights, kinda makes you want to start a new project T.T

*made up villian