A/N: Sorry about the delay, but I just got Spiderman 2 and it's been taking up a lot of my time... :grin:

There's an empty, abandoned theatre on a corner in Jump City, and that was where Beast Boy was. Currently a Doberman, he was patrolling the front, guarding from trespassers. Raven and Starfire sat behind the debris of a building, watching carefully.

'Safe to say we're not walking in through the front door,' Raven stated. 'We'll have to try the roof.'

'Agreed,' Starfire.. well.. agreed, holding Raven's hand in hers. 'Now, do just as I instructed. Close your eyes and think of something joyful.'

[Starfire's holding my hand,] Raven realized with a sigh.

'You might choose flowers, or kittens or the laughter of children, or-'

Starfire stopped talking as Raven took off into the air. They lifted up to the roof of the old theatre, past the watchful eyes and ears of the Beast Boy-Doberman, who had been facing the other direction.

'Very, very good!' Starfire exclaimed. 'What was your joyful thought?'

[Joyful thought? Starfire.. Oh, Azar, think of a lie! Think of a lie!] Raven's inner monologue concluded as Starfire stood expecting a response. 'You.. don't wanna know.' [Well, it's true, isn't it? Surely Starfire would not wish to know of my feelings for her.]

'Oh, but I do!' Starfire countered. 'Please tell me, what did you imagine?'

[Come on, lie, lie!] 'You...' Raven whispered. [WHAT!? I said lie!]

'What?' Starfire questioned. [Surely I did not hear what I thought I heard her say. Did I?]

Raven sighed. [Might as well..] 'I said you. I thought of you, Starfire. You were the thing that made me happy.'

'Me? You thought of me?'

Of course, Raven took this as a bad sign, and immediately started to apologize.

'I'm sorry Starfire, I jus-'

'Sorry? Whatever for, Raven? You have made this a most joyous occasion! Were it not that our friends were stuck in tiny wooden bodies and about to be destroyed, surely there would be a celebration!'

'Really?'

'Really! Now, we -must rescue our friends, and we can discuss this later.'

Raven turned to the roof door, which was padlocked shut.

'Right. Now, it's your turn,' Raven said, for once very happy. 'Find your center. Focus your energy on the lock.'

[I can do this!] Starfire encouraged herself. 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos.'

As she completed her incantation, the lock was swallowed in energy, and torn apart.

'Nice work!' Raven congratulated. [She actually did it...]

[I actually did it...] 'Success!' Starfire shouted, throwing the doors open by accident with her emotions. [Oops..]

'Nice work..' Raven said, maybe just a little more sarcastically this time around.

The noise of the doors was not lost on the Puppet King inside, who was sitting in front of a bowl of blue fire.

'Search and destroy,' he commanded his zombie-Titans. 'I do -not want an audience.'

They, of course, did his bidding, and went off in search of Raven and Starfire.

'Well, Titans, time for your Grand Finale,' the Puppet King continued, pouring a blue liquid on the fire, causing it to rise higher.

Raven and Starfire were on a catwalk above the bowl.

'No,' Raven cried softly.

'It's going to be a real show-stopper,' the Puppet King said, grabbing the puppet-Titans, preparing to drop them into the bowl. They cried for help, desperately, begging not to be dropped in the bowl, but to no avail to the holder of their fate. 'Don't worry, I'll take good care of your bodies. After all, they'll be mine forever.' He let go of the puppets, seemingly dropping them to their doom, but suddenly, they were encased in a black sphere, and carried away to safety.

'My friends!' Starfire yelled gleefully, hugging the puppets. 'You are unharmed!'

'Star.. fire?' Robin asked, confused.

'It's a long story,' Raven filled in.

'Go my puppets!' the Puppet King commanded, control in hand, jumping and making odd gestures. 'Capture them!'

The zombie-Titans took off for the catwalk above.

'Move!' Raven yelled, grabbing Starfire as she ran.

They got halfway down the catwalk until Beast Boy as a bat blocked their way, causing a scream from the girls, because bats are scary little devils. Then Robin landed on the catwalk behind them, seemingly trapping them. To make matters worse, Cyborg appeared on the railing, and shot them with his Sonic Blaster(it's Sonic Blaster, right?), sending them and the puppets flying off the catwalk. The puppet-Titans landed on the ground so that Robin's butt was conveniently in Beast Boy's face.

'Dude,' Beast Boy started, noticing this, 'get your butt out of my face!'

'Can't move,' Robin answered. 'Deal with it.'

Meanwhile, Raven and Starfire had come to a stop in the air, floating for the moment. They turned to face their attackers, one of which Beast Boy, who had turned himself into a gorilla. Robin jumped and swung on a rope, going after Starfire, who ended up on another catwalk.

'Robin, I do not wish to fight you,' Starfire said, dodging attacks all the while. Robin caught hold of her cloak though, and threw her down the catwalk. Then she noticed that Robin had stepped into a rope circle, almost like a snare trap. 'But I will if I must,' she finished, dropping a sandbag off the catwalk, taking Robin with it.

Over elsewhere, Raven was being pursued by Cyborg and Beast Boy, still as a gorilla. Beast Boy finally caught her, pulling her down to, you guessed it, another catwalk(Gee, there's a lot of those, aren't there?). She turned around in his grip and kicked his chest, sending him flying backwards, and she herself landed at the end of the catwalk as Cyborg just showed up.

'Ok, Raven, starbolts,' she tried to encourage herself. 'Just let go of your emotions, feel the righteous fury and-'

There was no time for that as Cyborg nearly punched her face into a wall. She jumped over them, and started running, until Beast Boy slammed his hands into the catwalk, sending pieces of it falling to the ground. Raven was on one of those pieces. However, Raven started flying back up, green fire burning in her eyes, and she uppercut Beast Boy, sending him flying back onto the catwalk, now in normal form. Cyborg grabbed a rope and swung past her, gaining momentum, and swung back towards her, preparing to fly into her feet first. Raven saw it coming though, and jumped off the railing into the air. Then she dropped down towards Cyborg, one foot extended, and sent Cyborg packing for the ground, twirling as he went.

Starfire gasped she saw that Cyborg was headed directly for the puppet-Titans. 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos!' she yelled, as she stopped him just in time and send him flying sideways. Then she looked up and dodged a sandbag, that Robin had almost hit her with. He leapt towards Starfire, gums flapping, making a very weird noise that I'm not sure anyone would want to hear. Then Starfire remembered that she was still holding Cyborg in her powers and she slammed him into Robin, sending them both flying.

Raven was admiring Starfire from higher above, but then she heard a loud roar, and got out of the way as Beast Boy-gorilla came falling down towards her. His impact on the catwalk sent Raven flying, but she regained her balance and did a handflip back to her feet.

'Righteous fury, righteous fury,' she chanted. 'Concentrate.'

A starbolt shot out of her hand, surprising her a bit, then she had to dodge a punch. She leapt into the air, but Beast Boy caught her foot and threw her down. He slammed his hands down toward her, but she rolled out of the way. Then she heard Starfire scream.

[Starfire!] she thought, even as Beast Boy picked her up by the head. She flipped out of it and kicked Beast Boy in the head. [You know, I think kicking Beast Boy is therapeutic or something, because it sure feels good.] She jumped to a support beam and used it to shove off of, headed towards Starfire, who was fending off attacks from Robin and Cyborg. Robin was prepared to kick her, but Raven tackled him out of the air, holding him while floating.

'Not me, them!' Starfire shouted, pointing to the Puppet King, who was running to the fire with the puppet-Titans.

'The Puppet King is in command!' he stated, preparing to toss them in.

Green fire once again grew in Raven's eyes, but this time, it also grew on her hand.

'NO!' she yelled, firing a starbolt at the Puppet King, knocking him back and the puppets safely to the ground. His control, however, flipped into the air, hit a stage light, and landed in the flame.

'My control!' the Puppet King exclaimed, laying on the ground, staring.

The fire grew, and took an irregular shape, bent and twisted.

'NOOOOOOOOOO!!!' the Puppet King yelled, as blue light came out of his eyes and mouth, causing him to shake and convulse.

The spirits of the puppet-Titans flew out of them, returning to their bodies, as did Raven's and Starfire's. Theirs, however, mingled with each other for a little while, before finally making their way back. Raven and Starfire landed on the ground, as they had still been in the air while all this was happening, and Starfire set Robin down to the ground.

'I am me!' Starfire exclaimed, overjoyed, and then turned to Raven. 'And you are you!'

'And we're us!' Cyborg said, coming up with Beast Boy behind Robin, joining in celebration.

'Thanks to you two,' Robin congratulated.

'You go girls,' Beast Boy threw in.

'Raven, we have done it!' Starfire gushed out, and pulled Raven into a hug.

Raven thought about protesting, considering her nature and all that, but, for once, she decided just to let herself go and hugged Starfire back. Suddenly, they heard a scream from behind them.

'The magic!' the Puppet King got out. 'Without it I'm just a..' and he fell lifeless to the ground.

'Puppet,' Raven whispered.

Raven sat in her room the next day, meditating like always. The view from her window really was quite wonderful, though she didn't notice it with her eyes closed. She sat, levitated, chanting like always the three same words.

'The view is wonderful, is it not?'

'Star.. fire?'

'Please excuse my interruption, but, I was, wondering...'

'Wondering?'

'If you have any plans for tomorrow evening?'

'No, why?' [What is she up to?]

'Well, it's just.. I have heard that it is customary on Earth to take someone out to dinner, if you like them, and I very much like you.'

'Starfire, are you asking me out on a..'

'Date? Yes,' Starfire answered timidly. [Please say yes!]

[I can't do this. Think of the consequences. What will the boys say?]

However, Raven's mouth didn't listen to her mind.

'I'd like that,' she said. [sigh Why am I even here?] her brain asked her.

[YES!] 'Excellent, most excellent!' was Starfire's response. 'I will meet you here tomorrow at 7.'

Raven sighed, and was about to continue with her meditation, assuming Starfire would leave, but she asked one last question.

'Raven?'

'Yeah Starfire?'

'May I join you in meditation?'

'Sure. Find your center,' Raven instructed, as Starfire joined her at the window.

And now it's time that this chapter of their story is over.

Well, this was the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, and the story, and thanks for all the reviews. -Tim