Quick Author note: I have been having problems with scene breaks for some reason. If anyone is not seeing them properly drop me a PM and I will do what I can to sort them out. Thank you and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any music by Billy Joel.

Chapter Two – Taxis and A Night Out

The following day passed in a blur, with Raven unsure entirely how she had managed to get through the hours at all. Presently, she was sat at home getting ready for her night out with her friend Bea. She ran a brush through her long dark hair and smoothed it down around her face. Grabbing her favourite dark lipstick, she quickly and expertly applied it. Pausing for a moment, she looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't recognise herself these days; every time she looked in the mirror she felt compelled to leap back in surprise at her face. It was a very strange feeling, as if she didn't belong behind it. Ignoring her thoughts, she began rubbing some foundation around the dark rings that encircled her eyes. Raven felt marginally better with this concealer around her, and decided to push the earlier feelings away.

Standing up, she wandered over to her wardrobe and pulled on her trusty blue 'going out' top – it was simple but cut to be flattering. Adorned with a few modest gems, it made Raven feel practically girly. Pulling her jeans and blue boots on over the top, she felt almost presentable. It was getting on for winter, and the cold winds were starting to pull in. She retrieved her favourite coat; a blue, full length design with a belt that wrapped around her waist. It always made her feel so protected, so safe. She flicked her long hair out from the collar, and span around to check herself in the mirror for the final time.

'Not bad,' she thought to herself. 'I guess I scrub up okay.'

Her phone lit up to tell her that her taxi had arrived. Without any hesitation she grabbed her bag and made for the door, leaving the apartment in darkness.

On the ride over, Raven took a moment to consider how she felt about seeing Bea after all this time. It had been six months since she had last arranged a meeting, and she noticed the guilt that was niggling at the back of her mind. Bea was an old school friend; they had met when they were both quite young and remained in touch ever since. Times they had spent together as children seemed to have bonded them for life. Raven always thought fondly of Bea, but it wasn't quite the same as her friendship with Kory. Raven knew they had drifted apart over recent years due to their different lifestyles – Bea had gone on to be a big player in the city working in advertising and marketing and had changed immeasurably from her experiences. That being said, Raven always enjoyed meeting up with her and knew that this would be just what she needed to shake off these strange thoughts she had been experiencing lately.

As the taxi pulled up outside the bar, Raven hopped out and paid her fare. She looked around but couldn't see her friend anywhere and so assumed she had already made her way inside. The bar was quite crowded, and Raven suddenly remembered why she wasn't keen on going out; crowds and people. Neither of these were her favourite things. Gritting her teeth together, she shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind and pushed the door to the bar open. Scanning the open area, she noticed a familiar face looking back towards her.

"RAE!" squealed the figure, waving her hands in the air, overexcitedly. "OVER HERE!"

Raven looked over at Bea and walked towards her smiling. "Hey, Bea."

Bea was wearing a mustard coloured halter-neck top with black trousers and boots, which showed off her dark skin perfectly. Her hair was in its customary bunched up style – the one Raven had known her to wear since primary school. She looked as beautiful as ever, and for a moment Raven felt a familiar twinge of envy. Bea grabbed her with her manicured hands and dragged her in for a hug. Raven patted her back gingerly, uncomfortable with public affection. Bea gave her a huge smile as she released her. Raven realised that she was pleased to see her. "Good to see you, Bea."

"Rae-Rae, what's happening, girl?!" said Bea, with an excited tone to her voice. "When you called me last night for a meet up I was like yeah! Let's get the old troublesome two back together again. I've missed you!"

Raven rubbed her head, those feelings of guilt rising in her stomach again as she sat down at the table with her friend. "I'm so sorry, Bea. I've been so overwhelmed at work lately. But, listen, I don't want to talk about work tonight. Tonight, I want to relax and spend some time with a good, old friend."

Bea nodded, then wiggled her eyebrows at Raven. "Agreed. So, any boys in your life right now?"

Raven rolled her eyes and sat back in the chair. This was typical of Bea, she was boy mad at the best of times. "No, not at the moment. I've been just…you know…caught up in my work and stuff."

"Raven. You need to get yourself a man! You always put your damned work first. When are you going to let yourself be happy?" Bea scolded, wagging her finger at Raven. In her mind's eye, Raven was reciting 'bla bla bla' in a mocking tone to the girl, but she stayed emotionless on the outside. What was it with all her friends trying to pair her up all the time? Raven decided to play Bea at her own game.

"Well what about you, Miss Bea?" she asked, tilting her head to one side and folding her arms. "What happened to…Roy, wasn't it?"

Bea's expression instantly changed to one of disgust. She folded her arms and pouted over the table at Raven. "Oh, him. It didn't work out, Rae. The romance was well and truly gone. So here I am, playing the field again!"

She gave a little flourished gesture to emphasise the point. Raven rolled her eyes again. "You haven't changed, have you?"

Bea let out a laugh and then winked at her friend. "You know me too well. I'll get the drinks in."

Tears were streaming down Bea's face, as she remembered the event so clearly. "Then the teacher walked in, and you had that tennis racket cover over your face. Oh man, it was the best! His face! Wish I'd had a camera with me!"

Raven gave a small laugh and nursed her drink. "Good times."

Bea grinned and wiped the tears away from her face. "Ah, it's always good to revisit them with you, Raven."

Raven looked up at her and smiled. "You too. You know, this whole night has definitely cheered me up. I didn't feel as though it would be that simple, but maybe it is, you know?"

"Mmhmm," responded Bea, sipping through her straw and glancing over Raven's left shoulder.

"It's amazing how much perspective you can get when you step back for a while. And last night at Kory's I realised how much I needed to step back. In a big way."

"Mmhmm," responded Bea, looking over Raven's left shoulder again. Raven narrowed her eyes quizzically at the girl, who was clearly not listening to her.

"Then my head exploded all over the room, and I was sucked into a black hole."

"Mmhmm," repeated Bea, glancing back over Raven's left shoulder. Raven gave a small smile and raised her eyebrow at her friend.

"Okay, Beatrice. What's the deal?"

"What?" countered Bea, suddenly innocent. "I was listening, honest!"

"If by listening you mean ignoring me entirely to look over my left shoulder," remarked Raven, sarcastically. "Don't try to fool me when it comes to listening - I'm a therapist, remember?"

Bea looked a little crestfallen and guilty, her hair somehow drooping with her expression. "I'm sorry, Rae. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just distracted."

Raven turned and looked over her shoulder, to see what was distracting Bea to such an extent. The what turned out to be a who. There was a large, muscular man stood at the bar on his own, nursing a small whisky. He appeared to be the source of Bea's attention. "Wouldn't be that guy over there distracting you then, by any chance?"

"NO!" protested Bea, quickly. "Of course not!"

Raven turned back around to face her friend and gave a soft snort of laughter. "Come off it, Bea. He's exactly your type. Why don't you go and talk to him?"

"Oh, no. I don't think so," muttered Bea looking down, slightly vulnerable and fragile all of a sudden. "He looks older than us. He probably wouldn't look at someone like me twice."

Raven reached over the table and touched her friend's hand lightly. "I thought you were Miss Free and Easy. Playing the field, right? So what if he isn't interested? It's his loss and you're far too breezy to care, remember?"

Bea looked up at Raven, a sudden fire in her eyes. "You're right! I am breezy!"

"Come on," said Raven, possibly spurred on by the alcohol in her system. "You've cheered me up already tonight. I can play wingman for you for a little while. Besides, it's your turn to get the next round."

Bea nodded and let out a low giggle, a faint blush on her cheeks. They gathered up their things and headed over to the bar, with Raven systematically positioning herself on the other side of Bea so that she was stood next to the tall man with the whisky. Raven caught Bea's eye for a moment, and they both started to chuckle like naughty children. The man's interest was piqued, as he turned towards the two slowly with a smile on his face. "Hey ladies, having a good night?"

Raven waggled her fingers at him and Bea flashed her best smile. "Hey, what's going on? We're having a girl's night out and a long overdue catch up."

Bea gripped Raven round the shoulders in a tight hug, to emphasise her point. Raven was not impressed but remembered her promise to be the wingman and gave a small smile.

The man leaned up from the bar and turned around. "Oh, a girl's night out, huh? That's cool. I'm waitin' for a friend of mine too, he's had to work late so I'm stuck here 'til he arrives."

Raven spied her opportunity to assist her friend. "Oh really? Well, we were just going to get a couple of drinks, but we could always keep you company until he arrives if you like?" she offered, nonchalantly. Bea nodded vehemently, obviously giving herself away. Raven remembered why Bea was never a good poker player. To her relief the man laughed openly.

"Yeah, that'd be cool. So, what do I call you ladies?"

"I'm Bea," said Beatrice, practically glowing and shaking his hand. "This is my friend, Rae."

"Raven," corrected Raven, coldly. "Nice to meet you…?"

"Victor," replied the man, shaking both of their hands, politely. "Nice to meet you both too."

Raven's ploy appeared to work, because for the next half an hour Bea and Victor shot the breeze and she sat there patiently nodding and ordering herself drinks when she got bored. She partially regretted her offer of wingman, but it was making Bea so happy she didn't feel able to extricate herself from the situation. She did learn some interesting things about their new friend; he was a very new American football player, having graduated college with flying colours. He was outgoing and friendly enough, too. Raven could see that there was a spark between the two of them instantly, and she sat there quietly feeling more and more like a third wheel. Victor glanced over in her direction and clearly picked up on her facial expression.

"So, what do you do for a living, Raven?" he asked, sounding genuinely interested. "Do you work with Bea, here?"

"No," replied Raven, hiding a small laugh she felt rise in her at the suggestion of working in that world. "I'm a therapist and a writer."

Victor's expression suddenly changed, as if a long forgotten memory had suddnely dawned on him. "Raven…Raven Roth?" he questioned, tilting his head. Raven's eyes goggled at him slightly, but she regained herself in an instant.

"That's right," she replied, coolly. "Have we met before?"

"Oh, no!" laughed Victor, looking slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, that must have sounded weird! No, I've read your book – The Things Only You Can See. It helps me so much with my visualisations and thought processes before I start a game. All the guys down at the club love it."

Raven felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Um, t-thanks – I'm glad it helps you all so much."

Victor nodded vehemently, his expression genuine. "It's amazin', we all love it! That's so cool that you are the Raven Roth!"

Raven started to feel a little bit uncomfortable, and noticed the strange expression on Bea's face, which only served to make her feel worse. She knew she needed to get control over the situation again. She cleared her throat and tried to put on a good performance for her friend.

"Well, I work so hard in the week that it's always good to go out with my friends. Especially Bea, she's so great!" Raven trilled, uncharacteristically. Being a wingman sucked, and she hadn't realised until now how much. Victor looked over at Bea and gave her a smile, and she giggled and blushed at him, batting her eyes. Raven rolled hers as she turned back towards the bar and hoped for a way out of this situation. She didn't have to wait long, as Victor was suddenly became distracted from the two girls, looking over their heads across the bar.

"Oh, hey! My dude has finally arrived at last."

'Temporary reprieve,' thought Raven, feeling slight relief. She turned back towards the bar and signalled for another drink. The radio on the counter started to play a familiar song.

"Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants

She's ahead of her time."

Raven looked strangely at the box, trying to remember where she'd heard that tune before. She was momentarily diverted from her thoughts as she heard Victor talking Bea. "Yeah, he often runs late to our meet ups. I'm used to it really. He's a vet y'see and he's always getting these unexpected call outs and stuff…"

"Oh, she never gives out and she never gives in

She just changes her mind."

Raven's heart started to pound in her ears again. There was no way. It couldn't be him. Could it? She was scared to turn towards the doors and check, but she knew that she had to. She blinked hard and turned around slowly on her barstool.

"And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden

Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding."

He was dressed differently, wearing a smart shirt and trousers. But there was no mistaking those eyes. Big and green, scanning the bar to find someone, just as she had been a few hours ago. She felt the blush creep around her cheeks again and wished she had somewhere to hide her face.

"But she brings out the best and the worst you can be

Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me."

Suddenly, Raven's head began to sear again, and she had a flash of him walking across the concrete roof of a tall tower overlooking the sea. The room shook and then flashed back to the bar, the noise returning to her ears. Raven gripped the bar and blinked rapidly, not wanting to draw attention to herself. What were these strange visions? Bea noticed Raven's strange behaviour and became suddenly concerned. She touched the girl on the shoulder and noticed her pallid face. "You okay, Rae? You've gone a bit pale."

"What? Oh no, no, I'm fine. Just fine. Think I've had too many drinks all at once, I should slow down a bit," gabbled Raven, trying desperately to recover and think of an excuse at the same time. Bea didn't look convinced but was distracted by the new person walking over to Victor and chatting to him. She turned away from Raven and rested her arms on the bar lazily.

"So anyways, G," said Victor, clapping his hand around his friend's back. "This is Bea and Rae, they've been keeping me company whilst I've been waitin' on your arrival."

"Hey," said Bea, waggling her fingers at him and giving a small grin. George looked at Bea and smiled at her, waving back. Raven knew there was no escaping this situation now, so she turned and faced the music.

"Hello, George," she said, quietly. His eyes locked with hers and they looked at each other for a moment. He was trying to place her, Raven could tell. Victor and Bea looked completely confused as to how she had known his full name.

"Raven," he managed, after a moment's thought. "You were at Kory's last night, right?"

"That's right," replied Raven, secretly a little bit pleased he had remembered her. "Nice to see you again."

Victor suddenly craned his head over the other side of the bar. "Hey, y'all. There's a table opened up down there, shall we head over and chill for a while?"

Bea didn't need to be asked twice. "Sure, that'd be great!"

Victor looked at her, smiling widely. "Well, all right then! G, lemme buy you a drink man. Why don't you guys go and grab the seats?"

"Sure," trilled Bea, grabbing Raven's hand and whisking her across the bar to the table before she had chance to say anything. Raven was still feeling a bit shaken up by what had just happened and had little time to react. Once they were settled at the table, Bea looked over to her with a confused look on her face. "So, you know him? George was it? Funny, he doesn't look like a 'George' to me, but you obviously know him so how?"

"Yeah, well kind of," replied Raven, hesitantly. "He's a friend of Kory's, a vet. She called him out last night when Silkie was ill and I happened to be there. It's no big deal. We only met for like five minutes. It's nothing special. Nothing to talk about really."

She could feel herself getting flustered as she spoke about it. Bea's expression changed completely as the realisation of what was happening hit her. "You like him!"

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Bea!" she scoffed, absolutely crimson. The feeling of wanting to bury her head into something was becoming really strong. Bea started chuckling evilly.

"Oh my god, you really like him! This is too brilliant!"

Raven's eyes flashed with anger. "Seriously, Bea. Leave it. It's not like that at all. I'm just flustered at seeing him twice, it's a weird coincidence, that's all."

Bea raised an eyebrow at her friend and looked less than impressed. "You don't fool me, Raven Roth. But whatever!"

"Anyway," chipped in Raven quickly, allowing her face time to cool slightly. "Whilst we're on the subject of liking people, what about you and Victor? Seems to be going well."

"Oh, shut up!" teased Bea, wrinkling her nose up. "Although…he is kinda handsome, isn't he?"

"He seems like a really nice guy," replied Raven, honestly. "There's just a really nice vibe about him."

"Yeah, and look at all those muscles," cooed Bea, dreamily. She was gazing over towards the man as he was approaching the table with George in tow. Raven sighed and folded her arms. They really were different in every way imaginable.

Victor took a seat next to Bea, and George automatically sat next to Raven. He looked over at her sheepishly. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself," she replied, trying to remain calm. She was struggling with how close he was to her. She didn't know what to say to him and was still really uncomfortable with all these strange emotions she was experiencing.

Thankfully, George broke the silence first. "Well, I wasn't expecting to bump into you again so soon! It was a bit of a surprise seeing you at the bar with Vic."

"Yeah, well I'll be honest, you weren't the person I was expecting to walk through the door tonight either," Raven said sarcastically, but smiling slightly. "Thanks for helping Silkie yesterday, by the way. It meant a lot to Kory."

George gave a more genuine smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, it's no problem honestly. It's my job, and besides Kory and Rich are good friends. I'd do anything to help them out. I meant to ask before, how do you know Kor anyway?"

Raven looked down at her drink. "Oh, we met a while ago on a training course and clicked. I know we're really different but it just…works, you know?"

George nodded at her, then looked inquisitive. "I do. So, what is it you do for a living?"

Raven hesitated, there were always strange reactions when she stated her job title. "I'm a therapist, and an author. Raven Roth, you've probably seen my book – Victor informs me the people at his club found it useful."

"Dude, of course," laughed George, knowingly. "Raven Roth. Vic is obsessed with your book, seriously. He is always trying to get me to read it."

"I'm guessing you didn't then?" replied Raven, raising an eyebrow. George looked sheepish again.

"I'm not much of a reader," he replied, embarrassed. "Always too busy."

"I understand," replied Raven, honestly. "I can only imagine how difficult it must be running around the city being a vet."

"Yeah, it can be tough sometimes," said George, sighing. "I've also kind of had a bad year, to be honest."

"Oh really?" questioned Raven, intrigued. "In what way?"

George let out a small laugh, but there was a tinge of sadness behind it. "You're not at work now, Raven. Maybe I need to book in for one of your sessions, huh?"

"You couldn't afford me," she quipped back, naturally. George laughed openly at her response. Where did that come from? A few minutes of speaking to him and she felt so relaxed. "I know what you mean about work, though. I haven't seen Bea in six months, it's always so crazy."

She gestured over to her friend, and they both turned to look over the table. Bea was in full 'breezy' mode, gripping onto Victor's arm and laughing heartily at all of his jokes and stories. Her eyes were so wide, Raven was afraid they might pop out. She couldn't resist a small eye roll at her friend's expense. George noticed, and laughed a little.

"Sorry," said Raven, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "I wasn't meaning to—"

"No, it's fine!" exclaimed George, still laughing. "I'm used to this. This is what it's always like for me when I go out with Vic. I'm always the 'wingman'."

Raven let out a small laugh, surprising herself. "Yes, me too. Story of my life, actually."

"Not met the right person yet, huh?" asked George, innocently. Raven's stomach did a small flip and she cleared her throat.

"No, not yet," she replied, quietly. She paused. "My friends say I'm married to my work."

"I'll drink to that," said George, raising his glass.

Hours passed, and Raven chatted to George happily for a while. There was something so familiar about him, so comforting. Her feelings were all over the place, but she was enjoying the time away from her problems, away from her work and so she pushed it all to one side and tried to enjoy herself.

Eventually, she couldn't take any more. She was so tired, and she knew how much work she had to do over the next few days. Yawning, she looked at her watch. Normally she would split a taxi with Bea to save on costs but judging by her friend's behaviour that seemed highly unlikely. She turned to see George looking at her and gave a small smile.

"Well, I was going to say I'd better head home, but…" she tailed off, pointing at Bea. "Normally we share a taxi but looks as if I'll be riding alone tonight."

"I got that feeling too," replied George, smiling at the couple. "Where do you live?"

Raven gave a brief description and George shrugged his shoulders. "That's about 5 minutes from my place. Why don't we share a taxi back? I need to head home anyway, I've got so much to do tomorrow, and I'm pretty tired too."

Raven looked at him cautiously. At this point he was little more than a stranger, and unlike her childhood friend she was not trusting. George caught her expression and put his hands up defensively. "Hey, I know what you're thinking but seriously. It's just a taxi ride home. You can trust me, I'm a vet."

Raven gave a small laugh and bit her lip looking away from him. She looked over at the others, then back at George. "Alright then."

"Alright then," repeated George, smiling. "Let's go."

Raven turned and reached over the table, touching Bea on the arm lightly. Bea turned to look at her, as if her spell from Victor had been broken. Raven felt bad to distract her, as she looked so happy. "I'm going to head off now, Bea. I'm tired and I've got so much to do tomorrow, but it's been so great seeing you."

"Oh," replied Bea, disappointed. "I'll get my coat, hang on."

"No, no," reassured Raven, quickly. "It's fine, I've arranged to share a taxi with George – he only lives around the corner from me so it's no big deal."

Bea raised an eyebrow at Raven, reminded of their earlier conversation. Raven noticed this and glared at her friend sternly. "It's just a taxi ride."

Bea softened and reached up to give Raven a hug. "Okay, Rae. Be safe, big love. I'll call you tomorrow."

Raven gave her a small hug back and then looked over towards Victor, waving her hand towards him in a friendly way. George had obviously told him what was going on, and they had said their goodbyes. He waved back at Raven and gave her a little wink, before turning his attention back to the lovely Bea.

Raven began to walk towards the door and paused to look back at Victor and Bea. They looked so happy together. In that moment, Raven wondered why she couldn't let herself be that way. Sighing, she turned back around towards the door to see George holding it open for her. Her heart started to beat faster again, as she looked at his eyes. They were so familiar. Why? How could this be possible? She stopped when she realised that George was looking at her strangely.

"You okay?" he asked, with a concerned tone in his voice. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," replied Raven, coolly. She walked past him out the door and then felt a little bit guilty for her sharp tone. "Well, actually. I just can't shake this feeling that we've met somewhere before."

"We did," said George, smiling. "Yesterday at Kory's."

"I don't mean that," sighed Raven, feeling a little embarrassed all of a sudden. "Before that, have we met before?"

George stopped and thought for a moment, his brow furrowed. "Mmm, no. I don't think so. Have you ever had animals? Been in my vets maybe?"

"No," replied Raven, calmly. "Never had the time to own pets, I work too much."

"Hmm," answered George, as they got into the taxi and gave directions to the driver. "Sorry, I really can't think of anything else."

"It's just this weird feeling I get, like I know you from somewhere."

"Hmm, weird."

"So, you really don't know me?" Raven persisted, one final time. George looked back uncomfortably and shrugged his shoulders at her.

"Sorry. I wish I could help you, Raven but I don't know."

"Oh, never mind then. It must just be my mind playing tricks on me. Sorry," muttered Raven, mirroring his discomfort. She decided to change the conversation, swiftly. "So, Bea and Victor, huh?"

"Yeah," laughed George, rubbing his head. "Looks like it."

"Well, in that case I'm guessing we'll probably meet again pretty soon," quipped Raven, sarcastically. This elicited a smile from the young man.

"I promise to remember you quicker next time," he replied, equally as sarcastically. Raven smiled, appreciative that he was picking up on her cues to lighten the mood and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Good to know I'm memorable."

"You're very memorable, Raven," he replied amusedly, looking at her. Their eyes met, and Raven felt that strange feeling creep over her again. Her throat started to close up and she blinked back what was happening.

"It's nice to see you again, George," she managed, eventually. "Thanks for keeping me company this evening."

"My pleasure," said George and he grinned widely. She noticed his crooked tooth again. It almost looked like a fang sticking up into his lip. She tilted her head slightly, feeling brave.

"What happened to your tooth?" Raven enquired, gently. George ran his tongue over it and laughed, looking a little bit self-conscious.

"Oh, when I was a kid I got into an accident and it's always grown a bit goofy."

"I like it, it gives you character."

"Thanks," replied George, a small blush creeping over his freckled face. Raven smiled at him again, becoming suddenly more aware of her surroundings.

"Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time."

She glanced over to the radio in the taxi. That familiar tune once more, and suddenly she felt the light-headedness coming over her again. 'Not now,' she thought desperately.

"Oh, she never gives out and she never gives in
She just changes her mind."

Abruptly there was a jolt as the taxi stopped. Raven looked outside and realised they had made it back to her apartment. Thankful, she pushed the door open quickly. Remembering her travelling companion and not wishing to be rude she turned around and poked her head back into the taxi, reaching her hand out to shake his. George grabbed her hand and pulled her back in for a quick hug and pecked her on the cheek.

"Take care of yourself, Raven," he whispered into her ear before releasing her. She smiled weakly and stumbled backwards out of the taxi, closing the door. She made it back to her apartment, opening the door with shaky hands. Her head was starting to become engulfed with the pain and the white light again. She slammed the door and turned around sinking onto the floor in pain before blacking out. In the blackness, she could hear a familiar voice calling out to her, but she couldn't understand what it was saying. Frustrated, she gave into the darkness and let it consume her.