Quick Author Note: Hello everyone and anyone who is still watching my account. It's been around ten years (!) since my last update but I decided to give writing another go. This is going to be a really long, novel attempt at a Teen Titans fanfic. Here are the important points and disclaimers before we start.

Disclaimers: This is a BBRae fanfic, with elements of RobStar and CyBee. I completely respect everyone's individual opinions, but if you aren't interested in these pairings please don't use my story reviews as a place to flame. This is an AU fic of sorts, so any OOCness can be expected, at least initially. I don't want to say more, as it will spoil the story. Hopefully all will become clear as we move forward. Constructive criticism is always welcomed and will be taken on board where possible. I do not own Teen Titans, or any songs by Bread or Billy Joel that are repeated or used within the fic.

Thank you all in advance for your support and for reading. On with the fic!

-Chibi

Fly Away

And when the world was through,
Then one by one the stars would all go out,
Then you and I would simply fly away.

If - Bread

Chapter one – Therapy and Pets

"Are you even listening to me, Raven?"

Raven Roth's attention snapped back into the room. Where had she been just then? Ignoring the strange feeling washing over her, she tried to refocus on the room. Feeling her comfortable leather chair beneath her hands she stared forward at the girl who was sat before her. The girl had her arms folded and was staring her straight in the face, whilst tapping her foot. Raven shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat.

"I'm so sorry, Tara. I was listening to you, my mind just went somewhere else for a moment," she replied, gently. "Please do continue, you have my full attention."

Tara shook her long, blonde hair off one shoulder and sighed dramatically. Raven took a moment to stare at the woman sat before her. Tara was beautiful, it was undeniable; with her flowing blonde hair, blue eyes and slim physique. However, she also carried a load of problems beneath the surface. Raven had been trying to support her through her recent issues, and felt she was having little success despite her endeavours.

"It's X," Tara began, suddenly. "He's not returning my calls, cards, notes or emails."

"I see," Raven tilted her head to the side slightly and blinked at Tara. "How has this left you feeling?"

Tara scrunched her face up, colour flushing to her cheeks. She pulled her arms in tight to her chest and glared over at Raven angrily. "What do you think?!"

"I can sense your anger towards, X. However, it sounds as though he is making it pretty clear he does not want to speak to you presently. I'm wondering if you are aware of the reasons for this lack of communication."

"Well, I know we broke up!" exclaimed Tara, her eyes rolling and hands flying out. Raven flinched internally but didn't let anything show towards the girl. "But that's no reason for him to cut me off! I mean how…how dare he do that to me! To me!"

Tara's pitch was raising, and she was becoming increasingly flustered. Raven's eyes flickered briefly to the inconspicuous clock on the wall and back to the girl. Thankfully, the session was almost at a close and she knew she needed to contain the situation. "Again, I hear your anger, Tara. It sounds like your relationship breakdown has affected you so deeply. I'm aware of the time, that our session is coming to an end, but I want to acknowledge that this seems to be touching some deeper things within you from your past, perhaps even your childhood as we have discussed before."

Tara nodded, the flush gradually disappearing from her cheeks. Raven noted her eyes still looked like there was a fire burning behind them. "I can also sense that you are still struggling with our therapy sessions."

Tara looked mildly amused, but also concerned that Raven was so able to know what she was feeling without her expressing it. "I just don't see the point, it's all a waste of time. X will take me back someday, you'll see. And then I won't need this stupid therapy at all."

The final statement came out with some venom, Raven noted. She raised her eyebrows and nodded at the girl. "Well, I hope that you manage to work things out. But until that time, I'm here to listen and support you through this. Maybe we can pick up on this in our next session?"

Tara nodded, seemingly calm for the time being. She raised from her chair and without another word she left the room, staring straight forward. As the door slammed shut, Raven rocked back into her chair and rolled her eyes to the heavens. Shutting her eyes, she attempted some mindfulness meditation techniques in order to calm her thoughts and ground herself.

She was seen as one of the most experienced therapists in Jump City and yet Tara was proving to be one of the most difficult clients she had ever worked with. The complexity of the attachment issues coupled with her intense anger towards the world were making the acceptance of her relationship breakdown frankly impossible. To suggest that the girl had defences in place was clear; denial, acting out, projection…it was all there. To make matters worse, the therapeutic relationship was not developing as well as Raven would have hoped. No matter what she did, Tara seemed to simply hate her and challenge her at every turn. Raven knew that clients would often challenge their therapists within the first few therapy sessions, but Tara was something else. She made Raven feel physically sick with her intimidating language and expressive and often angry gestures. Raven just had this gut feeling that something wasn't right, and she was concerned for X. That was what Tara referred to her ex-partner as within their sessions; she had made clear she didn't trust Raven with the identity at this stage. Whoever he was, Raven was certain that Tara wasn't finished with the situation and there would be more anguish before it was through.

Raven caught sight of herself in the mirror to her right and gasped slightly. There were dark rings under her blue eyes and her dark hair hung limply around her shoulders. She noted a feeling of intense tiredness creeping over her. This new case was affecting her more than she would care to admit.

"I need to call Bruce," she said softly, to no one in particular. Bruce Wayne was her clinical supervisor, responsible for ensuring Raven was practicing safely and ethically. He had also become a confidant over the years, providing her with sound advice and moral support when things were tough. Moving to her desk she began to write up her notes on Tara's case. Before she had chance to do anything else her work phone began to ring. She lifted the handset lazily and almost yawned into the mouthpiece. Stifling it with her free hand she twiddled her pen between her fingers and spoke clearly: "Yes, Arella?"

"Your next client has arrived, Raven. Are you ready for me to send them in, or do you need a few more minutes?"

Feeling her gut drop suddenly, she swallowed and rubbed her temple with her finger and thumb, balancing the pen between them. "Umm, I'm just finishing up these notes from the previous client, Arella. Could you just make them a drink and ask them to wait a few minutes? I won't be long, but I really don't want to get out of sync with my files."

"Absolutely no problem, Miss R!" Arella exclaimed cheerily. "I will make the necessary arrangements. Let me know when you're ready and I will see them through to you."

"Perfect, thanks so much," Raven smiled down the phone, before plonking it back onto the desk heavily. She held her head between her hands and felt it throbbing, for some reason. Letting out a breath, she realised that she needed something positive to get her through the day. She reached into the drawer and pulled out her personal mobile, flicking her fingers across the screen and then holding it up to her ear.

"Kory, it's me," she offered, quietly. "Yeah, I'm still at work. You okay?"

She paused as the voice on the other end gabbled down the line. Fiddling with her hair absently, she almost got the pen stuck in her long locks. Putting it down on the desk, she leaned back in her chair and reclined, handset still pressed to her ear.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just really need to have some catch up time. Are you free soon?"

More gabbling on the line, and then Raven's eyes lit up. She smiled and leaned back forward towards the desk. "Tonight, would be perfect. I'll come straight to you once I'm done at the office. That sound okay? Great, I'll see you soon. Thanks, Kor. You're a star."

Kory Anders was Raven's best friend. They had met during a training course, way back before Raven became a fully qualified therapist. Kory had decided not to pursue the career path, instead opting to become a primary school teacher. Her skills were put to good use, in soothing the children and teaching them relaxation techniques within the classroom. Despite this, the two had always kept in touch, and over the years their bond had deepened.

Driving across to Kory's house after work, Raven reflected on their friendship. They didn't really see eye to eye on much; different personality types, clothing styles and even interests. However, they had just clicked. Raven couldn't explain why, but Kory was one of the most important people in her life, and she knew that Kory felt the same way about her. They would always be there for each other, no matter what. They had supported each other through different life obstacles, pulling each other through to the other side. Raven pulled up outside of the suburban house, with ivy creeping up the walls. She glanced over into the front garden, and noticed that Silkie, the golden retriever, was running about happily. Noticing Raven's car, he had bounded over to the gate, tail wagging so much his back-end was almost tipping him over sideways. Stifling a small chuckle, Raven got out of the car and locked it, calling out to the hound.

"Hey boy," she cooed, putting her hand over the gate and letting Silkie sniff it and lick it briefly. "I'm here to see your Mama."

The retriever bounced out of the way as Raven closed the gate with a hard click. She turned towards the house, as the dog ran off and began rooting under a tree. Through the kitchen window she saw the silhouette of her best friend waving at her jovially. Raven raised her hand in response, keys still held tightly between her fingers. Kory raised up two wine glasses and wiggled them around hopefully. Raven nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, before strolling towards the front door and letting herself in.

"Friend!" exclaimed Kory, rounding the corner and meeting Raven in the porch. Raven turned, closing the door behind her. Before she had chance to respond she was held between her friend's tanned arms in a bone crunching hug. Her eye closed under the force of her friend's grip and she almost toppled backwards onto her, but she couldn't resist giving a small smile.

"Hey, Kory," she offered, patting the girl's long arm's gingerly. "Losing oxygen here."

Kory shot back, red faced and grinning. Raven noted that her eyes always had a beautiful green sparkle to them, as if she knew a secret to the world that others didn't. 'A secret to happiness, most likely,' Raven thought wistfully, wishing she knew the secret. Her friend was a good foot taller than her, with long auburn hair which framed her jade eyes. She was tall and slim, but very athletic – Raven knew Kory liked to keep fit, wherever possible. Her clothing style was always bright and cheerful, much like her disposition. Raven noted she was wearing a tightly fitted pink jumper and jeans today, which was remarkably modest for her friend. Raven kicked off her work boots and caught sight of herself in their hallway mirror.

"UGH," stated Raven, ruffling her hair up around her pale face and squinting her eyes. She attempted to smooth down her black chiffon shirt and work trousers. "Kor, I look a mess."

"Raven," laughed Kory, turning and walking back towards the kitchen. "If there is one thing you could never look it is a mess! You have just come from work, have you not?"

Raven nodded, growling at her own reflection, before following Kory towards the innermost parts of the house. "Yeah, tough day."

"I noticed that from the tone on your phone-call," Kory noted, offering Raven a wine glass which was now half full of red liquid. "I thought you may need some cheering up."

Raven accepted the glass, a small smile on her face. "You know me too well, Kor. I noticed Richard's car isn't here – is he away on business again?"

Kory flopped down onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar and blew her fringe up lightly. "Yes. Does this surprise you?"

Raven considered how to phrase her answer, as she took a sip of the red wine. "Probably not."

Kory gave a small grin and swirled the liquid around her glass. "You know Richard, he is always with his head in the workplace! I don't mind really, he tries his best. I have been busy myself with the children, in any case."

Raven nodded, knowing that Kory meant she had been busy at work. She didn't even notice her friend's strange inflection that much anymore, but suddenly she became aware of it again when Kory made strange sentence constructions like that one. Kory had lived here for so long now, Raven often forget she was a foreigner to this country. Pushing these strange thoughts aside, she focused back into the room and gave a small smile.

"They still giving you problems, huh?" she asked, half-serious. "Little brats."

Kory laughed and gave Raven a shove, playfully. "Do not say that! They are lovely small things. It is just they get 'the grumps' and it is most frustrating when you have a lot of work to do."

Kory paused and shook her head before looking back up at Raven, her face becoming more serious. "So, friend. You sounded solemn on the phone. Is everything okay?"

Now it was Raven's turn to exhale sharply. "Not really," she stated, bluntly. "You know I can't give specifics but…I've had this really difficult case lately. Someone who is really struggling and potentially a little bit…dangerous? I don't know if I'm over-reacting with that word but…"

Raven paused, staring at a spot on the counter hard for a moment. Kory waited patiently, taking a sip from her glass and then putting it down gently as her friend was with her thoughts.

"…I don't know, Kor. I've got this gut feeling that there is something going on under the surface. And it's not good. It's just really, really getting to me."

Kory looked concerned and placed her hand over her friend's arm gently. Raven looked over to her, with sadness in her eyes.

"You work too hard," she said, softly. "You never take time for yourself, friend."

"You might be right," conceded Raven, begrudgingly. "I think I know where this is going."

"You do, because we have had many the conversation in the same way. Raven, when are you going to start having some time away from work? To be with friends? Maybe someone who will be more than friends?"

"There it is!" said Raven, both triumphant and sarcastic in her tone. "See, I told you I knew where this was going. Kor, I'm not marriage material, you know that."

"I know you say that you are not. I still do not understand why," countered Kory, pouting slightly. "You always have the same excuses."

Raven sighed loudly and took another glug from the glass, the red liquid feeling strangely soothing, although it burned slightly. "It's not an excuse. I've tried the whole dating thing, it's just not for me."

Kory snorted, unable to contain her true emotions. Raven looked up at her in surprise.

"You never give anyone half a chance!"

Raven narrowed her eyes at her friend, who had now begun to giggle lightly. "Explain."

"You need me to tell you? Fine, well since we have been friends I can think of several occasions where you have been approached by a fine, young man who has been most polite, and you have sent him off with the flea in his ear. Is that not right?"

Raven felt her cheeks burning a little. "Not always."

Kory laughed heartily, spinning herself around on her stool. "You are so funny! You cannot lie to me, friend!"

Raven began to chuckle a little, despite herself. Kory was right. No one ever held her attention and work always came first. That was who she was, and she wasn't intent on changing her ways any time soon. "Maybe," she conceded, stubbornly. "Maybe, I've just not met anyone to keep me interested yet."

"Maybe if you don't give anyone the chance then you will never get to know if they are interested!" countered Kory, a smirk still on her face. "You think Richard is perfect? He is most definitely not! But being in love, spending time building a future, building a life is so healthy and important, friend. You know this."

"Maybe," repeated Raven, slowly. She looked over towards the redhead, unsure what to say. Kory smiled at her, rescuing her from the uncomfortable feelings whirling inside of her.

"Listen, Raven. It doesn't matter to me, whatever you decide. I am your friend, and I will always be here for you. I just want you to be happy."

Raven didn't know why, but those last few words resonated with her powerfully. She took another quick sip of her wine and considered her response. "Thanks, Kor. I don't know about the guy thing, but you could be right in terms of me needing to get out more often. Lately, work has been consuming me way too much and that can't be health—"

Raven was cut off mid-sentence by a squeal from her friend. Raven turned quickly and saw Silkie hobble into the room and collapse on the floor, breathing raggedly.

"NO!" shrieked Kory, her hands flying up to her face in panic. "No, no, no, no, no!"

Raven jumped off her seat as calmly as she could and moved down towards the creature, keeping her breathing steady. "Easy, easy. Easy boy," she soothed, running her hands over the dog's coat to keep it relaxed. "Kory, go and phone a vet right now. Do you know their number?"

Kory nodded, tears staining her cheeks. "Yes…yes! We know an excellent vet, I am sure he will come right away. He is a good friend, you see," she gabbled manically, running around to try and find the phone. "I shall go phone him immediately!"

She dashed off into the other room, auburn hair trailing behind her. Raven reached up and flicked the radio onto some soothing music to try and comfort the poor thing, who looked distressed. She crouched back down and smoothed his golden fur gently.

"Hey, boy. It's going to be alright. Help is coming."

As suddenly as she had disappeared, Kory reappeared around the corner with a cordless phone pressed to her ear. She nodded attentively on the other end, trying not to snuffle.

"Yes, I understand. Yes, thank you. See you in a few minutes. Thank you so much," Kory chattered, pulling the phone away from her ear and pushing the button with a loud beep. She crossed her arms across herself and wandered back towards Raven, tears in her eyes.

"He will be here soon," she whispered, softly. "How is Silkie, friend?"

"I'm keeping him calm," replied Raven, emotionlessly. She didn't want to frighten her friend, but she had the feeling something was seriously wrong with the dog, by his unusual behaviour and distressed eyes. "How long will your vet be?"

"A few minutes," replied Kory, sniffing. "He is wonderful. A good friend to Richard and I – we have known him for many years. He was nearby seeing to another poorly creature and agreed to come here now. I have complete faith that he will make Silkie well again."

Raven nodded. "That's good to hear, Kor. Try to stay calm, okay? I'm sure that he will get to the root of the problem straight away."

Kory nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you, friend. You always know what to say."

Raven met her eyes and smiled, feeling a warm feeling in her chest. Suddenly, the doorbell rang breaking the silence. The girls both jumped involuntarily and turned towards the sound. Kory's feet unstuck, and she hurried towards the door. Raven turned her attention back to the dog, and she continued to smooth down his fur gently and soothingly. She could hear the redhead chattering in the background.

"Hello, George. T-thank you so much for coming so quickly," Kory stammered, nervously. Even though they were in different rooms, Raven knew she had grabbed the poor vet in a bone crushing hug by the gasp that escaped him. Had the situation not felt so dire, she may have chuckled to herself over it. Suddenly, she heard the radio track change to a catchy tune that grasped her attention momentarily, pulling her away from the present.

"She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies"

Kory soon reappeared in the doorway, looking towards Raven and Silkie. "This is my friend, Raven," she explained to the man behind her. "She is looking after Silkie and keeping him calm for me."

"And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child but she's always a woman to me."

The man rounded the corner after Kory, and Raven felt the air stop in her throat. Her heart started to pound in her ears as she looked over at him.

"She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth, but she'll never believe you."

Surprised by this sudden physiological reaction she didn't speak and instead just nodded at him, weakly. He was about six-foot tall, with curly blonde hair and lightly tanned skin. He had large emerald eyes, with light freckles over his face. He carried a bag with him in one hand, dressed in simple veterinarian scrubs, with the logo "GL Vets" on the pocket. Raven noticed he was wearing slightly scruffy Converse trainers on his feet, giving him a more relaxed feel. She swallowed hard as he looked over towards her and their eyes met.

"And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free

Yeah, she steals like a thief but she's always a woman to me."

He nodded back, a small smile on his face. His expression soon changed as his eyes floated down to the patient. He walked over quickly towards them and sank down to his knees, running his hand over Silkie's coat. For a moment, their fingers touched, and Raven felt electricity shoot down her arm. She retracted her hand gently and stood up slowly, with a blush on her cheeks. The young man apparently hadn't even noticed their interaction, completely focused on the dog. His expert hands moved around, making checks and he pulled various instruments out of his bag. Kory was biting her lip nervously, and Raven moved over towards her placing a hand on her shaking arm, supportively. Kory gave her a small thankful smile, and then turned her gaze back towards the vet. "Well, George? What is wrong?"

George pulled the stethoscope out of his ears and wiped some sweat off his forehead. Finally, he spoke. "Good news, Kor. He's just eaten something in the garden that's given him a funny reaction – maybe a mushroom or something. It's a good job you caught it so fast otherwise it could have been fatal."

Kory's eyes widened, and her hands rushed to her mouth. "But you can heal him, yes?"

George gave her a thumbs-up accompanied by toothy grin, and Raven noticed he had a slightly wonky tooth. "Absolutely. It's going to be pretty horrible though, there's only one way to cure it. What's gone in has to come back out."

Raven realised what the vet meant and stifled a gag. "Maybe we should go in the other room, Kor?" she ventured, finding her voice at last. George looked over to her and nodded, the smile still on his face.

"Yeah, that would probably be for the best."

"Okay, come on now. I'll stay with you, Kory. Let's go through there," she motioned towards the doorway, giving her friend a gentle push. The redhead's feet stuck for a moment but then she stumbled towards the exit. Raven turned her head around from the vet and felt her cheeks burning hot again behind her friend's back. Who was this guy? Why was she having these strange feelings around him all of a sudden? She'd known him less than a minute. Shaking her head and scalding herself for her unusual behaviour, she managed to get her friend onto the couch and comforted her whilst nature took its course.

Raven and Kory had been waiting in the lounge for some time, and the redhead was starting to get a bit twitchy. Raven had felt unable to revisit her previous conversation about work, due to the situation which had unfolded. She was unsure what to say but could see her friend suffering as she waited for the vet's return. She was chewing on her nails and jiggling her legs up and down violently, her nerves apparent.

Raven put her hand out to slow Kory's movement and gave her a reassuring look. "He's going to be fine."

"What is taking him so long in there? Should he not be done by now?" said Kory, her eyes wide and brimming with tears. "I am so worried for my Silkie."

"I know," soothed Raven, quietly. "But he seems like a really good vet, so I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Better that he does the job right than rushes it and makes Silkie worse."

Kory nodded, knowing that what her friend said made complete sense. "I know you are correct," she sighed. "George is the best veterinarian we have ever had. He and Richard get on like…how do you say it…'the house on fire'!"

Raven didn't bother to correct her but nodded along patiently. She was interested to know more about this mystery man and decided to indulge her curiosity. It may have been selfish, but it served the purpose of also distracting Kory from her troublesome thoughts. "He seems like a nice person. Have you known him long?"

"Oh, about two or three years, I think?" replied Kory, counting on her fingers like she would with the children. "He often comes around to do the hanging out with us. But also, we would not trust Silkie with anyone else!"

"Yeah, I noticed how good he was with him," responded Raven, feeling the blush creeping up on her cheeks again, much to her frustration. Thankfully, her friend was too absorbed in her thoughts to notice.

"Oh yes!" she responded, emphatically. "He is so good with all animals, he could almost be one!"

Raven gave a small chuckle, and patted Kory on the arm. Before either of them could say anything else, they heard movement and in walked George himself. He rubbed his hand across his forehead and gave a sigh of relief. "Well, he's absolutely fine now. He just needs a good night's rest and then you need to pop him by to the surgery tomorrow. I'll double check him then to make sure he is getting better, but if you're worried at all during the night you know where I am, okay?"

Kory shrieked with delight and leapt up to embrace the other man in another hug. He was startled at first but patted her back gently as she burst into tears again.

"Hey, Kor," he soothed, quietly. He pushed her back off him and raised her chin, so she looked in his eyes. "He's going to be fine, I promise."

"George, you are the best person ever!" she exclaimed, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. "Let me give you some money…"

"No, no," countered George, putting his hands up in defence. "Don't be silly, you just try to get some rest now if you can and we can sort everything out tomorrow, okay?"

Kory shone a bright smile at him and nodded vehemently. "Indeed. Thank you so much again."

George smiled back at her, rubbing the back of his head in a slightly bashful way. "You're welcome, Kor. I'll get going now, I've got a couple of other things to do before I go home. Nice to meet you, Raven."

He looked around Kory and waved at Raven, jovially. "You take care, ladies."

Raven gave a small smile and raised her hand as Kory saw him out of the door. Raven walked into the kitchen to see how Silkie was doing, and noticed the hound was curled up fast asleep in his bed looking much more comfortable. Kory bustled in after her and saw the same thing, sighing contentedly. "Ah, there's my special boy. Thanks to friend George he is feeling much better!"

"Certainly, looks that way," replied Raven, reaching for her keys. "Listen, I'm going to leave you to it. You've had one heck of a night."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Kory, suddenly remembering their earlier unfinished conversation. "I have been the rubbish friend! I didn't even help you with your worries and problems."

Raven shook her head at the girl. "Not at all. Actually, it was really helpful having our chat. I'm going to go and call up my friend Beatrice and see if she's free to go out sometime. You're right, Kor. I do work too much, and I need to let my hair down once in a while. I think it's all been getting to me lately."

Kory clasped her hands together and gave Raven a dazzling smile. "Oh friend! Such joyous news! I am so glad to hear you are going to take some time for yourself."

The two girls said their goodbyes, and after a final fuss with Silkie and another bone crushing hug from Kory, Raven ambled back to her car, clicking the gate shut behind her. As she started to walk towards the car door, she was abruptly struck by a searing pain in her head and she grabbed hold of the door to support herself. Suddenly, flashes of a tower on a beach, a darkened room and four silhouettes pierced her mind. She gasped, as she came back to reality, breathing heavily and trying to stand back up. What the hell just happened? Raven pulled the door open and practically fell into the car seat, shaking in shock. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she tried to analyse what had just occurred. The things she saw weren't memories, but they felt so real. A waking dream? Impossible. Not unless she was losing her mind. No, that couldn't be right. She closed her eyes and frowned. This was a sign that it was all getting too much. That was all the motivation she needed. Without a moment's hesitation she pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled a number.

"Hey, Bea? It's Raven. You free tomorrow night to go for a couple of drinks?"