Disclaimer: I don't own The Teen Titans, nor will I ever.

Summery: There's really no way to describe how the idea of this romance came to me; it just did. I couldn't control the idea, it took me over, and pretty soon, I knew I had to write it all down. Most of you would most probably say- "Aqualad isn't Raven's type", but the question I must ask you is; "Does she even have a type?". They are such opposites; no one would expect the couple at all. Which is why…I like it…heh… It's unexpected.

((Chapter 1))
"From The Watery Depths"

"May the tide
That is entering even now
The lip of our understanding
Carry you out
Beyond the face of fear.
May you kiss
The wind then turn from it
Certain that it will
Love you back.
May you
Open your eyes to water
Water waving forever
And may you in your innocence
Sail through this to that."

-Lucille Clifton-
"Blessing The Boats"

She plunged into the icy cold water that night, while the full moon shone down upon the wintry waves. The ice cracked and gave way under her weight, the force from her fall just enough to break the thin frosted glaze. And as she fell, from so high in the air, her short lilac hair fanned out and into her face. The cold wind blew hard that night. So hard in fact, that even the bats and winged animals of the air refused to fly, for fear their wings would falter.

But she was out that night, alone in that expansive darkness; so used to its shadowy embrace. Perhaps she had fainted. The lone Raven never would have jumped- would she? Yes- she fainted. That's what I told myself that night as I pulled her from those freezing waters, unconscious, and trembling head to toe. Her lips had turned blue, almost a cobalt shade, which matched her skin-tight leotard.

"Raven…" I whispered, cradling her in my arms. "Raven…" Her breathing was faint and shallow, yet as her chest rose and fell, relief was present within me. At least she was breathing. Her delicately pale frame seemed so light, as I stood and looked up into the sky, my eyes fixated upon the Titans Tower, soaring closely above me. An explosion sounded, and a flash of light blazed above us, as the ground of that small island shook.

"We're being attacked… I repeat- we are being attacked..." a distant voice yelled, from within Raven's communicator. I picked it up just as yet another blast vibrated the rocks below. The Tower burst into flames, half of the "T" falling into the water.

"Robin?" I started, holding the communicator close to my face. Static filled the connection, until finally, I received a response.

"Hello?" a slight pause left static in between his words. "Who are you…Where's Raven! What the hell did you do with Raven?" His worry was what shocked me most, as his voice stuttered on, throwing insults at me.

"Robin!" I finally yelled, just to cease his words. "It's me- Aqualad. Clam down. I've got Raven here. She's unconscious, and she really doesn't look good."

"Oh thank God…" I heard him breath out. "She's breathing right? Tell me she's breathing…."

"Yes she's breathing…" I replied, shaking my head. "But just barely. What's happening up there?" Static filled our connection once more, as Raven stirred in my arms. Her body was becoming increasingly cold…way too cold…

"Slade's back- and somehow, I'm not sure how, he got a hold of the access codes to the Tower. StarFire's down, and Beast Boy and Cyborg are trying as best as they can to defend the Tower. I don't know where you are- but you can see from the damage we're losing really badly." Silence enveloped the conversation, as I sat pondering what the leader of the Teen Titans had just said.

To think that if I had not have come to the tower in the first place would have left Raven to die, shocked me. As a member of Titans East, the only reason I was there was to talk to Cycborg, not to save the dark sorceress or get involved in an epic battle. What would have happened if BumbleBee had not talked me into going? Would Raven have been left to die?

An unpleasant cry from Raven's communicator interrupted my thoughts. "Take her!" I heard Robin yell, as yet another blast sounded.

"What?"

"Take her to the Titans East! Go!" Robin ordered me, almost as if it was his last wish.

"Robin- stop- Are you alright?" I screamed, worried as I looked up to see Beast boy fly into the air. Thousands of robots crowded around and jumped after him, hoping to rip him to shreds. "I can help Robin..." I argued, as I went to place Raven's unconscious body down.

"No- She's badly injured. You have to take her to the Titans East Before it's too late. We'll meet up with you later, the Tower is going to fall soon…" Robin pleaded as the communicator buzzed and his words were drowned out. I looked down at the dark Raven, her cheeks and whole body almost deathly pale.

She wouldn't last much longer; not after that fall, and the exposure she had suffered to those cold waters. Reluctantly, I picked her up and cradled her within my arms. With all of my heart and soul, I wished that I could have helped the Titans, but this had to come first. Raven's breathing had slowed, and her body was shaking. And as I stepped back into the water, a wave rushed from under my feet. I silently prayed for her safety, and the safety of all of the other Titans.

May God save them… and keep them alive…

I stayed that night in the hospital wing; with it's bleached walls and metal machines as my only company. Speedy had been quite surprised to see the body of a woman in my arms, rather than the money BumbleBee had sent me to get from Cyborg. The funding had slowed a bit from the city, and when the electric bills came in…. well that was entirely a different story. Lets just say… shit hit the fan….

"Whoa…Aqualad…I knew you were a player…but Raven!" Speedy said to me, surprised by the unconscious sorceress in my arms. I silently rolled my eyes, trying to ignore his annoying jest.

"She's badly injured, and she needs medical help." I supplied, walking away from him and to the hospital wing, where I told BumbleBee to meet me, over our communicators. The tall dark skinned woman met me there, with her hands on her hips and her worried expression plastered all over her face.

"She looks pretty bad…" BumbleBee sighed, as she turned on the medical equipment, and helped me lay the unconscious Raven on the hospital bed. Her drenched hair and suit clung to her face and body, as her pale skin in the light glistened. It was then that I realized she was covered in frost. "Oh God…" BumbleBee gasped, as she lowered the observatory light and took off Ravens cloak. Suddenly, she looked up at me. "I have to take her wet clothes off…you um…. might want to go…"

A blush covered my face, as I turned and mumbled, "Sure." Behind me, I could hear Raven's leotard being ripped off and warm woolen blankets being placed over her. Again my face reddened, as I walked silently out of the room.

The next morning I awoke in the chair next to Raven's bed, her body now dressed in a plain white dress, and covered heavily with thick, warm blankets. Finally, her breathing was stable. I rubbed my eyes, and a yawn escaped my lips. Last night, I hadn't slept well.

Stretching, I stood up, and looked over at her sleeping face, which even though she had recovered, was still pale. The only difference from last night were those lips, which now were not blue, and stood out from her face as sort of curvaceous and full. Her eyes stayed closed, yet looked surprisingly tranquil.

The slight murmur from the machines keeping track of her vital signs filled the background of the room, and her heart rate was measured as normal, along with her breathing. Looking up at the clock at the far side of the room, I noticed that it was about 11:00 a.m., almost noon.

"Guess I should go get something to eat..." I murmured, as I heard my stomach grumble. Slowly I walked from the sleeping Raven's side, and into the kitchen, were apparently, everyone was meeting. Seven pairs of eyes turned towards me and stared, one of which yelled out- "Have a good night with your girl friend?"

"Shut up Speedy." I answered, slightly irritated, as I continued to walk on to the table, and shoved something that looked edible into my mouth. Big mistake. I spat out the white chalky substance and suddenly realized to my horror, that it was tofu. I had to stop myself from gagging and restrain from the motions of throwing up. "What the hell…?" I cursed looking around.

"Beast Boy cooked." Cyborg said, as he handed me a plate of pancakes. "Sorry we didn't warn you." But before I could reach to grab some, I was suddenly jolted from my seat and squeezed so tightly that I had trouble breathing.

'Oh Thank You, Thank You, Thank you friend!" A red headed alien squealed, in a voice that could have blown someone's ear drums if they weren't careful.

"You're W-W-Welcome…" I managed to gasp out, before she finally let go.

"Thank you dear friend- for saving Raven from the dark watery depths of peril!" Star Fire nodded smiling brightly, her orange colored skin almost being beaten by her cheery grin. Wearing her customary purple outfit, she flew back to the table and sat down, though her excitement didn't cease. As I sat down, all of the Teen Titans members expressed their gratitude, including Robin, whom I was surprised to hear from.

"Really guys…it's okay..." I said, close to blushing from all of the attention. "I didn't do anything special. She was in need of help, so I just grabbed her from out of the water."

"Yea- but if you hadn't, she might be dead right now." Cyborg argued, smirking. "Interesting however is the fact you were right in the neighborhood…" BumbleBee flashed me a look, almost as if saying, 'You mention money and I'll kick your ass buddy Boy…' so I didn't respond when she changed the subject. Somehow, the topic had changed to the Slade attack, which Robin decided to take over.

"We really don't know why Slade attacked, or even how he did, but that doesn't matter right now. All we really need to worry about is getting back our Tower and defending the city from him. The only rooms of the Tower that have survived the damage are Raven's- because she put protective spells on it, and fortunately the classified sector in the basement." Robin informed everyone, taking his usual leader stance. I could see in the corner of my eye, Speedy shake his head when BumbleBee didn't step up. But then again, with Robin in the room- how could you? He was always like that; he always was the one in control. But I respected him for that; his leadership role was one of the most important.

I looked over then, to see BumbleBee giving Robin the same look she gave the Spanish-speaking twins when they knocked her over in the hallway: the death look. Only used upon those she loathed or was especially angry at, I could tell BumbleBee was a little offended that Robin didn't treat her as an equal. But does he ever? He was used to being the head Honcho, so we all let him sit upon his throne.

"Which is why," Robin continued, not noticing anyone's glances, "The two teams need to split up into three groups." I knew he was going to say that. I absolutely KNEW Robin was going to say that. If you get attacked by a group of acid-spitting monsters; you split up. When Killer Moth breaks out of jail and spreads his deadly metal-eating moths through-out the city; you split up…

"BumbleBee, Cyborg, and Mas y Menos will go and retrieve those classified files- we NEED them desperately. StarFire, Beast Boy and I will at that same time, try to figure out just why Slade targeted Raven…"

"What!" I shouted out, unaware I had raised my voice. Everyone turned to me suddenly, waiting for an explanation. "He was targeting Raven?" I continued, confused. "I thought he was just trying to get control of the Tower…"

"No." Robin's voice cut in, sharp and full of pain. I could tell there was something going on there, inside of his head, besides battle tactics; the need for revenge. Were they…?

"Slade specifically targeted Raven- that's why she's the most injured. That's why she's the one lying in the hospital bed…." Regret hung heavily in his voice. "And that's why you and Speedy need to stay here and protect her. Slade's bound to attack again, once her knows where she is."

"I have to stay here?" Speedy broke in annoyed. "I thought I was going with yo-"

"No." Robin answered sharply. "We need people here to protect her." With that comment he turned, and motioned for the others. "Let's go."

Thus Speedy and I were left alone in the Titans East Tower, to defend the dark lady Raven… whom we both barely knew.

Author's Note: Alright… As some of my more faithful readers know, I've been branching out to some of the more…let us say…. uncommon pairings in Teen Titans. "My Mistress" should have shown all of you that. Hopefully, I won't be crucified for this one too…

So, without further ado,
REVIEW.

See You In The Ninth Level of Hell,
-TheBitterSweetArtist14