A/N: Thanks Phoenix and guestperson for your encouragement. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy this fanfic (everyone else too). Anon, thanks for your insightful but superfluous comment. I haven't read the comics but I did research about Jericho's family so no worries. (This is a fanfic but thanks for taking the time to review).

~Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or any of the characters. The only thing I do own is the idea/plot.

CHAPTER 2

(Third Person's POV) She knows

"But why would the creature attack our friend Jericho?" a concerned Tamaranian asked. Robin just shook his head. "Whatever Jericho saw… he wasn't supposed to see. I get the feeling that he didn't tell us everything. He's hiding something, Star. He has to be!" the little detective concluded by pounding his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Once he wakes up I'll have a talk with him. Besides, I never got around to interviewing all the honorary titans."

(Jericho's POV)

"My child! This happened because of you!" she wailed and crushed her hands against her face.

Beep…beep… beep…

"Isn't it enough that Joseph is alive, Adeline?" Slade shouted back. Bad move.

Beep…beep… beep…

Adeline whipped her head out of her hands and roared. She was slowly going insane. She started breathing heavily and reached for Slade's gun he had left on the table. "I HATE YOU!" was all she shrieked before she pulled the trigger.

Beep….beep…beep… BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEEEP!

My eyes bolted open frantically searching my surroundings; tears streamed down my now flushed cheeks. I could taste their saltiness when they slid into my mouth. I recoiled at that but I just couldn't stop crying. Why couldn't my nightmare just end!

Starfire and Robin busted through the door like it wasn't there and were immediately at my side. I quickly hid my tear stricken face in embarrassment from the two teens. Star reached for my hand and held it tightly (I really mean that) in her own. "I do not understand. Why do you weep?" she asked.

I tugged lightly on my hand and she released it reluctantly. I thanked every god and goddess in existence that she hadn't crushed my hand. She had quite a grip on her!

"Bad dream." She tilted her head. Wonderful. She didn't understand ASL. And by the look of it neither did the Boy Wonder. I sighed silently and mouthed 'Bad dream'. Robin reached into his utility belt and pulled out a pad and paper. I always hated writing down conversations since it took so long but I took them and sighed.

Please don't worry about me. I just had a bad dream. I'm fine now. I wrote as neatly as I could. Robin read it and nodded. "Jericho. I need to know what you saw. It could prove vital to beating that thing!"

I shook my head disapprovingly. I told you. I saw nothing. I couldn't find any thoughts or memories. There was nothing in that monster. Not even a brain.

"There IS something else! What is it that you're not telling us?" Robin exploded. It sure didn't take long for him to lose his patience with me." Why are you hiding it from us? We can help you. Whatever you saw…please." His voice got softer as he tried to regain his control." We want to protect you in case that thing ever comes back." Robin started to fidget in his seat; he was really bothered by me. Why I wouldn't tell him? What I saw would do nothing but agitate the kid more; not to mention I was clueless on how to beat that thing too. I really wasn't lying when I said there was nothing in that thing.

"You can confide in us. Robin and I are most trusting. We will try to help you in every way possible." Starfire's voice was laced with concern and her alien green eyes glimmered with hope. A small smile graced her lips. I really didn't want to lose her trust. I actually liked her. Not in that way! But I didn't want her to look down on me or think of me poorly. She was just so innocent that I couldn't crush her. That thought crushed me like her interesting take on the Heimlich maneuver. My stomach still ached from that. But nonetheless, she was kind. I wondered if she'd still think well of me later. When she knew the truth, the dirty truth about me.

I took up the pen again and started writing. It was then I thought of something. Right as my pen touched the pad, I stopped. My eyebrows scrunched up, I placed a hand on my forehead, and wrinkled my nose. I tapped the back of the pen against the lined paper and finally wrote as slowly as I could. I prayed Starfire would forgive me and that Robin wouldn't kill me too badly. I forgot.

Oh boy was our leader frustrated; I could visibly see his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. He reached into his utility belt once again to pull out his yellow communicator. "Raven, please come to the medical bay." His tone was dark. He was going to get this out of me no matter what. A little "amnesia" couldn't stop this boy detective from finding out the truth.

Honestly, I was paralyzed with terror. What would Raven do? She wasn't particularly strong physically, though I had seen her punch Beast Boy a few days ago for just being Beast Boy. That… was terrifying. But if Robin wanted to beat the truth from me, wouldn't he just do it himself? Or if anything call Cyborg. Cyborg looked stronger than anyone else in their group. I doubted that Cyborg would even agree to do that. He was kind. Just like Starfire. My chest ached when I thought about betraying her.

"On my way." Her monotone voice pulled me out of my scrambled thoughts.

The medical door slid open with a whoosh and a grey skinned teen walked through. "Raven." That was all he needed to say before she nodded. Although I had no idea what kind of agreement they had I still feared for what this boy had up his sleeve.

"Don't worry. This won't hurt. Just relax and open your mind. I promise if I find anything you don't want to share I won't force you to share." Wait. So that meant she was going to see everything? About my past? My family? My father? No no no no NO! She couldn't do that! I frantically grabbed her tiny hand. My eyes shimmered with fear. 'Please' I mouthed as I shook my head. 'No.' If she found out then… I glanced at Starfire; her eyes still glimmered with hope. I couldn't do that to Starfire. Robin would most assuredly kill me for more than one reason. I wouldn't be a Titan anymore. How could- how could I be one if they knew about my past? I let out a defeated sigh. I would have had to tell them sometime. Reluctantly I released the witch's hand. She delicately placed her fingertips on my forehead and chanted "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." My eyes faded from a brilliant green to be a glowing gray as she slipped into my body, mind, and soul.

(Raven's POV)

It was dark at first as I probed his mind. It cleared as I began to penetrate each layer of his conscious slowly and with caution. There was nothing at first but I ventured deeper In hopes of figuring out this mystery. On my exposed skin I felt moisture slowly roll down and fall to the misty ground with a splat. Annoyed, I wiped it off my hands and face. It felt thick and too familiar. His dim conscious distorted and changed. In the blink of an eye, the room I had been wandering around in was filled with mist. The mist turned into a bloody crimson. The smell was sickening!

"Daddy!"

I whipped around to see a small boy with golden locks and sparkling green eyes filled with fear being held captive by a man. There was already bloody running down the child's throat from the assailant's knife.

"Daddy! Please help me!"

"Let him go, Jackal! He has nothing to do with this!" There was a man on the opposite end. The darkness engulfed him, or was it that he was wearing a black suit? The woman next to him was gorgeous. Her brown locks flowed down to her hips and framed her petite body. What struck me the most was her green eyes. The orbs held such a deep fire in them that I staggered back. If Jackal didn't have a knife, I was sure that the woman would have torn the alien in half.

"Really? If you tell me what I want to know then he's yours, Deathstroke!"

"I won't tell you." With that, the man pulled out a knife and threw it. It was a perfect hit that killed the abductor instantly but as he fell, he sliced the boy's neck. The boy howled in pain, it was an ear-splitting and heart wrenching cry, but then he just stopped. Or rather no sound came out. He was a crumbled body on the floor, drowning in a pool of his own blood while his mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water.

The scene shifted and I saw the same boy, who was bathing in a pool of his own blood a few second ago, now lying in bed, his feeble chest rising and falling slowly as he slept peacefully. I pulled down my hood to get a better look at the room. There was another boy sleeping, his head resting against the edge of the bed, holding the other child's hand.

"I can't believe you Slade! How could you let my child be hurt! He could have died!" It was a woman's voice. "Why did you lie to me?! Why did you betray me?!" I could hear her voice choking up. She must have been weeping. "My child! This happened because of you!" she wailed. Wait. SLADE? I almost stopped breathing. Slade was a father? Did that mean Jericho was his son? That didn't make sense. Slade was definitely NOT the nurturing type to my knowledge. But now it all made sense why Jericho didn't want me to search his memories. He knew I would find this. If Robin knew then Jericho would be ousted. Marked as a criminal. Jericho didn't deserve that. He shouldn't be treated like his dad, he did nothing wrong!

"Isn't it enough that Joseph is alive, Adeline?" whom Ipresumed was Slade, shouted back.

"I HATE YOU!" and then a report was fired.

The scene changed once again to Jericho, who's real name was Joseph, running down a series of stairs, Adeline holding his hand the entire time. I floated after them and saw a horrifying scene in the kitchen. Blood was splattered everywhere. Slade was holding his right eye as thick drops flowed down his arms and stained the tiles. Jericho locked eyes with me and everything stopped.

"You promised. You won't break it now that you know?"

His voice startled me. It wasn't the one I heard earlier, it was more adolescent, which was strange since he was still a small boy. I shook my head. "I promised I wouldn't so I won't tell anyone. Especially not Robin. But Joseph," he flinched at his real name, "I'll have to tell Robin sometime. If it ever becomes vital to taking Slade down, do I have your permission to tell Robin?"

Jericho hesitated. 'If she told Robin then I would be banned from being a Titan. Would I go to jail? Would I be treated like Slade?' "He would kill me, Raven! I want to be a Titan! You people are my only family and only friends. Please don't take that away from me! What can I do so you won't tell him?" Tears welled up in his eyes; "I just want to be loved and have real friends and family!" he choked.

I felt guilty for even suggesting that but I shook my head, "No, I won't say anything yet. I was the one who invaded your personal conscious so I owe you that at least. And I know how you feel: always having to hide who you really are, hoping to not be judged just because your family is messed up, trying to be a hero even though it will never make up for the sins of your father." I paused, realizing I was talking more about myself than Joseph. Even after I told everyone my father was Trigon the Terrible, the team still protected me. They looked past it. They didn't blame me for my father's mistakes but did their best to work around it. "But if there is ever a time when someone has to know about you, I will tell them the truth. I won't lie if I can help it but I will if I can. When I leave your mind I don't want to lie to Robin." It was silent; it was obvious Joseph had a hard time taking this in. Everyone would know his dirty little secret. "Joseph. I believe that everyone will still love you for yourself. I know what it's like to have issues with your father (1). Can you trust me?"

"I do," he replied shakily. "Then if I show you what happened when I possessed that monster then you'll believe me when I say I saw nothing?"

I nodded.

He sighed. "I really didn't see anything. That monster was oil inside and out so all you'll is darkness."

"Joseph. I will believe you." I crossed my arms and pulled my hood to cover my face. "I'll trust you if you trust me. Now that I've searched your mind we have an empathic link so I'll protect you from Robin, but that means you have to tell me everything. I'll ask you one more time: Was that everything you saw?"

Jericho pursued his lips; he was definitely holding something back and it was killing him inside. "Y-ye-yes-NO!" He broke down and wept. "No! There was something else but I can't tell you! I just can't. It has nothing to do with you or Robin or Herald or Starfire or-or." Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he crumpled to the floor. I placed a hand on his shoulder hoping to comfort him but he just grabbed me and buried his head in my chest. I let him cry for a few minutes. "Slade," he said in a small voice. "Slade said that he wanted me back. He's going to kidnap me, Raven," his voice became wild and our eyes connected. I never noticed how pretty his eyes were before. "I don't- I don't," he couldn't finish his thought and broke down crying even harder. Embarrassed, he laid his head on my shoulder. "After my brother Grant died, my father was devastated. He was disappointed with me because my mother raised me like a g-girl. Grant was strong and determined but I hated violence so I wouldn't fight. I was just-just a n-nuisance to him. But now I'm his only son and he's determined to have a successor." I held the crying mess and stroked his mat of blonde hair. So was that why Slade targeted Robin? Slade wanted a successor? "I give you permission," he finally said quietly. I smiled and pulled out of his mind.

(Jericho's POV)

My vision became blurry as the witch pulled out of my head. But that wasn't the real reason for my distorted vision. I was still crying. I gingerly dabbed at my eyes to rid myself of the never-ending tears. How many times had I cried in one day? Men don't cry and they never show emotion. I remembered my father yelled that at me constantly. Dread filled my heart at the thought of my father being disappointed in me and Raven sensed it. She eyed me curiously. I did nothing to acknowledge it and hugged her tightly. Robin and Starfire glanced at each other completely baffled. I was sure they were both thinking the same thing: What happened while Raven was in my mind?

The awkward silence was broken by my growling stomach. I had completely forgotten that I didn't eat breakfast since that creature decided to wreck Jump City so early in the morning. "Our friend is hungry!" Starfire gasped like it was the end of the world. "Come friend, I will prepare for you my famous Glorgafik topped with a strange yellow thing called mustard!" She smacked her lips, grabbed my hand, and zoomed out of the medical bay with me trailing behind her helplessly. Robin and Raven just stared in silent amazement.

The doors to the lounge whooshed opened as Starfire whizzed through. "Sit. I will prepare it for you!" she said happily, eagerly gathering everything and cooking her Glogifig? Glorgifit? Whatever. I nodded and sat on the sofa by myself. I longed for someone I could talk with. I wished that Herald or even Raven were here to alleviate my boredom. Ever since Raven said she'd protect my secret I'd begun to have a better liking towards her. I sighed silently, might as well watch some television. I reached for the remote but instead of the long, hard, rectangular object; my hand grabbed a larger, squishier object. Silkie gurgled at the sudden touch and I retracted my hand quickly. What IS that thing?! Silkie looked at me with sad eyes as he whined pitifully; the giant worm started to inch towards me and finally found a comfortable seat beside me. Apparently I was his new best friend. Awkwardly, I stroke the mutant moth and cringed at the gooey feeling of his skin. It reminded me of this morning. Once Silkie was content with my attention he crawled onto my lap and fell asleep. I had to admit; Silkie was actually really cute when you got past the weird mutant worm thing. I smiled at the sleeping bundle of goo in my lap and pointed the foreign object at the screen and hit power.

Starfire rummaged through all the cabinets and dumped all the ingredients into a large silver pot. She hummed happily as she stirred the alien mixture. Cyborg and Beast Boy walked through the door arguing like usual. "No BB! I told you for the last time you can't beat my high score!" Cyborg yelled as loud as he could but Beast Boy just cleaned his ear in a bored manner. "We'll see about that tin man!" The green boy sauntered over to the television. "What? Oh Jericho, I didn't know you were here," Beast Boy said awkwardly. I just stared at him. "Looks like Silkie has a new sleeping place!" He laughed annoyingly at his joke. I rolled my eyes at him and focused my attention on the man in the white coat and hat explaining how to make cheap grilled cheese sandwiches. "And now you simple place the two cheese slices on ONE piece of toast and place the other on top. Finally you put the sandwich in the grill for five minutes and…voilà! C'est très magnifique!" the fat man in white exaggerated by taking a small bite from the finished sandwich and giving a thumbs up.

"Ummm, so Jericho? Would you like to play Mega Monkeys 4 with us?" Beast Boy asked with a cheesy grin. I tilted my head, "What's Mega Monkeys 4?" Now it was Beast Boy's turn to tilt his head. "Huh? I asked if you wanted to play Mega Moneys 4 with us!" Beast Boy asked again but louder. I groaned and rested my head in my hands in defeat. "BB, Jericho isn't deaf. I think he asked what Mega Moneys 4 is," to which I replied with a nod. "Oh. Well it's a super awesome fun video game where you play as a monkey and…yeah," he finished stupidly. "I'll watch."

"Eeep!" Starfire squeaked as her Glorgafik exploded all over the kitchen. She smiled wide and tasted the pink goo. "Oh this is wonderful. Come Jericho! You MUST try this!" she giggled as she dove into a pile of the alien food. My stomach growled again. Might as well try this. I got up from the sofa which was then claimed by Cyborg and Beast Boy, who were already arguing again, and headed towards the kitchen. Silkie whimpered when he lost his new sleeping place but followed me to the kitchen. I slowly reached into the pot and grabbed some Glorgafik. It smelled sweet so I lapped at it with my tongue. It WAS delicious! Before I knew it I joined Starfire on the ground as we licked the sweet food off the floor. "What are you doing?" a young female voice asked, breaking me out of the spell the food had put me under. There was Kole staring at me in amusement. "Looks fun. Mind if I join you?" I shook my head and she knelt beside me to grab some alien food. "This tastes like what Gnarrk and I eat at home in the forest!" she said happily before she shoveled more in.

Raven and Herald were the next to walk in. They were talking about parallel universes and dimensional rifts. They both paused to stare at the three of us eating the pink goo off the floor. "Haha! Look at you three!" Herald chuckled; his eyes laid on each one of us but then finally settled on me. "Is it good?"

"Yes! You have to try this!" I signed excitedly and offered a handful to him to which my male friend declined. "Naw. I'll wait for dinner. Speaking of which, what is for dinner?"

"This!" Starfire squealed and stuffed her mouth. Herald stuck his finger in the food and licked it. "Not bad," he said with a nod. "You must try it with this!" Starfire urged as she revealed a tall yellow container filled with mustard. She threw the pink stuff in her mouth and drank the mustard like it was soda. "Um, I think I'm good," Herald backed away slowly.

(1): I hope you know I meant Raven's father and not Jericho's father.

Well, now Raven knows! So yeah, I'm not great at making Tamaranian words (it's more evident in the next chapter ;) ) R&R, I'll reply to reviews in the next chapter.