Yet another strange idea and story that sprang from lack of sleep and pain meds :/ hope it's okay. :)

Reviews feed the writer's ego, don't make it starve.

Closet: no Nightwing...Basement: no Speedy...Garage: no Red-X...nope don't own them as of yet, still working on it, but I was a good girl this year I am counting on Santa.

"I proposed to Star." His tone was even, there was no preamble; no hello or how are you? "She said yes."

No response came from the other end of the phone line. If he hadn't had a direct view into her living room window, he might have thought she had hung up.

"Raven, did you hear me?" His tone wasn't so even this time, he didn't know why he had called her, but he knew he needed some sort of answer from her.

"Why did you call me Dick?" Her voice was calm, revealing no hint of the turmoil he had just unleashed. "Why have you come to stare into my home?" Of course she would know that he was near, huddled against the cold only a rooftop away.

"I just wanted to tell you, that's all." Again his tone was smooth, no falsehood detectable.

"Robin, if you only called to lie to me I am going to hang up the phone and close my curtains." He reply revealed that after all these years she could still read him better than anyone else.

He sighed, "Could I come in and talk?"

"How often have I ever turned you away?" It was her turn to sigh; she hung up the phone and moved across the room to open her balcony window to the night, Nightwing used the door about as much as he had when he was Robin.

"Hello Raven." He said as he stuck his grappling gun back in place and entered her apartment.

She arched a brow, "Why are you here, we could have gone another five years without speaking."

"You talk with Star." He immediately jumped to the defensive.

"Yes I do, but she wasn't my only teammate or friend." Her reply cut straight through him, as it was meant to. "So, why are you here?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do, stop soft footing around it." Raven had headed into the kitchen and was making tea; her comment was tossed over her shoulder as he followed her in and sat at the table.

"Why not?" It wasn't a question to her comment, but one he had asked before and received no reply.

"It would never have worked," She turned to him as her water heated, a look of pity and maybe even regret on her face. "Besides you are happy now, in love and getting married."

"Yeah," He looked at her through his masked eyes. "Too bad I am not in love with the woman I am marrying." Direct and to the point, by her wince he knew he had evened the score in their emotional fight.

"So you don't love Star, then why marry her." Change of topic, much safer. Turning she poured the hot water into her mug and carefully measured out the honey.

"I do love Star, I am just not in love with her." His reply was soft and his voice skimmed over her senses, she did her best to block that out.

"A small distinction," She said, turning back around and wishing she could find something to do so she didn't have to look at him.

"An important one," He reached up and carefully peeled his masked off, blue eyes now bored into amethyst. "Tell me Raven, why it wouldn't work."

"Because Robin, I come from darkness." She didn't flinch from his gaze, as much as she wanted to. Five years without seeing those eyes should have made her immune, but it didn't. "You live in darkness; we both need a balance in our lives. I can't be yours, but Star can."

"I'm not going to marry her." It was a statement, said with harsh finality.

"Don't be an idiot." Her eyes narrowed as he stood.

"How can I?" He whispered as he moved to block her departure. "How fair is that to her? She is so bright she hurts my eyes sometimes. You are what I want."

"I am not what you need." This time a trace of desperation entered her voice, she had put this to rest five years ago and thought to never face it again except in brief moments of unconscious weakness. "Go home to Starfire; I can't give you what you need."

"You are what I want." He repeated, lifting a hand to her cheek, never breaking eye contact. "You." He said this with the same finality he had when stating he wasn't getting married.

"Robin, why must you want things that are not meant for you…that aren't healthy?" She sighed, desperately shoving emotions down as they popped into her mind two at a time.

"How healthy was it to be away from you for five years Raven?" He question was harsh; they both knew the emotional pain they had suffered from at the separation of the team and the self imposed exile of each other. "I can't do this anymore, not without you." He wasn't whining, he wasn't begging, that simply wasn't his way, he made it such a statement that she couldn't find it in herself to argue with him.

"But Star…" Her voice trailed off as he cupped her face with both hands and ran a thumb over her bottom lip.

"She will be hurt, but she will understand." His response was firm and he wondered what would have happened all those years ago if he had pushed then as he was now.

"Why can't I send you away?" She whispered, "Why can't I just let go and forget you?"

"Because we weren't meant to be apart and we weren't meant to forget each other, why can't you accept that?" Frustration leaked into his voice.

"You asked her to marry you." Raven's statement was soft and questing.

"I knew it was wrong the moment I did, I knew I wanted nothing more than to be here with you." Again his tone was firm and final, he knew that what he had done was wrong, but his heart wouldn't take any protests from Raven this time around.

"Dick…"Her voice trailed off and her eyelids fluttered shut as he leaned in to do what he had been wanting to for so many years.

Lips met lips and heart met heart, Raven knew she couldn't turn him away again; it was much too late for that now. Neither one noticed the tea mug fall to the floor, nor felt the splash of warm liquid splash at their feet.

"Anyone ever tell you that you think too much." He leaned his forehead against hers and listened to the sound of their breathing.

"Yeah, a walking traffic light did once." Her smile was slight, but it was there. He felt her surrender to love and felt a weight lift from his heart, one that had been there for so long he was dizzy with its absence.

"I love you Raven."

"I know," She sighed and in pure Raven fashion replied darkly. "This is not going to be easy."

"Yeah, but why live through easy when you can have interesting?" He smiled and drew her closer into his arms, kissing her again.