Dear lovely readers,

So while proof reading chapters one and two, I've realized that I have a slight tendency to use the f-word a lot haha so the rating will be bumped up to M. I also plan on pushing some boundaries in future chapters so I'm just gonna go ahead and change it now so I don't get in trouble (whatever that entails). Read and review please

Much love

BBS

"And it's hard to dance

With the devil on your back

So shake him off"

"Shake it off"- Florence and the Machine

…

"You have to be faster than that, Rae."

"Can't we pretend I'm fighting a giant slug or something?"

"Raven."

"Robin."

She was beginning to regret asking for a lesson in hand-to-hand combat from the boy who was trained by one of the world's greatest fighters. Raven insisted that their training begin the same week she was returned to her friends. She refused to be treated delicately, like she would crumble into a thousand pieces if they touched her. Even if she did show up at Robin's door in the middle of the night sometimes and jumped at the chance to have sleepovers in Starfire's room, she still fought alongside her teammates and she could handle a few punches.

He shook his head, sweat droplets falling from his hair and onto the mat, "This team relies too much on their powers. We need to change that."

"You know, you rely on your super power too much."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Being super annoying."

She aimed a few more punches at the Boy Wonder who dodged them with grace. He landed a punch to her gut which caused her to double over. He grimaced an apology and almost didn't have time to block the kick she spun towards him.

"Good," he said as he blocked a nearly flawless kick.

She threw up her hands in frustration, "What do you mean "good"? You blocked it!"

Suddenly, her feet were swiped from under her and she landed on her back with Robin on top of her. He held her wrists firmly in place above her head as he straddled her waist.

"Yeah but not everyone is as good as me."

Raven made a show of rolling her eyes, "I must've forgotten that you were the best at everything. Silly me."

Robin lowered his mouth to her ear, "Maybe I should remind you." He trailed his lips from her ear and settled on her neck, his tongue picking up the salty taste of the sweat on her skin. Medicine balls and weights shook free from their racks. She moved her arms to touch him but he held them firmly above her head. Raven felt him smile on the skin under her jaw and then he placed his lips on hers. She bit the bottom of his lip and sucked it, his groan unleashing a need in Raven. She kissed him passionately and he returned it with enthusiasm. Caught in the moment, he released her hands and she immediately used them to pull his head closer to hers. She gently tugged a handful of his raven hair and was awarded with another groan. Their breathing was more labored now that it was during their spar. Raven took in a quick breath when he pulled her leg up to wrap around him and pressed closer.

Suddenly, they heard the training room door open and they flew apart. Cyborg walked through the door and eyed the two Titans.

Robin cleared his throat and Raven began awkwardly, "So…uhh…where did you say you were hurt?"

"My leg…the top of it…"

The robotic man rolled his eyes, "Don't you two act like nothing happened. I'm not a dumbass. There's broken shit everywhere."

Raven blushed and another rack of weights fell down on cue. The Titan's leader recovered and gave Cyborg a devilish grin,

"My leg was practically hanging off my body. Raven saved me. I'm lucky I'm alive."

Cyborg sat himself down on a bench, chalking up,

"Damn right you're lucky you're alive. I catch you touching her again, we are really gonna be testing her healing abilities."

Robin aimed his smile at Raven before stepping backwards towards the gymnastic equipment,

"Great job today, Rae. Your kicks have really improved."

"Thanks again for helping me."

He did a perfect back handspring onto the beam and flashed her a cocky smile, "Anytime."

She shook her head and turned towards the door, yelling without looking back, "Careful with that leg, show off!"

"I'll come to you if it starts acting up!" she heard the laughter in his voice.

"BOTH OF YOU NEED TO STOP!"

Raven sat on the roof of Titan's Tower and stared out across the ocean. The sun was beginning to set and colors were painted brilliantly across the sky. She heard the waves crash against their island as the wind gently whipped her hair off her face. She closed her eyes and smiled, her meditation leaving her peaceful. Happiness stirred gently and Raven let her be felt because there wasn't much to destroy on the roof.

She put her hand over the Mark on her chest, feeling the heat underneath her palm that was noticeably warmer than the rest of her skin. She had given up on trying to get rid of it and accepted that it would be there forever, always reminding her of her darkest side. Just another way her father has scarred her for life.

An image flashed across her mind. She saw a row of seven shadows, their eyes burning with hellfire. Raven pushed away the image and the knot of dread forming in her stomach. The scar under her hand burned hotter and she jerked her hand away. A wave of anxiety loomed over her, threatening to ruin the progress from her meditation. Raven forced it back and stood up as if she could physically escape the demonic presence.

She debated whether or not to tell Robin about the strange vision that flashed in her head. She knew she should, but the dark circles under the Boy Wonder's eyes from staying up night after night worrying about her had only just begun to disappear. Raven bit her lip, weighing her options, but once again, decided to keep the image to herself. After all, the demonic girl was a creature of secrecy and she never agreed to start sharing absolutely everything with her team.

Throwing her hood over her face, she walked back inside the tower where she was greeted with the loud noises of her teammates. Uno Attack sat on the ground between an excited Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. Starfire laid on her stomach, propped up by her elbows and her feet kicking happily behind her as she stared down her cards. She caught Raven's entrance and smiled brightly at the empath,

"Raven, would you like to play? This machine spits cards at you!"

Raven pushed away the alien's happy emotions like they were excited, drooling dogs. The beautiful alien just felt too strongly sometimes.

"No thanks, Star. Maybe some other time."

She pulled out a tea packet from the kitchen cabinet and prepared her tea. The violet haired girl looked up when she heard their door swoosh open and their leader walked through it. His face was different from the one she had seen earlier that day. His easy going smile had been replaced with a stern look and a straight posture. Seeing his expression, Raven grabbed another mug and started up the coffee maker. He was in his serious, all-business leader role and he would need his coffee.

"I have some reports of suspicious activity from different parts of the city. Most of it includes missing equipment and chemicals from certain labs ranging from pharmaceutical to biological," he threw the folder of papers on the counter and ran a hand through his hair, "I've been trying to piece together what our unsub could be planning but it just doesn't add up."

Raven grabbed the folder and leaned against the counter, flipping through the papers. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to connect the pieces together,

"I've never heard of anything that would need this sort of equipment. It's a pretty random assortment," she tossed it back on the counter and took a sip of her tea, "maybe there's a high demand for medical equipment on the black market."

She knew it was a half-assed answer, but if she didn't give Robin some sort of a solution, she knew he'd lose a week's worth of sleep trying to figure it out. Beast Boy pushed himself off the ground with a grunt and walked over to them,

"Let me see."

Raven rolled her eyes, but she pushed the folder towards him. Wait for it.

The green shape-shifter grabbed it and his brow furrowed with concentration. Raven felt his determination and she couldn't help but begin to feel a swell of love for him knowing that he tries to help as much as he can and to look capable in the eyes of the Titan's leader.

"Just as I suspected."

The violet-haired girl raised an eyebrow as she handed Robin his coffee.

"It's just a bunch of sneaky meth heads stealing from these labs. Haven't any of you seen Breaking Bad? I say we start by questioning any surrounding schools and their chemistry teachers."

And the feeling's gone, Raven thought as she sighed. Robin lowered the cup from his lips and shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The empath felt a small amount of tension release from the masked boy and replaced with subtle amusement and then mixed with curiosity.

"Raven, why are you in civvies?"

Raven downed the last of her tea and glanced at their clock

7:00

"Because I'm going somewhere. Cyborg, can I borrow the keys?"

"Which keys?"

"Raven…"

"The key to the civilian car."

"Yeah no problem, Rae. They should be on the counter."

"Raven."

"Thank you," she said quickly as she grabbed the keys and started heading towards the door, fully aware that she was ignoring the Boy Wonder and fully aware that he knew she knew.

Please don't ask questions. Please don't questions. Please don't ask questions.

"Raven!"

She felt a gloved hand grab her wrist and she knew she was caught.

Shit

"Do you mind, bird boy? I'm running late," she was grateful that her annoyance covered up her anxiety.

"Uh yeah, actually I do mind. Your absence wasn't cleared by me."

Raven inwardly groaned. Robin had become strict on the whole "leaving without permission" thing ever since the Incident. Now he had to know where each Titan was going, what time they'd be leaving, what time they'd return, and who they would be with, if anyone. He was like a dad on prom night or a mom on every other night. Or at least that's what she understood from TV shows.

"I'll be at JU for a lecture. I'll be gone from, well, five minutes ago when I should've left. I'll be back around 9:30-10ish. I'll be sitting with about 50 other people our age, all potential witnesses, should anyone try to kidnap me."

Raven gave him a quick kiss before he could object, which she knew he would, "I have my communicator, bye!"

And she phased out of the room.

Raven sat in the back of the lecture hall, the hood of her jacket pulled over her head, hiding the majority of her violet hair and her ruby chakra. A few of her fellow peers occasionally glanced nervously at her, but she continued to stare at the slides at the front of the room. She felt her T-com buzzing in her pocket and she peeked into its crevice already knowing the name she would see

Robin

She pushed the ignore button and sent him a text.

Raven: Still alive

Not even moments later, she felt a single buzz

Robin: The rules still apply to you

Raven: Since when?

Robin: You're not funny

The red head in front of her with dandruff on his shoulders turned around and scrunched his face in distaste, "Shhh!"

"Fuck off," she said as she tucked the com back into her pocket. He turned around, his prickly agitation annoying her. Raven stared at the clock. Five minutes left. She turned her attention towards the professor who continued to show pictures of various pentagrams and other symbols the demonic girl was all too familiar with. She wasn't here for the actually lecture anyway.

The man up front was probably in his early 50's judging by the amount of gray in his black goatee. He carried the weight most men his age did and he was sweating through his short-sleeved plaid shirt. Despite his average looks and the unnecessary frequency in which he pushed his glasses back on his nose, Dr. Cunningham was one of the most renowned demonologists in the world. Raven had some questions for him.

He flipped off the projector; his good-bye drowned out by the sound of shuffling papers and zipped up backpacks. Raven stayed in her seat and ignored the feelings of annoyance and frustration pressing against her empathy as several students made a show of having to climb over her. When the room was mostly empty, she finally stood up and descended the stairs, approaching Dr. Cunningham as he shoveled his notes into a faded leather messenger bag. A petite, blond girl shoved past her and ran up to the professor, beginning to beg for an extension on a paper. Hiding a scowl, Raven stood off to the side and crossed her arms.

He mumbled a "yeah, whatever" to the girl who smiled and thanked him. Elated with relief, the girl ran up the stairs. He didn't look up as Raven approached him, struggling to fit a lesson planner in the strained bag,

"Office hours are on Wednesdays from 12-2 in Mahogany Hall room 320."

Raven watched the girl leave the room and turned back towards the man,

"Wednesdays aren't good for me."

A bead of sweat ran down the man's forehead like the stuffing of the notebook was a workout for him. Annoyance crossed his features, "I don't know what to tell you then. Look, I'm a little busy…"

Suddenly, the planner became encased with darkness and shoved itself perfectly into his bag. Dr. Cunningham jumped away from his bag like it was on fire and looked around wildly when he heard the sound of all the doors locking. His eyes shot towards Raven as she pulled down her hood and stepped closer.

"I think you can fit me into your schedule."