A/N - I apologize to all of those readers who expected a speedy update after I promised one and were let down, I had intended for this chapter to be completed much earlier than this. Nevertheless, to you and to the rest of my readers, I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter as much as I have writing it!

Chapter 2

"...when this guy is involved, so too is Slade. That much we know." Robin said quickly, thoughts coming to him at a pace faster than he could talk. "How many times have we fought Cinderblock, only to find out that Slade was behind it all? No, this must be Slade's doing."

"Robin?" Starfire said timidly, afraid to break Robin's concentration.

"But why?" Robin continued on, as if he hadn't even heard Starfire. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he did not seem to notice Starfire's presence, even though she was the one he was talking to. "What could Cinderblock possibly be doing? There was nothing to steal anywhere nearby, and that aside, I did not see him make off with anything. Did you?" Starfire opened her mouth slightly to reply, but Robin continued on before she could respond. "Maybe Slade thought Cinderblock could defeat us. Foolish, seeing as we have beaten him on almost every occasion we have ever faced him. Although, this time, he did defeat us, so maybe that thought is not so foolish after all."

"Robin?" Starfire asked again, this time slightly louder than the first time. However, she would still have no success.

"Maybe Cinderblock was just a pawn to grab our attention." Robin continued. "But for what? There wasn't anything going on elsewhere in the city while we fought Cinderblock. If there was, we would have known about it. Although..."

"Robin!" Starfire yelled at the top of her lungs, in much the same fashion as Robin had just a few minutes prior.

Robin finally disembarked from his train of thought and came back to Earth. "Star?" He asked lightly, as if he had just woke up from a deep sleep. "What is it?"

Starfire simply pointed up to the computer monitor. Robin turned and looked up to where she was pointing. The alarm was buzzing, and a red dot was flashing on the map, signifying a disturbance in the city. "Cinderblock!" Robin exclaimed excitedly. "He's back. Well, that makes things easy." Robin pulled out his Titan communicator and sounded the alarm.

In a matter of minutes, Cyborg and Beast Boy showed up on the scene. They seemed to be over their petty argument, but the emergency may have just caused them to forget about it for now. In any case, they ran over to Robin and Starfire.

"What's going on?" Beast Boy asked.

"He's back." Robin replied simply. "Cinderblock. I hope you two are over your argument, because now we got a shot at redemption. And Raven will be sitting this one out too, so I need you two to be on top of your game."

Beast Boy nodded grimly to no one in particular. Cyborg, perhaps a bit grudgingly, said, "Yeah, we're good."

"Alright then." Robin said with a nod. "Titans, go!"

Cinderblock would prove to be quite hard to find. He was initially located out in the outskirts of town when he showed up on the Titan's map. And though it was painfully obvious by the destruction that Cinderblock had been there recently, he was nowhere to be seen by the time the Titans arrived on the scene. They searched the surrounding area for any sign of him and were able to trace his escape on the highway up into the mountains.

From there, it would only be a matter of time before they found him. There are only so many places a stone giant can hide, and a mountain highway, surrounded on one side by the side of the mountain and the other by a steep drop into the valley below, was not one of them.

And sure enough, they soon found him. He was standing in the middle of the highway, effectively blocking all traffic; well, he would have been if their was any traffic to block. But the highway was completely deserted, and Cinderblock looked as if he was simply waiting for the Titans to show up. The Titans came to a halt a safe distance in front of their adversary, slightly perplexed as to why Cinderblock had chosen not to attack as of yet.

"Whatever you are up to, Cinderblock," Robin said, trying to display an air of confidence he, in reality, did not feel. "It ends now."

"It is there, dear Robin, where you are wrong."

Robin felt his insides churn at the very sound of that familiar voice. He did not get to hear this voice very often in person, but it was a voice that had been seared into his brain nonetheless, due to the countless hours he had relayed it over in his dreams. It was a voice that had come to mean many different things to Robin, in particular. Danger, certainly, for one, but several other unexpected feelings also surfaced, such as crazed awe and begrudged respect.

Robin whipped his head around and saw the man perched on a small landing a short distance up the side of the mountain. "Slade." Robin responded with a grim frown.

Slade leapt down from the ledge with the agile of a cat and landed on the highway, a short distance behind Cinderblock. "I hope you're not disappointed."

"I hope you're not expecting us to flee." Robin replied grimly.

Slade laughed lightly, which was quite obviously a fake laugh. "Silly Robin." He said quietly. "I just invited you here. Now why would I want you to leave so soon?"

"What are you after, Slade?" Beast boy shouted, stealing the words right out of Robin's mouth.

"Ah, you wonder why I have shown up here, in this rural area of little importance?" Slade asked calmly. "What could I possibly do here, hmm? I am no thief, Titans. There is nothing I wish to steal. I have nothing up my sleeves. I merely wish to convey...a message."

"A message?" Robin asked curiously, letting his guard down slightly for a brief moment. "What is it?"

No sooner had those words left his mouth than Cinderblock leapt into action. He was on top of the Titans before they had more than a couple of seconds to react. They tried to scramble away and regroup, but Cinderblock's swift, flawless movements proved to be too much. He swung his long, right hand which sent Cyborg flying off the highway and down the mountain into the ravine far below. He then grabbed Starfire as she tried to fly away with a grip so tight that she could not force herself out of. With those two down, he turned around and promptly lunged at Beast Boy. Beast Boy had managed to regain some of his wits by this point in time, but he was completely taken unaware by this overaggressive action of his foe. Cinderblock's lunge landed, and the impact sent both Cinderblock and Beast Boy spiraling down the side of the mountain, following in Cyborg's path.

"No!" Robin yelled, rushing to the edge of the highway where he was forced to watch three of his friends fall. Everything happened so quickly that Robin felt sure that this had to be some kind of bad dream. But he soon conceded that it wasn't. He wasn't quick enough, and now, the lives of three of his friends paid for it.

"Don't worry. They are still alive."

Robin whirled around. Despite having been talking to him just seconds previously, Robin had entirely forgotten about Slade. He wanted desperately to believe the words that Slade spoke, but his distrust for that man stood in his way. He had already allowed himself to lower his guard once, he wasn't going to let it happen again. Without even responding, Robin rushed at Slade, letting his anger carry him.

Robin threw punch after punch, but Slade dodged or blocked all of them, although he did not throw any of his own. "I do not wish to fight you." Slade said quietly. "Not yet, at least. Once the message has been delivered and you are still willing, then I will be more than happy to oblige."

Robin was beginning to tire himself and had yet to land a blow, so he backed up and lowered his arms. Slade must have saw the apprehension in Robin's eyes, so he added, "Your friends are fine, Robin. I only wanted a private conversation with you. So I had Cinderblock...entertain your friends, shall we say. My message is not for their ears."

"That's a lot of work to deliver a message." Robin said with a frown.

"Perhaps." Slade replied lightly. "My friend makes it easy."

"You don't have any friends." Robin said sharply.

"Your words hurt, Robin." Slade replied. "But don't you consider me your friend?"

"Of course not." Robin replied hotly.

"You think about me all the time, do you not?" Slade said lightly. "I can even go so far as to say that you care about me, in your own way."

"I only care about bringing you down." Robin said loudly, temper flaring. "And I only think of you to imagine some way I can do that. I don't care about you. There is a difference."

"Is there?" Slade asked coyly. "Perhaps next time I invite you over, you can enlighten me as to how that is."

"There won't be a next time." Robin snarled. "So, how about I show you now?" With that, Robin lunged back at Slade and resumed his assault.

"Now, Robin..." Slade began to say, but he did not get a chance to finish. Robin's frenzied attacks were becoming increasingly difficult for Slade to counter, and as a result, Slade had to focus all his concentration on fending off the inspired Titan. Even so, the battle was slowly beginning to tip in Robin's favor. Slade's defenses were faltering and a few of Robin's attacks had begun landing upon their desired destinations.

After one particular kick landed on the left side of his jaw and left the sour taste of blood in his mouth, Slade roared, "Enough!" He jumped up into the air and stomped the ground forcefully on his way back down. This act created an impact that no normal human could ever hope to achieve. The ground quaked noticeably upon impact, shaking the ground enough to knock Robin off his feet.

During this delay, Slade slowly dusted off his armor mockingly, and spit out the remaining blood that lingered in his mouth. As Robin stumbled quickly back to his feet, Slade said calmly, "Ever eager to battle, eh, Robin? I suppose you leave me no choice. My message will have to wait until after you've learned to appreciate my selfless generosity."

Momentum, if such a force truly existed in the heat of battle, was clearly no longer on Robin's side. The pair of passionate fighters bounded back into battle before Slade's final words faded into silence. Robin tried to fight with the same intensity that he had been only moments previously, but Slade had suddenly become much more difficult now that he held nothing back. Everything Robin threw at him, Slade had an answer for. It did not take long for Slade to overwhelm the young Titan, and Robin had to recede into a defensive shell to protect himself. But that did nothing more than buy himself a little more time.

Robin felt a searing pain burn in his lower abdomen as Slade landed a particularly devastating punch to his gut. Out of impulse, Robin coughed loudly and felt himself crouch over in pain. Despite his best efforts, Robin could not force himself to stand up straight, and could only manage to swivel his head to face his aggressor. Looking back, Robin could not think of a worse move to make, for that put his head completely at Slade's mercy. Slade jumped on the opportunity and landed a powerful uppercut that struck Robin across the right side of his jaw. The force of the impact lifted Robin off his feet briefly before he fell onto his back with a loud thud.

Robin grunted and did not even bother to get up this time. Even his confident demeanor told him he stood no chance in his current state. Blood was slowly oozing out of his gaping mouth, but his jaw had become so numb that he did not even feel it. His senses had become so blinded by pain that he hardly heard Slade as he began to talk.

"Come now, Robin." Slade said with his usual calm. "How many times have we been through this? This is the last thing I wanted to do, trust me."

"Liar." Robin sputtered, his lungs still gasping for breath.

"Ah, I do enjoy our time together." Slade replied. "But, perhaps you are right. Given the circumstances, I must say I am very displeased with you."

Robin chose not to reply when Slade gave him the opportunity to, so Slade continued on. "Imagine my surprise when your escort, Cinderblock, returned to me this afternoon without the one he was supposedly escorting! He is just a big boulder with rocks for brains, so I can hardly fault him. But you? Since when have I needed to call you twice for you to answer?"

Still Robin said nothing. "But what is even more intriguing is the absence of your last Titan." Slade said. "Perhaps I was to quick to assume that you didn't want to talk to me. Tell me, Robin, what has become of your friend?"

"I shutter to think of what may have happened to her." Slade continued when Robin still refused to talk. "Is she injured? Did she leave you? Truthfully, I though she was better than that, but I have been wrong before."

"Leave her out of this." Robin snarled.

"Oh, now you'll talk, hmm?" Slade said mockingly. "Well, I have both good and bad news for you, then. The good is that I know what is wrong with her. The bad...well, I cannot do anything to help her, and neither can you or anyone else, for that matter."

"How can you possibly know anything about what's happened?" Robin asked with a frown, trying to restrain his peaking curiosity.

"Cinderblock may not be blessed with intelligence, or anything else really, but he still does have eyes." Slade replied. "Through him, I was able to see everything. I saw your friend's power cripple and I watched as she walked away. And I daresay I understood what happened better than anyone else who saw the scene, apart from Raven herself."

"You did this to her, didn't you?" Robin yelled.

"I couldn't cripple her if I tried, dear Robin." Slade replied calmly. "Not to that extent, at least. You're a smart boy, Robin, so I'll ask you. What controls Raven's powers?"

"Erm.." Robin hesitated, for although he liked to think otherwise, he did not know Raven all that well. "Raven?" He guessed.

"Nice guess, but no." Slade replied. "Come now, you don't really want to bear the shame that comes with your self-proclaimed arch-rival knowing one of your closest friends better than you do, do you? Nothing you can do about it now though, I suppose." He paused. "Emotion, Robin, her powers are determined by her emotions. If she is feeling angry, her powers will spike. If she feeling submissive, her powers will not be as effective as usual. And it is my guess that whatever emotion she is feeling right now is causing her powers to disappear entirely."

Robin frowned as he tried to understand all that was said. It all seemed to make sense but this was Slade talking. Deciding to believe him for now, Robin asked, "But then she can get her powers back, right?"

"Perhaps." Slade replied mysteriously. "But it is very hard to change how you feel on a whim. This is even more true for Raven, who has always tried to remain completely emotionless. Something big has to happen for her to actually feel differently."

Robin struggled to get back to his feet. His head was still spinning, and as a result, he found it hard to stand up straight. While staggering slightly, he asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"I fear you will not like what I have to say next." Slade replied cryptically. "By telling you something that will help you, maybe you will forgive me for the evils that follow. If nothing else, it has put my mind at ease."

"Then why must you pass this message in the first place?" Robin snarled.

"If only it were so simple." Slade replied. "As much as I enjoy times such as these, you continue to be a thorn in my side. And so, I have to pass a message to you. Or, more accurately, an ultimatum."

"I have an ultimatum for you, Slade."

Robin, who was still feeling lightheaded, was so surprised by the new voice that he almost fell back down to the ground. That voice. It was as light as a whisper but as sharp as a blade. He spun around to see Raven walking down the highway towards him.

"Raven?" Robin exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Get back, it is too dangerous!"

Raven kept walking as if she had not even heard Robin. She was glaring daggers at Slade as she continued, "You leave right now, and I will not destroy you."

"Ah, there she is." Slade replied. "You know, the Titans truly are incomplete without you, Raven. But I must ask you to give us a minute, I would like a word with Robin."

Still, Raven did not stop. "I am not here to talk." She said. "So I will make myself clear one last time. Leave. Now."

"Now, Raven." Slade replied, undeterred. "Let's not be hasty."

"Now!" Raven yelled. Immediately as she did so, her eyes lit up with dark magic and her hands did the same. It was the Raven of old, although she looked, if possible, even more powerful. She quickly rose her hands above her head and swept them in a downwards motion back to her side. Out of nowhere appeared a huge wall of dark energy, bigger in area than an average-sized house but infinitely thin, right next to Slade. And before Slade even noticed what was going on, Raven swept her arms across her body. The wall quickly mimicked her actions, moving across the highway with Slade stuck in front of it. The wall kept on moving through the air at the edge of the cliff, dumping Slade off the highway and down into the valley, far below.

Robin stood in shock over what had just transpired. His eyes were plastered on the spot where Slade once stood, half expecting all this to be some kind of illusion. After a moment of devout observation proved that Slade truly was gone, Robin spun back to face Raven. "You...?" He sputtered, trying to collect his thoughts. He was not sure what was more unbelievable; the fact that Raven's powers had returned and were more powerful than ever or that she had singlehandedly managed to do what he had, thus far, been unable to do – defeat Slade.

It was painfully obvious by the look on Robin's face that he was looking for answers - answers to questions too numerous to count – but Raven did not provide any. Instead, she drew back her hood to reveal a small, shy smile; which, incidentally, only caused more questions to arise.

Robin stood, paralyzed to the spot, as Raven inched closer, with a look in her eyes that Robin had never seen before. "Uh, Raven?" Robin said pitifully, but Raven still did not say anything – nothing needed to be said. She crept closer until they were mere inches from each other and could feel each other's breath. She reached out and grabbed Robin's hand lightly before she tilted her head forward and he did the same. Their heads inched closer together until that glorious moment when their lips met. That moment seemed to last an eternity. For that brief moment, their bodies were connected, and there is no greater feeling. Their hearts beat in unison. They moved together. They were one.

That dream-like state collapsed with passing of the moment. As their heads moved apart, Robin's head was still clouded with questions, but it felt much clearer in some unexplainable way. He slowly backed away and looked into Raven's eyes, who looked back into his and blushed lightly. "Sorry." She said shyly, quiet as a whisper. Robin simply gaped for a minute or two, his thoughts too numerous and widespread to condense into words. Fortunately, he would not have to, for Raven soon added, "I guess I have some explaining to do, don't I?"

Robin smiled lightly. "Perhaps a bit."

"I'm sorry, Robin." Raven said. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but...I just..."

"You don't have anything to apologize for." Robin interrupted while Raven struggled to find words to explain her thoughts. "So, Slade was right, then? You lost your powers because of the way you were feeling?"

"Yes." Raven replied vaguely. "My powers are driven by my emotions."

"And you knew that Slade would know?" Robin asked.

"I had a feeling he would." She said. "If my secrets must be revealed, I would rather it be on my own terms. Although, I guess I should be thanking him. I would still be powerless had I not thought that he knew my secrets."

"That was it, then?" Robin replied with a frown. "Something you felt towards Slade allowed you to regain your powers? Anger, or something?"

"Robin." Raven replied with the shake of her head. "Did you really feel nothing during our...?"

Robin immediately blushed as he realized the true reason for the loss of her powers. Slade had nothing to do with this. It was all between Raven and Robin. "You..." Robin sputtered. "lost your magic...because of me?"

"I thought I couldn't have you." Raven whispered shyly.

"But you wanted me." Robin added hesitantly, unsure if he spoke the truth.

"I had lost hope." Raven said with a nod. "And my power along with it."

Robin gaped at her for a moment. "But why now? What changed?"

Raven shrugged lightly. "I had a change of heart." She said mysteriously.

Robin nodded slightly but did not reply. The puzzle pieces in his head were finally falling into place, but he was still finding it hard to speak his mind.

"Where are the others?" Raven asked while Robin was lost in thought, trying to deflect some attention from herself.

"Same place you sent Slade." Robin replied with a frown. He had nearly forgotten about them by now.

"Maybe we should go help them?" Raven asked quietly, after Robin remained motionless for the next couple of minutes.

"Yeah..." Robin said distractedly, although it was obvious that his thoughts were elsewhere. "Hey, Raven..."

"Robin, please don't." Raven interrupted. "I will express my emotions if I must, but that doesn't mean that I now want to talk about them too."

"Alright, fair enough." Robin said concededly, then he sighed softly.

Though she said nothing in reply, Raven smiled lightly at Robin, an action which conveyed every word that she was afraid to actually speak. Slowly she held her hand out to Robin, who smiled and took it without a word. Raven called upon her dark magic to remove the fraction of rock that they were standing on and have it levitate across the highway, with them still on it. Once off the edge of the mountain, the rock began its descend down into the valley below, following in the footsteps of the other three titans.

"One last thing, Robin." Raven said, as she drew her hood over her head.

"What's that?" Robin replied.

"A word of this to anyone and you're dead."

Robin just smiled and looked down at the treetops far below. The fight was clearly still raging on. There was a large clearing where many trees had been knocked to the ground, and more were still falling at a fast rate. There was an explosion every now and again, and once they got a little further down, the huge outline of Cinderblock's silhouette was plainly visible. But none of this feared him, not now.

Raven gave him one last smile before their hands pulled apart. "Ready?" She asked.

"Let's go." Robin said confidently.

With that, Raven landed the rock and the two jumped the remained couple of feet back onto solid ground. Together, they rushed into battle, and Raven could only smile as they did so. Her magic wasn't the only thing that benefited from her Change of Heart.