Two figured in cloaks stood outside of an orphanage, one holding a small bundle to her chest, not wanting to let go.

The other one spoke up, her dark black hair swaying gently in the midnight wind. "You don't have to do this, Starfire. We can find another way-"

"No." Starfire said firmly, pulling her hood down to reveal fire red hair. "This is the best way. Once the war is over, I will come back for her. Raven, I know you may not understand, but this is the best way. If I tried to leave her with one of my friends, she would undoubtedly wind up in harm's way. Superheroes shouldn't be raising children."

Raven sighed, nodding. "The seal I put on her will suppress her Tamaranian genetics for just about twenty years. Unless I personally remove it. Once you get back, I will. I mean, it's not like you're going to be gone for twenty years, right?"

Starfire set the small bundle down, the baby inside it began to weep. She turned around, mustering all her strength to walk away from the infant. She never answered Raven's question.

With her gone, Raven kneeled down, brushing a hand across the baby's forehead, "No need to cry, Anya. Your mother will be back."

She reached into her cloak, pulling out a necklace. It was a black metal chain with a dark purple crystal on the end. She placed it around the baby's neck carefully, "If you're ever in trouble, I promise, Anya, I'll be there."

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER

"911!" Brittany screamed, running down the street, not even bothering to wait for any of us.

Tripp cursed, grabbing the bag of guns, and took off after her. I followed suit as the red and blue lights started flashing. Cops were pretty fast, but they didn't know the city like we did. Brittany kept running along the street, screaming, drawing all the attention. That was her job.

One of the three police cars took off after her, and the other two started for Tripp and me. I cursed under my breath, knowing what that meant. Three police cars? For a weapons deal? Someone snitched…

Tripp ducked into an alley and I followed him. We started up the fire escape, going quickly to try and hit the roof. If we got to the roofs, this chase was over. Cops couldn't keep up on the roofs.

Two officers ran into the alley, guns blazing, "Drop the bag, and put your hands in the air!"

I reached into my hoodie, pulling out a can of tear gas that Tripp had bought off of some weapons deal called The Maker. "Piss off, pig!"

I pulled the pin, and dropped the canister into the alley. The hiss of gas was followed by shouting from the officers as they ran out of the alley, coughing and wiping their eyes.

We hit the roof tops, running fast, jumping over alleys, and whenever a chopper flashed it's light we would duck behind anything we could find, usually debris that had been left up on the rooftop by handymen, or storage sheds.

After thirteen blocks, Tripp and I dropped into the alley that Brittany was supposed to meet us at. We were panting, hard, but still tried to stay quiet. After a few minutes, Tripp stood up straight, peering into the bag. "All this fuss, just for a couple semi automatic pistols? Fuck, cops must be bored."

I sighed, "You realize that someone snitched, right?"

He nodded, "Which is unfortunate, because they'll have to deal with us when we find out who did."

"Only five people knew about this." I pointed out. "You, you're girlfriend, me, Brittany, and the guy who we were selling to. I'd put my money on our intended buyer being the snitch."

He nodded, "Me too. Brittany hasn't shown yet, she might have gone back to the hide out."

I rolled my eyes, "You know, Brittany calls it the batcave."

"Brittany is dumb." Tripp sneered. "Dumb, but fast. I swear, girl has to be some kind of metahuman."

"Nah." I said, "She's just to used to running from pimps."

"Now that's mean." Tripp said, shaking his finger at me as we walked out of the alley. The minute Tripp stepped foot out of the alley, a cop came up out of nowhere with a gun. He had it pointed right at Tripp.

"Drop the bag, and put your hands in the air." He said firmly.

One look at his uniform, I knew he wasn't from Gotham. His badge said Bludhaven. Tripp had gotten the guns from a dealer in Bludhaven. They must have made this a joint investigation.

The officer advanced towards Tripp, and I made a snap decision. See, normally I wouldn't put my neck out for anyone. But Tripp is different. He taught me how to run these streets. He's taught other kids, and he's kept them safe. He has empty warehouses and abandoned buildings spray painted with his calling card all over this city, so no matter where you are, you can be safe.

I've seen kid's he's taken under his wing at eleven grow up to work for Penguin, or Two Face. As dangerous as those jobs were, they paid well. You could live off of them. Have a real apartment, in a nice place. If you were smart (and Tripp made sure all of his protégés were smart by the time they left him) you could work your way up the line.

He took nobodies from the streets, and he made them. I owe my life to Tripp. Dozens of kids owed him their lives.

So I tackled the cop.

Tripp didn't think twice about running off as I wrestled for the gun with the cop, grunting as he punched my gut. In response, I shoved my foot into his groin, digging the heel in. He cried out, and the gun fell. I let it scatter away, and started punching his face as hard as I could. "Fuck. Off. You. Pig."

He flipped over, pushing my face into the asphalt. I tried to flip back over, but to my shock, my hands were already cuffed. "That's enough, kid."

The second he starts searching me for weapons, I know I'm done for. I can't get away. He's not a normal cop.

He completes his search, and starts guiding me towards a cop car.

The ride to the police station is silent. I get some satisfaction out of him when he inspects his face in his rearview mirror. The gash above his eyebrow is going to need stitches.

He catches me grinning, and glares. I just grin more.

I'm pushing my luck, and I know it. I've been beat by cops before, and it sucked. They broke my arm, and I had to get it 'fixed' by a less than reputable 'doctor' who operated out of a storage unit.

I sighed, leaning back in the seat.

"Are you hurt?" He asks.

Surprised, I managed to stutter out, "Uh…well, no."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

He nodded, "What's your name?"

I pulled my hood off, my short black hair brushing against my forehead. Thinking about the interrogation room that was probably being prepared for me got my nerves going. I reached up, grabbing the purple charm on my necklace. "Andy."

IN TITANS TOWER; WITH RAVEN

Raven had been sleeping in her bedroom, soundly. Well, as soundly as she normally slept, when a sudden rush of panic hit her. She sat up in bed, looking around. Nothing stood in the shadows waiting to strike her, no evil presence pressing down on her.

She sighed, relaxing. What could have woken her? Her question was answered as she saw the faint glow from beneath her shirt. She pulled on the chain around her neck, a purple crystal dangling from it. The crystal emitted a low glow.

Her eyes widened, "Anya…"

The light from the purple crystal began to change form, changing in consistency to show an image. Anya, hair now short and boyish, is sitting in the backseat of a police car. The lights aren't on.

The officer in the front seat parks the car, and turns around, offering her a small smile. Raven relaxed a little at the familiar face. "Relax, Andy. I promise, no one is gonna hurt you."

Raven frowned, wondering why Anya would go by the name Andy, but chalked it up to kids liking nick names.

Anya snorted, "Sure, Officer…?"

"Grayson." He answered.

Raven made a bee line for the phone, hoping that Dick kept his cell on him at work.