Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 4:

Mediation

Raven parked down the street from her favorite bar in town and cut the engine off. She locked the car doors as she walked into the bar. There wasn't much of a crowd; it was Thursday night, so that made her feel a little better. She headed for the bar and sat on one of the barstools.

She sighed, "Give me something strong."

She placed the money on the table and slid it to the bartender. She sighed as she let her shoulders slump as if she was deflating. A man, who watched her when she came in, turned to face her.

"Excuse me, Miss, is there something wrong?" he said.

She sighed, "You have no idea."

The man chuckled, "Well why you don't give me an idea?"

She glanced at him for second and went to say something but he stopped her.

"Don't take this as me hitting on you, I'm just curious," he said in a British accent.

"You're curious?" she said, "And what makes you curious?"

He moved in his seat, "Well, you came in here looking rather stressed out and like you needed someone to talk to."

She resisted the urge to smile, "And you feel that you're this person I need to talk to? What are you, a therapist or something?"

"Actually," he started, "Yes."

Her eyebrows raised, a bit surprised. He looked like some average Joe Schmoe in his green stripped American Eagle T-shirt, worn out Khaki Cargo pants, and dirty, worn out flip-flops.

Never judge a book by its cover, she thought.

"You are a therapist?" she said as she grabbed hold of her drink; an Andalusia.

He chuckled, "Yes. A physical therapist, that is."

"Oh," is all she said.

"But I can tell you're upset because your body can speak its own language," he said.

She looked at him," And what, pre-tell, does my body say?"

He smiled as he quickly scanned her. He sighed as he scratched his head.

"Well, for starters, the way you walked in here. Very long strides with harsh and powerful steps. You planted your feet for a good while before you took the next step. You were really stiff, almost robotic, until you sat down. Then, you let your entire body collapse in the seat and asked for a really strong drink," he concluded.

She nodded as a smile crept to her face, "Wow, you really pay attention, don't you?"

He shrugged, "Someone's got to do it and apparently I've been appointed."

She chuckled slightly at the joke before she took another sip of her drink.

He smiled at her and held out his hand, "Hi my name is Christian Dolt."

Raven smiled as shook his hand, "Raven, but I'm sure you already know that."

He nodded, "Yes, I know. You actually have saved me three times already."

"Three times?"

"Yes, um…a year ago when Cinderblock was tearing down downtown. A whole bunch of debris was about to land on me and some others when you stopped it. Ah…ten weeks ago when Dr. Light robbed the Grand Jump City Bank. He was about to blast me and a few of my buddies away when you appeared from out of the blue and shielded us. And there was that time not too long ago, when Johnny Rancid was loose and he ended up throwing a car, my car actually, at my head. And you caught it and threw back at him."

Raven laughed, "Whoops, I'm sorry about that."

He shrugged, "It's okay; I have insurance."

He smiled at her while he watched her laugh, "Amazing."

"Huh?" she said.

"You're laughing. I mean, you rarely laugh and here you are laughing away. And it's because of me, go figure."

She laughed some more as he continued to smile.

"I don't get why or how people don't like you," he murmured, "You're incredible."

She blushed at the flattery, "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are," he debated, "I mean, you…by far, are the strongest member on that team."

She shook her head as she traced an invisible line on her glass that still wasn't finished.

"I'll tell you why I believe that you are," he said, "First of all, you have the power to destroy the city, even destroy the world, on a whim. Any time you wanted to you could. Second, you…push people away from you, so that you don't hurt them. You deliberately detach yourself from people even though you want to be accepted by people. Lastly, your powers are controlled by emotions so if you slip up, something bad could possibly happen. And you, dear lady, control them, outstandingly. I would never ever be able to do what you do every day."

Raven had watched him as he spoke. He thought about his words before he spoke them out loud. Stuttering and stumbling here and there as one does when they are thinking and speaking at the same time. He had spoken like a gentleman should; very calm, intelligently, and quite beautifully.

She stared into his eyes, admiring them. They were not green, she noted; nowhere near the color. They were a gorgeous hazel brown.

Gorgeous, she thought.

His hair was brown and curly, covering his ears and parts of his forehead. He had well tanned skinned and looked to be moderately muscular. He had a soft face and a gentle smile; someone who wasn't confusing to her at all.

He smiled at her, like he had all night and opened his mouth to say something. Suddenly, a little jingle came from his pocket. He said an apology as he went to pick up his cell phone.

"Hello? Ron, what is it? Uh huh…uh huh…well I guess I could. Okay. No problem. Bye," He said into the speaker. He shut his phone and turned to face Raven.

"I'm so sorry, I have to go," he started, "My buddy Ron is sick and he asked if I could take his shift. So…yeah."

Raven nodded in understanding, "Oh, of course. It was nice to meet you."

"Yes, as it was to meet you," he said as he moved of the barstool, "Um…it was really, really nice to meet you. I mean that truly and sincerely. And I was wondering if…"

"If…?" she replied.

"If I could see you again, in person, where you're not saving my life by some villain or monstrous…creature thing," he said causing her to laugh, "I would like to see you again."

She got control of her laughter and said, "I suppose that….could be possible."

The man's smile grew, "Okay, okay. We could met here, uh…around the same time next Thursday?"

She nodded, "But if I don't show up, it doesn't mean that I stood you up or anything. I just-."

"…Get called away on missions and you can't help it. I understand. But just in case there is a misunderstanding, let me give you my number," he said as he pulled out a pen. He quickly wrote it down on a napkin and passed it to her, "Call me anytime you like."

He turned to leave but he quickly turned back around and said, "On second thought, please call me between 10:30 in the morning and 11 o' clock at night. I do need my sleep. Thank you and…I'll see you next Thursday."

He turned back around and headed for the door when Raven noticed something.

"What about my number?" she called.

He turned back around still walking back to the door, "I have caller ID. I'll get your number when and if you call."

And with that he left. Raven smiled as she turned back to her drink. Oddly enough, she didn't want to drink it any more.

***

"Friends does anyone know where Raven has gone to?" Starfire said.

Cyborg and Night Wing shrugged as they continued playing their video games.

Logan sighed, "Probably at the local bar, drinking."

Night Wing shook his head, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"I don't know why she always resorts to drinking," he muttered.

"Yeah, remember when she didn't drink at all?" Cyborg said.

Night Wing groaned as his video car lost control for a moment, "Yeah, now she drinks just about every day."

"I'd kill to have those old days back," Logan sighed again.

No one knew why she drank so much. When she turned 21 and was legally allowed to drink, she refused to drink a drop. But one day, she suddenly grabbed a drink and downed it. No one could've of possibly foresee Raven drinking habits.

They all sat there and thought of that memory until Raven walked in.

Starfire was the first greet her, "Friend Raven, you have returned!"

Raven merely nodded and put the keys back on the rack. She looked to be in a daze, just barely drifting in between fantasy and reality. A soft smile perched on her lips as she gazed into a picture in her mind.

"What happened at the bar, Raven?" Night Wing asked curiously.

"Yeah, you look…cheery," added Cyborg.

She looked up at them, "Hmm? Oh nothing, just…I had a really nice time at the bar."

She muttered a good night before she faded off again. She walked out of the doors as if she was on cloud nine. Leaving the others, who had watched it all, quite confused.

"Well, that was weird," Cyborg said into the silence.