Beast Boy only stared after her a moment. Then he turned and started running. He shifted into a cheetah and tore down the stairwell to the garage. Shifting back to human form, he skidded to a halt to keep from colliding with Cyborg.

"Whoa, BB, where's the fire?" he asked.

"Raven's gone," Beast Boy said, running to the Titan's space craft. "I have to go after her."

"Gone? What do you mean?"

The changeling opened the hatch as he spoke. "She left to protect us from whatever is hunting her." He jumped inside the ship.

Cyborg ran to stop him. "Hold on, man! Where are you going?"

"To look for Raven!"

"Do you know where she is?"

Beast Boy faltered, looking away.

"You have no clue. Were you just going to traverse the universe looking for her?"

"I'll do whatever it takes!" Beast Boy said, trying to close his hatch. Cyborg stopped him.

"We need a better plan, Beast Boy. If Raven is really in trouble, our flying around space helplessly is not going to help. We should talk to the team."

"There's no time!" Beast Boy cried. "Whatever is hunting her could find her any time. We have to be there to help her!"

Cyborg stared down at the determined changeling for a second, and then smiled. "Alright, green stuff, then scoot over."

Beast Boy grinned and hopped into the passenger seat as Cyborg slid into the craft and each buckled up. Within a few moments they were out of the T Tower and speeding towards the sky.

"Hang on tight!" Cyborg yelled, preparing to throw the hyper-drive lever.

Suddenly, the ship froze in the air.

"Dude!" Beast Boy yelled. "What are you doing? Go!"

"I'm trying! Everything is running. We're just not moving!"

The changeling looked out the window and around the sky. "What-!"

A large, dark cloud was slowly wrapping around the ship and the Titans began to feel their descent, slowly, carefully.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know," Cyborg answered, pulling every switch and lever on the ship. "But nothing is working. The ship is shutting down."

"Then what's holding us up?"

"I'm not sure. Guess we're about to find out."

A moment later they felt the impact of the ground. The hatch of the ship opened slowly by itself as the dark cloud receded into the sky. They had landed in a baseball field by Jump City Park. Beast Boy and Cyborg jumped out of the Titan ship and stood back to back.

"Be ready," Cyborg said, charging his cannon. Beast Boy nodded.

The dark cloud grew larger, blacking out the sun. Then, two giant blasts of lightening flashed directly in front of them. The Titans were thrown back into the ship and fell to the ground. Gasping for breath, Beast Boy glanced up to see two dark figures approaching. He stood, still shaky, trying to clear his vision.

"Who-who are you?" he demanded.

Finally, the two shapes came into focus. A scowling, brawny man and a slender, surly-looking woman stood before him. The woman raised an eyebrow and Beast Boy felt his lungs contracting, like he was being squeezed by a python. He floated into the air in front of them.

"We'll be asking the questions, mortal," the woman said before releasing him. He fell, gasping, to the ground on hands and knees. He glanced up at them again. The woman smiled maliciously. "And I strongly suggest you cooperate."

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

"This isn't a good idea," Raven quietly remarked for the fourth time as they transported in their soul selves outside a small village on a large planet far away from Earth.

"Look, in this dimension, we need food, and we won't survive for long if we don't get any," Cobra answered, striding towards the town. "We'll need our strength."

"To keep running."

Cobra turned on her and they stared at each other for a moment, a mixed glare and softness evident in both of their features. "We can't fight them," he said slowly after a moment's pause. "You were more willing to run when I first found you."

Raven looked away. It was true. She had been so afraid, was so afraid... "But I only ran to draw them away from earth. To protect my friends."

"Well, I'm not willing to die for your friends!" Cobra snapped. "And I'm especially not willing to let you die for them."

"You shouldn't have to die for them," Raven agreed.

Cobra shook his head, groaning. "Not again. Don't even think of transporting away again. You've tried it six times. I always find you. Give it up already!"

"I do not want to run any-"

"But you won't fight, as long as I'm with you," Cobra said, cutting her off. "You won't risk the Demon Hunters catching me. And the only reason you don't want to run is so that you can be the hero and sacrifice yourself to protect everyone else. For once, Raven, stop protecting everyone else and think about yourself!"

Raven glared at her brother.

"Yeah, yeah," he snarled, turning away. "I know. You're good. You do what's right. Why does doing what's right always have to result in you being hurt?"

"You're good too, Cobra," she said quietly.

"I have no perception of right and wrong. I'm a demon."

They stood quietly for a moment.

"Enough," he said finally. "I'm not arguing with you about his anymore. I'm staying. So we keep running, and you keep living. Deal with it." He turned sharply toward the village and started for the nearest tavern. Raven sighed and followed.

After dinner, Cobra sat back contently in his chair. "So, where to know? I wonder if they're still staking out home..."

"We're not going there."

"Just a thought."

Raven silently studied her brother. She couldn't help but allow her mind to drift once again to finding away to abandon him, even though she knew he could tell from her emotions what she was thinking.

"Knock it off, Raven," he responded, right on cue. "Give it a rest."

"You know where they are. Why won't you tell me?"

"What? So you can teleport there before I have a chance to stop you? Nice try."

"You know I wouldn't risk teleporting there, knowing you would follow right behind me," Raven snapped. "So there's another reason. Why?"

Cobra sat up and looked into her eyes. "I told you where they were headed when you revived me."

"You said they were coming for me."

He raised his eyebrows slightly.

Raven felt like her heart was being pulled into her stomach, like it would stop beating any moment. "No," she breathed. "No." She had deserted her friends. She had practically ripped Beast Boy's heart out. To protect them. But she still hadn't done enough!

The realization hit her like a ice gripping her heart: the Demon Hunters were headed to earth.