Long story short, I was Wiccan a long time ago. I'm not any longer. When I was a friend wanted me to cast a love spell for her on a guy she liked. I didn't do it, I wrote this story instead...and then she didn't want me to do that anymore. Sometimes I wish I had just told her to go watch "The Craft."

Love Potion

It's been raining for several days now in Jump City-but that does little to dampen the atmosphere of this lover's holiday. There are lots of romantic activities to be enjoyed indoors-much to the delight of local merchants.

Raven sits alone in her room at Titan Tower. It's dangerous for her to feel-but right now all she wants is to be loved-if only for tonight. The trouble with that is she thinks no one would love her-all she has ever heard people say is that she's dark and creepy. There is one way she could get what she so despiritly wants-but she is not sure she should go that far. She finds herself crossing her room-she stops in front of her book shelf and picks out a spell book-opening it to a love spell. Desire wins out over reason as she gathers everything she needs to cast the spell and settles down on the floor in front of her bed. She thinks that just one night won't hurt. Beginning her spell she focuses on no one in particular just the nearest available guy her age-thinking that she's alone in the tower. Once the potion is mixed and the spell complete a reddish smoke rises from the potion and floats out of her room-snaking it's way to the nearest available guy. To ensure the affected guy is lead to her-Raven drinks the potion.

Robin sits alone on the sofa in OPS-channel surfing. It has been over between he and Starfire for awhile now-not he reasons-that they were ever together to begin with. He had wanted to give it one more go tonight but Starfire had insisted that if they did go out it would be as friends and nothing more. she-had however been called away to her home world by an emergency transmission at the last moment. Robin thinks it's just as well she left-he is pretty sure that she is starting to like that Redstar guy anyway . Cyborg is out of town spending the holiday at the Titans East Tower with Bumble Bee. Beast Boy is where he has been every holiday since Terra was turned to stone. It is harder for him now since she hss disappeared from the cave-Robin knows Beast Boy spends his time on days like this out searching for that girl he thought was her hoping to get one last chance to convince her that she is who he thinks she is. And Raven-Robin sure she is up in her room like she is every Valentine's Day. He knows she doesn't like this day because she is an empath. She can't feel because it's too dangerous for her to do so with the nature of her powers-but sensing how everyone else feels on this day makes it especially hard for her. Robin honestly wishes there was some way he could help her-no one deserves to go through that-especially Raven after all she went through defeating her father. He pauses to reflect on Raven and wonders that if she could feel would it work between them. Suddenly there is a red smoke surrounding him-he nearly chokes as it invades his mouth and nose-forcing him to breath it in. When the smoke has been inhaled he is left with one thought-how much he suddenly realizes he loves Raven. He gets up and makes his way to her room.

All Raven can do now is wait and hope that she hasn't made some terrible mistake with what she's done. A knock soon comes at her door-she can't believe that it spell worked this fast. As she opens the door she wonders just how someone got into the tower undetected-all coherent thought is lost however when she finds Robin standing there. To her horror she realizes that she wasn't alone after all. She can tell by the way that Robin is looking at her-even with his masking covering his eyes-that he was the one affected by the spell. He is her best friend-she doesn't want this to happen to him. She tries to distract him as she goes back to the book and looks for a way to break the spell. "Robin, I thought you went out with Starfire."

"She got an emergency call from Tameran-or so she claimed-she had to leave. It was over between us long ago anyway-she didn't even want to go out tonight." Robin approaches Raven. "It's just as well...it gives us a chance to get to know each other."

"Why would you want that?" Raven frantically searches through the book. "I'm just dark and creepy like everyone says."

Robin makes Raven turn around to face him. "That's not true, Raven. Don't ever think that way about yourself. You are mysterious-but that only makes you all the more beautiful."

How Raven's heart might have leapt at that comment if it were coming from anyone other than her best friend. Scared she pulls away from Robin. "This isn't real...you don't feel that way...it's just a spell gone wrong."

"I promise that I was thinking about you before you came up here. If anything your spell only encouraged me to come up here and break the ice." Robin stops Raven as she tries to turn back to the book. "I really do love you Raven."

"No it isn't real you'll see that once I find a way to break the spell."

"I like it this way Raven. I don't want you to fix it." Robin kisses Raven deeply before she can pull away from him.

Something explodes in the background as Raven momentarily looses control of her powers. Robin tries to hold onto Raven but she manages to push him away with her powers. "I'm sorry I never meant for this to happen." Raven turns back to the book and begins searching through it again.

Her rejection only makes Robin more determined to have her. He grabs her again turning her to face him. "We're birds of a feather Raven...we belong together."

Raven only has one thing left that might dissuade him long enough for her to fix this-she can only hope it will work. "I can't feel because of my powers Robin. I never will so it can never work out between us. If you really love me then you will respect that and not make it any more difficult for me than it already is."

Robin kisses her again. Something else explodes in the background as he leans close and whispers in her ear. "I really do love you Raven...but I won't give up on you." Robin turns around and leaves the room.

Raven stand there staring after him for a few moments before turning back to her book.

Robin goes back to OPS and paces the floor behind the sofa. He is determined to find a way to allow Raven to feel without repercussion from her powers. As he paces his mind drifts back to the the Titan's first encounter with Mad Mod. He had a way to block all their powers. As far as Robin knows all that stuff is still out there at the abandoned oil rig where they were taken.

Several hours later Raven is searching frantically through her books-many are spread out before her now on her bed and littering the floor. She can't find anything to help her break the spell. Raven jumps startled when the alarm suddenly goes off. She pushes books out of the way as she makes her way out the door. When she enters OPS through a side entrance Robin is already rushing out of the main doors.

"Beast Boy is on his way. It's just the three of us until Cyborg and Starfire return."

The doors close behind Robin and Raven sees no sign of him when she passes through. She is relieved that Robin's sense of duty doesn't seem to be affected by the spell. Raven is grabbed suddenly from behind and held against the wall as her wrists are captured and something is fastened around them. As she is let go she discovers glowing bracelets encircling each wrist. She looks up to find Robin standing in front of her. He quickly captures her lips with his and kisses her-Raven is only vaguely aware that there is no explosion this time as she pulls away. "What are you doing? Beast Boy needs us."

"It wasn't real. I just needed someway to get you out of your room. I brought you a present."

Raven looks down at the bracelets encircling her wrists.

"You can feel now."

"That's not possible."

Robin grabs Raven and kisses her again.

As Raven pushes Robin away she realizes there is no explosion this time. "Why?"

"So we can be together."

"I don't want this."

"If you dared to use magic to get it, I'm sure you do."

"No," Raven backs slowly away from Robin. "Not like this...not with you."

Robin's behavior quickly turn menacing. "What you think I'm not good enough for you? That some stronger is better?"

Scared by Robin's reaction Raven backs away. "You are my best friend Robin I don't want to ruin that."

Robin advances on Raven. "You're just afraid. Nothing will change between us I promise."

"I'm not ready for this Robin."

"You're not ready or are you just playing hard to get?" The look on Robin's face turns almost sinister at that remark. Scared Raven turns away and tries to run but Robin grabs her cape and pulls her down as it flairs out behind her-she quickly releases the clasp and gets up escaping his grasp. "Those bracelets won't come off Raven and you can't escape without your powers. I'm not adverse to a game of cat and mouse though-if that's what you really want."

Tears stream from Raven's eyes as she realizes what a terrible mistake she's made. She knows her only chance is to get away from the tower and find somewhere to hide until this spell wears off. Raven rushes down to the lobby-but the main doors won't open.

"You can't get out that easily Raven."

Raven looks around but she can't see Robin anywhere. She rushes down to the hanger-but the doors there won't open either. She pounds on them with her fists in desperation before she goes back to the stairs. Suddenly Robin is right there blocking her path. She rushes back into the hanger-he has her trapped. She backs away as he advances on her. She bumps into a rack of tools knocking them over. She stumbles and falls.

Robin grabs Raven's arm and pulls her back to her feet. He pins her against a wooden crate holding her firmly. He captures her lips greedily with his.

Raven manages to break the kiss. "You're hurting me, Robin. Please let me go."

"I can't do that Raven. I have to love you." Robin grips her arm tighter and practically drags her to the elevator beside the stairs. He shoves her inside.

Raven falls to the floor as he lets her go when the door closes and Robin lets her go. She cowers in the corner farthest away from him. She can't be upset over what he's doing because it's her fault that he's acting that way. She should have known better than to try something like this. She trembles as the elevator climbs toward it's destination. Tears spill from her eyes as she wishes this were just a horrible dream.

Robin grabs Raven and pulls her up from the floor as the elevator stops.

As the doors open Raven manages to pull away from Robin. She makes it to the stairs and runs down a level to where her room is. She can hear Robin right behind her and she knows he's angry now which is why she can't stop and risk his wrath. She doesn't want to think about what he'll do to her if he catches her. Raven reaches her room but Robin gets in before she can close the door. There is only one thing Raven con do to get away now. She runs to the window throws it open and climbs up to the ledge.

"No Raven don't!"

Raven remembers the bracelets on her wrists too late. She can't levitate to safety. She's falling fast to the rocky shore.

Robin leaps out the window and fires a grappling hook. It latches onto the roof and he swings down catching Raven before she smashes onto the rocks. They hang there just a few feet above the rocks.

Raven looks at Robin for one brief moment before fainting as she realizes just how close she came to dying.

Robin holds her there in the rain for a few minutes before triggering the retracting device taking them back up to her room. He holds her in his arms

once they're inside gazing at her.

Raven awakens sometime later in a strange yet familiar room-it takes her a few moments to realize that it belongs to Robin. She tries to sit up only to find that her wrists have been handcuffed to the headboard. She pulls on the handcuffs trying to free herself even though she knows it's useless. Raven looks up as Robin sits down beside her. "What are you going to do to me?"

Robin brushes back a stray strand of hair from Raven's face. "All I want to do is love you-but you're the one who choose this game and it isn't over yet." Robin gently caresses Raven's cheek with his hand.

Raven jerks her head away and draws her legs up closer to her-making sure to keep them clamped tightly together. "Please don't rape me."

"That's not what a cat does once it catches the mouse...so how would you like to go?" Only at that moment does Raven realize Robin intends to kill her. Tears fall from her eyes as she again struggles to pull free from her restraints. "No...please don't do this. I don't want to die."

"I could have taken you away...it could have been just the two of us-but you wouldn't let me love you. Now do you want to choose how you go or do you want me to surprise you?"

"Please Robin-don't...I'll let you love me if that's what you really want."

"It's too late for that now, Raven." Since Raven won't choose how the game will end Robin does it for her. He removes two birdarangs from his utility belt-putting them together he produces a sword.

Raven cries out as Robin stabs her with the sword. Blood pours from the wound just above her navel as he removes the sword. She trembles from the pain-it seems to get worse every time she breathes. Her blood quickly soaks the sheets on the bed-a curious mix of crimson and black.

Robin frees Raven's hands from the restraints and lays her down on the bed in a more comfortable postion. He remains by her side as the tears flow from her eyes as fast as the blood flows from her body.

"I-I'm so-sorry, Robin...I ne-never meant f-for this to ha-happen."

Robin kisses away Raven's last dying gasp. Now that he has given Raven what she wanted, he still has to love her. He takes the sword plunging it into his stomach so that he can be with her forever.

UPDATE: This is a story intended only to show the consequences of what can happen when you start mucking around with love related magic-nothing more. That is why it stopped where it did. There is no what happens to Robin afterward and there are no sequels. Since some people (namely a cousin of mine with the initals of SHH) don't seem to understand that's the end-I added two more sentences. So now there is no need to question what happens to Robin. Quite frankly I think those two little sentences make it suck, but I'm tired of the questions and a certain someone that won't stop begging for a sequel.