"In Spite of Me"

A companion to "Tie That Binds", a Teen Titans comic I've been posting on DeviantART [username Nimfalas]. This takes place a few months after Season 5's end.

"Jericho?"

Raven had come seeking Robin—for what purpose, she hardly remembered—but thought she had found Jericho there, against the darkness…but no…it was only a shadow.

Then again, it must have been Beast Boy, for the shadow morphed into a new shape, slinking along the gray wall, moving and sliding. Raven tried to find her voice, but it was gone.

…

"It is you," she breathed, spotting the cross-legged boy. The night was crisp on the roof of Titan's Tower, and the ethereal moon glowed big and white over the landscape. Clad in their usual attire, Robin and Starfire sat with him, encompassed by a nimbus of soft silver, and the three were deeply engaged in some musical warfare. Bouncing flaxen curls shining in the awful light, Jericho leaned back passionately as his six-stringed guitar rang out through the stillness, screaming and biting and soft all at once, interrupting what had been silence moments before.

And the shadows danced with his tune.

"Jericho," Raven tried to speak, unexplainably perturbed by the scene. "Jericho?"

But her lips simply moved; her voice had vanished. Jericho's fingers continued their mad dance, but Starfire's soft rocking stopped suddenly—and at the same time, so did the music.

Robin's face contorted with fear and horror, and all at once Raven's heart hiccupped into her throat. Starfire—that golden beauty—clung to Robin in dismay, staring wide-eyed at the mute Titan, and Raven—though she tried very hard—could not find the cause of their fear. With a swish of her lengthy blue cape, Raven circled around, situating herself in front of Jericho.

Then she saw it.

Where the sword had come from, she couldn't tell, but the pain emanating from Jericho's face was too much for the empath to bear. She tried to shout out for help, but Robin and Starfire were gone—and still gone was her voice.

The sky was blood-red, the ocean a sickening crimson…and Jericho's wide green eyes changed color with the sky. A boom and a laugh—laughter that turned her blood cold and fogged her vision.

Trigon.

Another noise rang out, but this sound was hardly human. It was a rasping sort of choke, a blood-curdling scream of pain, and a war cry all at once. It was the sound of a thousand dying breaths, the echo of Azarath. And this horrible noise was radiating from Jericho's silenced throat.

Raven found herself skidding backwards in a shrieking blaze, held aloft by a wind that had no origin. Jericho's transformation struck some frightful chord in her soul, and her stomach knotted painfully in response. Then the sword slid out of his breast, and the Titan crumpled to the ground in a streak of red, all life gone from his thin bones.

Raven glanced up in agony to search for the attacker, fully expecting—though it seemed impossible—to see her father standing behind Jericho's corpse, a stained sword held aloft in his hand. What she hadn't expected to see was Slade, illuminated by the occult scarlet haze.

"Slade!" she mouthed silently, still unable to find her voice. The masked man seemed indifferent to her presence. "Slade, you killed him!" Raven froze in the air, struck by the wet tears streaming from the man's single eye. A chill spread over her limbs as she stared dumbfounded into his sparkling purple iris…

…

In a flurry of ebony, she ripped the mask from his face…

…to find herself staring into her own face.

"It's my fault," Raven's voice moaned from within her room.

"Whaddid she say?" whispered Kid Flash, pressing his ear harder against the door. Jericho's hands waved seriously, his brow furrowed in a stern look that told the speedster to keep his voice down. "Sorry, sorry," he muttered, relaxing away. "But I don't think anything'll wake that girl up."

Jericho sighed and leaned in closer. Raven's breathing had returned to normal now, and there were no more moans or screams. Whatever nightmare had haunted her was over.

"Man," Kid Flash whistled beneath his breath. "That's the second time this week. Why did we get stuck with rooms this close to her?"

Jericho smiled softly, downplaying the gravity with a mute chuckle. This was the second night that the two had woken up to Raven's mind-numbing screams—unfortunately for them, their rooms were the only ones close enough to hear. Neither had spoken about it during the day, and neither actually considered waking poor Raven from her nightmares. Both valued their lives and knew the punishment for trespassing on Raven's privacy.

Kid Flash tilted his head thoughtfully, as if tasting some new idea.

"When you take over someone's body, you're in their head, right?"

Jericho looked up at Kid Flash, taken aback by the strangeness of the question. Slowly, he nodded his head once.

"If you went inside her mind, just now, would you see her dreams?"

Undoubtedly, yes, the blonde thought. He would see all of her thoughts, dreams included. His face clearly gave away his next thought, for the redhead quickly replied, "No, of course I'm not asking you to. That'd be our death sentence." Kid Flash paused, then glanced back at Raven's unresponsive door. "I was just curious."

Me too, thought Jericho. What could awake such gross fear in the empath? What on earth could make Raven afraid?

Jericho knew of nothing yet.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Kid Flash whispered at length. "Tomorrow's a big day, and I think the show's over for now."

Jericho nodded solemnly, the reluctance obvious in his face. Even in the dark hall, Kid Flash saw.

"What? You don't want to go to your new home?"

Jericho shook his head and let his hands dance…but even Wally West hadn't learned enough sign language to fully understand what his fingers said.

This language barrier was one reason why Jericho wasn't looking forward to moving into the new tower—Titans Northwest, far from Jump City. It was the last group of Titans to branch off since the Brotherhood's defeat, and the big move marked the final step in settling down into their new lives. Not all of the honorary Titans had joined a team, of course, but many, including Kid Flash and Jericho, had agreed to form their own team. Normally, Kid Flash would have preferred to be on his own, but Jericho knew that Jinx had been a crucial part of the decision. Because she would be a part of Titans Northwest, Kid Flash would also settle down.

But despite being partially lost in translation, Jericho really didn't mind leaving to start his new life. He would miss the tower for many reasons, but it wouldn't be too bad. Mostly he would miss the people.

And he knew some "people" would miss him too.

Jericho gave up his attempt, letting his hands drop to his side. Kid Flash chuckled silently, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. Instead, Jericho turned to Raven's door and let his right hand lay softly on the surface. Kid Flash's eyes darkened.

"Joe, you can't help her," the speedster grunted, pulling the mute Titan away by a gentle hand on the shoulder. "Raven never asks for help from anyone—and what could you do, anyway? It's just dreams. She'd kill us—yeah, even you—if you tried to wake her up. Just let her sleep."

In a streak of color, Kid Flash disappeared into his room, leaving Jericho to himself. But a lump growing in his throat prevented him from following suit.

His lonely shadow grew as a silhouette on the sleeping Raven's door, and with a terrifying swoosh, the door opened to Raven's dark, quiet bedroom. Stepping inside took all the courage he could muster, but Jericho wasn't about to turn around now. One step at a time, he approached her sleeping form wrapped within a cocoon of violet sheets. Eyes peered out from the shelves, shadowy forms of statues and dark candles that sent shivers of fright through his body.

Then, leaning over her frail figure, he caught sight of her peaceful face.

…

And with a tender smile, he retreated from her sanctuary.

"You're up early," Beast Boy mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he staggered half-asleep into the kitchen. Jericho smiled warmly in response, taking another bite of Cyborg's fresh toast.

"More like you're up late, BB," Cyborg retaliated, flinging a stack of pancakes onto a new plate. "I finally gave up on ya and started makin' everybody else's breakfast."

Beast Boy took a moment to open his eyes and found that most every Titan was already gathered in the enormous room—whether situated on the couch or seated at the bar. Jinx and Kid Flash were sitting too close on the couch beside Killowat; Starfire, Jericho, and Robin were busy munching away at their various breakfast items; Argent had reclined against the counter, helping Cyborg with the chore of cooking; Silky was—what was Silky doing?! Beast Boy shuddered and slumped into an empty stool beside Starfire, muttering something indistinguishable along the lines of "oh".

"What has kept you sleeping so late?" Starfire inquired, her green eyes shining brightly. Her ability to be alert and happy this early in the morning was disgusting, at the very least.

"Nothing—can't a guy sleep in every once in a while?" the changeling muttered defensively, fiddling with his fork.

"Fair enough," Robin spoke with a smile, and Starfire agreed with a vigorous nod.

A swoosh, and the door to the room opened. Raven, fully dressed and partially rested, emerged. As she floated into the room, she seemed to ignore most greetings, but she didn't miss the upward glance from Kid Flash and the quick smile from the silent musician. Without skipping a beat, she took a seat between Jericho and the still-sleeping Beast Boy.

"Good morning yourself," she said in a monotone, without so much as a glance toward the artist.

The mute boy simply smiled broader, vainly attempting to conceal the quiet concern lined in his eyes. Whether Raven saw it or not, he couldn't tell. Quickly, he finished his last bite and stood with his cleaned plate. He had no time to waste this morning; he still had to pack, after all.

"Oh, Jericho," Robin exclaimed, swiveling around to face him as he dropped the dish into the sink. "I meant to talk to you." Jericho nodded, a bit surprised, and followed the boy wonder through the sliding doors into the quiet hall that adjoined the room. Robin and Cyborg already knew a sufficient amount of sign language—the former from his time under Batman's proverbial wing. This meant that Robin, unlike most of the others, could actually talk to him, rather than at him. As they walked, Robin cut immediately to the point.

"Jericho, we'd like to have you stay here."

Despite his effort, the mute boy couldn't stop the wide smile from possessing his face. His hands moved, spelling a simple 'Why?'

"Well, a lot of reasons," Robin began, stopping to lean against a wall. "Mostly, I think—we think—you'd be more comfortable here. Cyborg downloaded hundreds of sign language files, I'm rusty, but I can understand you better than Argent or Kid Flash. Starfire could learn it easily enough"—at this, Robin distinctly grimaced—"and Raven always seems to know what you're trying to say, whether or not she knows how to read your signs." Jericho nodded again; he himself had considered these things, but he wouldn't have approached Robin with his concerns about the competence of his alleged new team. Needless to say, the others' skill levels were far below par when it came to sign language.

Robin continued, "besides that, you've already settled down here…and with Starfire leaving in a couple months, we could really use the extra help."

Jericho flung his arms around the unsuspecting Robin in a quick hug before signing excitedly, green eyes shining happily, 'Thank you!'

"Don't thank me," Robin chuckled, taking a step back toward the extensive living/meeting/kitchen room. "Thank Raven. She's the one who pointed it out."

As Robin vanished through the automatic door, Jericho's heart sang even louder.

But when he tried to follow the boy wonder through the door, he was forced back by a fiercely expressionless gaze from none other than the mystic herself. Jericho froze and shrank away, not quite afraid as much as surprised. Raven flowed into the empty hall with blazing, stern eyes, and Jericho watched her warily as the door swished closed behind them. Though her face was mostly hidden behind the shadows of her hooded cloak, Raven's face was noticeably colder than usual. Something was wrong.

"I know that Robin told you to stay," she murmured, the heat rapidly leaving the room, "but you must leave."

A long moment of thick silence followed, he looking at she, she looking pointedly away. Neither shifted from discomfort, but waited for the tension to vanish.

Unfortunately, it never did. After some length, Jericho breathed.

"I'm sorry," she broke first. "But you really cannot stay here."

Her face was expressionless, but there was something about the sudden, unexplainable tension, an undertone in her voice, that told the mute this wasn't necessarily about him. Having no voice made him an especially good listener, and the subtle fluctuations in Raven's tones did not escape his practiced ears.

Joseph Wilson knew that Raven couldn't read sign language as well as Robin, but he moved his hands anyway.

Her cold eyes flicked toward his fingers, and suddenly the stiffness in her body melted away. She glanced up at his face, something like exasperation spelled out in her features, and whispered seriously, "Jericho, I don't know what's wrong."

Another moment of utter silence came and passed between them, though this time was spent with their earnest eyes anchored together. Joseph's concern was apparent, even without Raven's empathic abilities. He was a quiet listening ear, ready and willing to help a soul that sought to unload its weight. Raven's wall quivered, as it only could with him, and she allowed herself to confide in another human being.

Which, in itself, was an action that spoke louder than any of her words.

"I keep having dreams"—Jericho's hazel-green eyes widened—"but…I never remember them, once I'm awake. Not the details. I just wake up with an overwhelming sensation of dread…" Raven's soft, ethereal voice dropped to a level that was nearly inaudible. "My dreams have come true before—not always in obvious ways, but in some shape or form these visions sometimes pass into reality. I don't know whether these are simple nightmares or something more… The only thing I do know is that it involves you. I believe you're in danger…by being near me."

Jericho took a step toward her, and the demoness stiffened. A small, tender smile flitted onto his face, and his hands flowed skillfully in front of his body…but Raven's focus drifted to his face, and his eyes, which glimmered in a way that clearly said, 'I'm not afraid to be near you'…and maybe, she mused, a tiny sparkle added, 'I enjoy being with you, Raven.'

"Jericho, I don't care…what you think…" but as the words escaped her mouth, she choked on the bitter lie. Quickly, she interjected, "I won't put you in danger by keeping you here. Go to the new tower with Wally and the others."

'I'd rather take the risk,' replied Jericho's deft hands.

A miniscule twitch played with the corners of her mouth, but sixteen years of careful control wasn't broken so easily. Her emotions remained hidden like the shadowy folds of her cloak.

But even Raven couldn't stop the slightest intake of air as one of Jericho's large hands touched her lightly, carefully on the shoulder.

'I'm going to be here,' he said, but this time his hands were still. His deep, green eyes made contact with hers, and they spoke clearer than vocal chords ever could. 'I want to be here for you…in spite of you.'

"I know," she whispered monotonously, unable to rip her eyes away first. "Thank you, Joseph." And with a tender smile, the mute dropped his arm and walked unchallenged through the automatic door.