The Magic Within

Disclaimer: Alternate Universe! Oh yeah, and I don't own the Teen Titans either!

Chapter 1: Enchanted

Robin strolled into the living room of Titan's Tower feeling uncharacteristically playful. Perhaps the others were right. He did need to loosen up every once in a while. After all, he would be in poor condition to confront Slade if he worked his body to its limit. No, he would need all his strength and to maintain that level, his mind needed a break from the chase.

He ambled in with a sly grin upon his face and his masked eyes drawn into sly little slits, sizing up his teammates. He had a particular scheme in mind but needed the proper audience. He glanced to Raven. No way. Raven was not the type to be amused. Ever. Not the type for parlor tricks at all. Beast Boy and Cyborg were more promising targets but still not the best choice for this one. They'd likely be too intently focused on the gamestation for the rest of the day to shift their focus to something as trivial as a magic trick. But then his masked eyes shifted to her.

She was all too perfect for his "performance." Robin almost couldn't believe himself. This was totally not his persona at all. Robin thought back to what prompted this almost-sickening bout of mischief:

Mumbo had been on the loose, creating chaos all over Jump City. Granted, Mumbo was among the least vicious of foes the Titans had gone up against, he was still a criminal and disrupting the peace and tranquility of the downtown shopping district. Innocent bystanders became "volunteers" and "assistants" for his bizarre show at the force of his magic. Mumbo was just in the process of making the First National Bank's vault disappear when the Titans appeared on the scene.

"Ah, the Titans! I was hoping for an audience that was harder to impress… The local police were far to easily caught up in the performance." Mumbo said, indicating three police units currently bound inside cases with floating saws cutting through the middle.

"Titans! Go!" Robin ordered, charging full speed after the rapidly fleeing magician. Raven's signature black energy spheres pulled the saws away before they could do any harm to the bound policemen. Starfire, Beast Boy and Raven took to the air, flying rapidly ahead of Mumbo and cutting off his escape. Cyborg and Robin came charging up behind releasing volleys of sonic cannon blasts and explosive discs.

With a wave of Mumbo's wand a mirror formed deflecting the blasts and another wave transformed the discs into flowers landing softly at his feet. A dumpster became consumed in black energy. "Azerath…Metrion…" But before Raven could finish, Mumbo cut her off, waving his wand and forming a large basket beneath her. Before she could finish her mantra, a large lid crashed down upon the cloaked girl's head trapping her inside the unusually large basket.

Beast Boy charged in tiger form but just as he pounced, Mumbo sidestepped, holding a cape into which Beast Boy vanished. Mumbo showcased the empty cape to an imaginary audience then with one swift wave of the cape sent Beast Boy flying for a block before crashing headfirst into a police cruiser.

Cyborg charged thrusting metal fist after metal fist at Mumbo. Cyborg struck a blow smashing Mumbo into a building with a great dust cloud released on impact. A triumphant "Booya!" resounded only to be cut short by a tapping on Cyborg's shoulder. Cyborg turned only to stare the blue-skinned magician in the eye. "Ah ah! If you wanted to assist, all you had to do was cut the deck!" Mumbo declared, producing a deck of cards in either hand. Mumbo bent the cards and released an unbelievable volume of cards at blinding force, blowing Cyborg away in the wave of cards.

Meanwhile Starfire clutched onto Robin and took flight executing an aerial attack while Mumbo was otherwise occupied with Cyborg. Starfire flew at blinding speed, releasing Robin as they closed in on Mumbo. Robin unleashed a flying kick into Mumbo's back knocking him off balance. Robin and Starfire unleashed a two-pronged assault; Starfire twirling Mumbo by his cape and flinging the magician at Robin who delivered blow after painful blow, culminating in Mumbo's wand flying high into the air, only to come down into Robin's glove with a swift catch.

Mumbo, now powerless, collapsed, offering a congratulatory smile to the couple that had bested his magic. As the other Titans scattered to fetch the police and ensure the safety of Mumbo's victims, Mumbo called Robin, still holding his wand, over.

"My congratulations to you, sir, but it seems that a different sort of magic is possessed between you and your…girlfriend there." For a split-second, a crimson hue washed over Robin's face only to be replaced by a sober glare at the captive magician. "What would you know about that?" Robin barked. "Now now, my friend," Mumbo replied, "I merely wished to congratulate the two of you on besting my magic…that's no small feat."

"First, I'm not your friend! Second…what does it matter to you?" Robin snapped. "Nothing at all, however I do admire the…intimacy between yourself and that young lady. You know, with the power of my wand you could dazzle the young lady." Mumbo stated. "Well, regardless, you're going to jail. Guess the curtain's closing on your act." Robin smirked, as the authorities hauled the crazed magician away.

That was a week ago. Normally such remarks from a criminal went unnoticed by the Boy Wonder. But somehow Mumbo's attention to his closeness with Starfire rang through his head. He found himself staring at the wand, which radiated the power to captivate his companion. Robin cursed himself for even entertaining the idea. "Are you nuts?" he thought, "That thing's probably booby-trapped. And besides, how would such a tool be used to garner the attentions of someone like her?"

Still, he couldn't shake the impulse. Cautious to the last, Robin ran series after series of scans on Mumbo's wand. If he was going to wield such power, for mere amusement no less, he was going to be absolutely sure it was safe and harmless to do so. Robin kept expecting the tests to turn up some strange enchantment and that would be the end of his fanciful thinking. Yet, every test to indicate a malignance within the wand turned up negative. "Well, a little fun, couldn't hurt…" he rationalized, setting out to enjoy an afternoon with his closest friend.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Author's Note:

Here's the beginning of the story, I've never really written before but I guess I'll try my hand at bringing this plotline to life, let me know how I'm doing (be constructive though) and I'll do my best to improve and update when I'm not too busy or suffering writer's block! Thanks again. Enjoy!