Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.


When we are most ready, most prepared to face those things we are ready to, is when we are most vulnerable. It is then that life, the universe, fate, chance, will strike you on your blind side, and take you down.

The best you can do, is surround yourself with friends.


Chapter Seven:

I Nevermore I

"Sister. It's been too long. We must talk. Come, there is much to discuss."

Raven stood in shock at the words that Rage so calmly just spoke. "Who are you and why are you wearing Rage's cloak?" She was also shocked at her own levity, but frankly after the narrowly avoided orgy of her own emotions in Desire's domain, she was all tapped out of weird. Or so she'd thought.

Her crimson self laughed with hearty mirth and shook her head, beckoning the troupe forward. "Come, time is short and believe me or no, for this small time I am myself, untainted. Take this time as we can, it may be a long time, if at all, that it comes again." Raven hesitated only a moment, noticing Rage's impatience with a small tinge of relief.

If she were completely rational, that'd be way too strange. She moved quickly, covering the obsidian and glass plain as the ground shifted just ahead of her, sorting the traitorous ground into neat cobbling before her. Her other facets came shortly after, somewhat at a loss at their lost sibling's change in demeanor.

Closing that last stretch, they found a gentler landscape, still scoured but accommodating. The bench normally only enough for two, was a broad circular thing, room enough for them all. Raven raised a brow at this and Rage merely shrugged, gesturing behind her at the others that followed. "You come with us all, so I make room. I am of you, and we are not inconsiderate by nature."

Nodding at her facet's double edged complement she sat first, a show of trust. Rage followed and the others arranged themselves about the two. Fear sat beside Rage, and the red one peered at her with an unreadable expression, here eyes seemingly taken with their match, perpetually shrouded and gleaming from within the cloak. Raven noted this, and thought to ask, at some point. Later, trivialities later.

Rage looked back to her and nodded, glancing around and smiling almost imperceptibly at Happiness. Raven was sure then that this was no trick. She herself had felt anger at the way her mind had treated the jubilant facet, and to see that mirrored spoke of it. She smiled at her crimson self and they began, speaking frankly of things as they were, are, and to come.

"You know that because of your father's nature, I am most closely tied to him." Raven nodded, accepting Rage's frank declaration as truth. "He is a demon, one strong with anger. Your anger at him, at your fate, as it was stated, gave him this, me, as leverage to your mind."

The others glanced about, suddenly uncomfortably reminded of the often battle they fought against the shade of Trigon, using Rage to guise himself and attack the Titan. Raven spoke and it was a question they all were curious of. "Why are you lucid then? What has happened to release you from his hold?"

Rage smiled but it was sad, fueled by her mute anger. "I'm not." Raven blinked in confusion until with an exasperated sigh the crimson one continued. "The time draws close, so he musters his influence, his power for that day. I am still tainted, but this is a small reprieve, a weakness in his planning we did not know."

She watched her facet, the desperate fight going on in her eyes. She could sense the lingering connection, the tie to her father's power there, but it was as she said, weakened and not an active conduit as was often the case. "So can we use this, this weakened state to sever that tie?" She hoped it would be something so simple, but was prepared for Rage's quiet denial.

"No, he has done this cunningly. He need only reach out and reestablish this link now." She shuddered, caged, mute indignation splayed on her face. "To think he uses me like this, like a tool, disgusts me. If you could destroy one of us, I wish it to be me. At least then you'd be free of that fool."

Raven blinked shaking her head. Rage was aware, all this time of her father's possession. How horrible... she reached out but recoiled at the crimson one's snarl. "Don't. I understand, but don't."

The others were torn, but Raven knew not to lose the advantage they were gifted with, by this respite. "How does he plan to use me to break into this dimension?"

Rage smiled, happy to indulge her self's needs, while she was herself. "He'll wait till your birthday, then using me as a conduit, flood your mind with his full force of energy. Likely, it will kill you, as you're simply not strong enough on your own, as you are to withstand the onslaught."

Bravery rankled at that, and slammed her hand down on the obsidian bench. "What do you mean, give us some credit! We've fought him off countless times before!" She blinked at Rage's laughter.

"You've repelled his errant attention." She sighed and shook her head. "He has never focused on us. He only idly plays with me, wearing at your resolve, at your defenses. If anything, those failures of his minor attentions would make you overconfident, and lead to your death."

Distantly, looking out over the landscape of Nevermore, Raven nodded. She could feel as much. She knew if her father, Trigon, had wanted so much to push his way into her mind, he simply would. A being capable of destroying dimensions would find little resistance in a young, untrained, barely tested girl's mind.

Rage sat, quietly considering. "There will be little I, or you, can do that day. But to give you hope, may be our undoing." She wrapped her arms around herself in a wholly unused to display of hesitation.

She saw what this meant, and Raven pressed on, "What do you know? What is there we don't already know about, that we can use, how ever much a gamble?" She watched Rage wince, the light brighten in her eyes sharply.

"NO!" The crimson one clutched at her head and fell to the ground on her knees, trails of energy from her eyes crackling in the air as she passed. "Not yet, I need more time!" She snarled and the cloak around her whipped about violently, the wind of Nevermore picking up harshly, heat making their eyes water.

Raven looked to her sisters sadly, and they nodded in acquiescence. It was time to go, before this battle began, hopefully to end it beforehand. "Thank you all, but it's time. Go home, I'm here now, and can handle this, for a small while."

The others nodded and with smiles left as they came, suddenly. Raven turned back to Rage, her efforts to resist her father's attentions plain on her face. She winced as her skin broke and healed, the force of restraining him sickeningly difficult. "Go, go damnit! I can't hold him back!" She wailed, a pained and furious sound that broke the ground in a resounding shatter for yards.

Raven shook her head hard, more upset than ever at seeing a facet, part of herself, so abused. "No, I have to know, so one day we can be rid of him, and not only through death! Tell me, what is that hope, I don't care, I need to know!" She chanced it to kneel down, and shook her crimson double, Rage's eyes clearing for just a moment.

"Seek the fouled fate. Break the strings of the prophesy." The soft words wrote them themselves, indelible in her mind, as Rage's face contorted in pain, crimson lashes of power throwing Raven toward the gate. "GET OUT! NOW!" She doubled over in pain and slammed her head into the ground repeatedly, as Raven retreated, her heart breaking.

I know it's just an image, an part of me given form by the mirror. But she's me, she's my sister Her lip peeled back and she encased the struggling one in a protective black shell, herself within as well, and took that moment, brief to thank her. "I'm sorry, I know you want me to leave, to flee. But thank you. Thank you and I'm sorry, I wish I were stronger. For all of us."

Rage smiled slightly, the respite welcome, but her pain only slightly lessened. "If you want to thank me, find a way to kill that fucker. Then we can all have tea and try out Desire's bed."

The shocked moment of distraction let Rage have the opening she needed, and flinging Raven harshly from her and into the gate, she slumped to the ground, her reserves spent. "Goodbye, Raven."

The dark Titan was already being pulled back to the surface of the mirror, her will shod in iron as she remembered all that had happened, and that needed still to be done.

It's time, time to end this. Time to give myself a real beginning.

I Early October, Titan Tower I

The Titans had collected nervously outside of Raven's room, Robin the only one brave enough to venture near the doors, readying a knock. It'd been hours since her signal went silent, the one in her communicator cut off suddenly. Terra hid behind Beast Boy, who was in turn hiding behind Cyborg. Cyborg grumbled, being too big to hide behind anyone.

The titanium Teen, having most of the Tower's security tied into his personal systems, blinked as he suddenly got a signal back from Raven's communicator. He was about to reach out and stop the Boy Wonder when the doors in front of them all swept back, a panting, rather exhausted looking Raven standing there and blinking at the collected group in front of her.

The moment lasted a number of heartbeats, before Raven smiled- Robin blinked and did a double take, the dark Titan gathering them all up and hugging them. "Oh, I'm so glad to be back home!"

The group as a whole winced as the light over her door went "pop" and cast the hall in darkness. Raven simply gestured to it and it mended, the light flickering back to life. "Sorry, still have to watch that I guess. But really, I missed you all." She stood there looking relieved, happy, relaxed.

The Titans gawked.

Laughing, only making their collective jaws drop more, she waved and stepped back into her room. "I'll be out after a shower. I need to talk to you all, so don't go anywhere, k?" The door shut behind her and the other five Titans simply stood petrified, till Beast Boy literally fell over.

"Dude... uhm. Did we miss something?" The green Teen sat and rubbed his sore shoulder, having hit the ground with jarring force. Terra helping him back up, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, something's up. She's never.. chipper, y'know?"

Robin stood and blinked blankly. His mind trying to piece it all together yet failing. "Maybe she'll explain when she's done with her shower," He shook his head and motioned down the hall. "Lets go order some food, I feel like we'll need it to keep this sane."

Cyborg cheered, suggesting Chinese again but was cut off by Starfire, "Maybe we could make something special! Friend Raven seems to have had an Florrnglaf, this is a cause for celebration!"

Thinking fast, and in no mood to eat mustard flavored cardboard, Robin chimed in, "But Star, when people on earth have a Floornglafft, we usually just get pizza and ice cream." He blinked when she got a suspicious look and he sneezed, hoping that would cover for his poor memory of the word she used. My god that entire planet must be stellar at tongue twisters.

"Oh, well then, Pizza it shall be!" She floated happily ahead and was poring over the menu as they breathed a collected sigh of relief. Cyborg gave him a covert thumbs up while Beast Boy made groveling gestures. He shook his head and sighed. I really need to teach Star how to cook. They decided on three pizzas, one for Beast Boy and Raven, split vegan and with her customary vegetable preference. Not really a vegetarian; she just didn't like pizza meats.

The rest of the Titans would split a pepperoni and a supreme, extra supreme, and they managed to talk the delivery boy into picking up some ice cream for a hefty tip, and a flirty word or two from Terra. Starfire was jubilant, floating about and putting up streamers, while the others spent time just hanging around, discussing the virtues of a particular game or another.

About half an hour after she'd suddenly reappeared, Raven floated into the room, humming quietly as the others were just unpacking the delivery boy's bundles. They'd decided as a group to not call Raven out on this new behavior, rather enjoy it and hope the explanation let it be a permanent thing. As odd as an emotionally balanced Raven seemed, no one wanted a friend to be unhappy. And though she reassured them often she was fine, never smiling, or doing so as rarely as she did, seemed unhappy.

"Hey guys, oooh pizza!" Raven scooped up a slice and the Titans grinned as she fought with the cheese, a losing battle. Finally, giggling and popping the soda (which she cleaned up immediately), she managed to calm a bit and get a plate, still humming a little but calmer after the spill. She sighed, having eaten three slices in rapid succession and grinned, the others now settling comfortably into the idea of a 'new' Raven.

Robin was the first to query, hesitantly as he was wary to bring the party to an end. "So Raven, what happened? We lost you on the communicator net a while, I mean," He quickly corrected, not wanting to call into question her newly opened emotions – yet.

She folded her hands behind her head and floated away from the table idly, eyes closed. "Well, I'd been feeling really off, unstable for a while. There was some things that had gone wrong, some you know, some you don't." She nodded at Cyborg when he looked concerned. "Yeah, a lot to do with Jinx."

Beast Boy had been curious, after the whole thing, but had kept it to himself. Partly, due to his and Terra's growing connection and his seemingly fading fondness for Raven in the same fashion. He'd have felt bad for moving from one friend to another, but she just didn't seem to feel anything like what he did. No point in pining away... not when Terra was much more accepting of him. Still, questions remained, and it was with a small seed of jealousy that Raven had picked someone finally after his attentions that sparked him to action. "So, what did happen with her? You never told us." He sipped his drink as Robin and Cyborg both glared at him for being so direct, and Terra paid rapt attention to her pizza. Well damnit, that went over badly. He winced as a foot, anonymous, connected with his shin.

Raven simply turned in air, settling on to her stomach and grinning a bit. "Sorry if I don't go into graphic detail; there weren't any," As she grinned and a light bulb threatened to die suddenly, but she stilled and it managed to last another day. "Anyway, we just had a strong connection those two days. It was something maybe I should have been more sensitive to but couldn't, with how my mind was set up."

This only made the Titans more curious, as they were used to the reserved, controlled Raven, not that they minded the happy, seemingly only slightly muted one. Things still imploded, broke and generally went a little odd when she was emotional, but she seemed to be watching, fixing, trying harder to keep that to a minimum.

"Well, there's also the other things going on, but these aren't as pleasant." She seemed to get a bit hesitant, and the collected Titans settled down, used to matters being serious at a moments notice.

Terra, happy to have had some ice cream with her meal, was her usual joking self as the dark Titan hovered quietly. "What, something bad going to happen on your birthday or something?" She grinned but the look from Raven made her blink. "Oh hell."

The floating Teen nodded and settled back in her chair, her manner back to her calm reserve again. "Honestly, it's a bit worse than that. You see, my father, Trigon, is coming on my birthday."

The others blinked, but Terra blanched. "Er. The Trigon? Cult of Blood, Trigon??"

Raven nodded, and addressed her hands as she finished her explanations, the other Titans growing grim as her tale unfolded. "See, he's an inter dimensional evil, a demon, demigod or what have you. And he's wanting to destroy this universe too. So since he can tap into my Rage, as his daughter, he plans on using me as a gate to this world."

Robin was first to voice the obvious question the others were also thinking, "What can we do? How we can we stop him?" With the shaking of Raven's head he furrowed his brow, waiting for the pale girl to explain.

Raven simply sighed and looked up, seeming collecting her thoughts. "I don't know. But I know I'll need all your help. And then some, but if you'll stand with me, it'll make a lot of difference. It'd make me happy, too." She grinned sheepishly and they all nodded, agreeing without hesitation to help their long time friend.

Cyborg was still curious, and voiced it, "But where'd you go earlier, we lost you for hours."

"Nevermore, it's a dimensional space inside my mind I have a portal to in my room. I went and got in touch with my emotions again, trying to sort some things out." She grinned and narrowly caught herself blasting the table over. The others blinked in confusion as she stopped there, seemingly gathering her thoughts.

Robin chimed in, connecting the dots from the afternoon. "So, this trip has let you be more in touch with them? Can you express them now?" When she shook her head he got a perplexed look on his face. "What do you mean, you've been... chipper, cheerful since you got back, what's changed?"

"Well you see, when my father arrives, if things don't change from how they are now, I'll die. So I figured I may as well live a little, you know?" The shocked expression on the other Titans seemed to wash off Raven, as she dug into her ice cream with abandon. "Wow, this is good!"

Magnets on the refrigerator burst into flame, and the automatic extinguishers blasted Robin out of his seat when they went off. Overall, dinner was probably best described as odd.

I Mid October, San Francisco Bay area I

The Bay was pretty, by most standards, this time of year. The few trees that shed leaves were full of unusual colors, and the temperature was comfortable for just about any kind of dress. It was a lovely place, and many thought the best they'd ever lived in or visited.

The sky over a plot of land near the corner of El Camino Real and Sneath decided at that point to rip open, a vague pink spear of light shooting forth and impacting the ground hard, a cloud of dust and debris rising up as the rip closed, leaving the otherwise unmarred sky to it's fall duties.

Jinx was filled with a sudden urge to burn whatever city this was down. When she could move again. Oh. My. God. I'm so not ever touching that thing again. She slowly took stock, searching for broken bones and other injuries but finding none. Only a raging headache and wicked sense of disorientation. Well, judging from the brief look around on reentry, I should be... in a city. Nodding resolutely, she wobbled to her feet and stumbled toward the nearest landmark.

There some yards ahead of here was a cast iron archway, her still blurry vision unable to make the words out at this distance. She rubbed at her eyes again, hoping this lack of focus was a result of her... unique handling of the Slideway. How did that song go? If you have to take me apart to get me there, I don't want to go, or something like that right? She giggled to herself and started whistling jauntily until she noticed the landscape around her. Small memorial stones dotted the ground, and in the near distance she could see a row of marble vaults. The tune faded and appropriately, died on her lips as she realized she was in a cemetery.

Her eyes widened and she dashed for the gate, a chill running up and down her spine, Creepy, creepy, creeepy! Breaking onto the sidewalk she skidded to a halt, leaning down to her knees to catch her breath. Spying the name of the acreage from the corner of her eye, she shook her head and gulped more air into her system. "Well, at least I'm not far off," She managed between gasps. The archway above her dourly proclaiming this the Golden Gate National Cemetery. She was in San Francisco, and somewhere a few miles away, was the sister city of Jump and Titan Tower.

She took in her surroundings as her senses cleared, the last hazing remnants of her sudden transit fading. The street was fairly clear, for midday, and she seemed not to be drawing too much attention, dressed as she was and dashing out of such a place. Biting her lip as she was prone to do, she started the long walk north, toward the metro area proper and she hoped, a certain familiar face.

I Mid October, Justice League Satellite, Refuge I

Zatanna paced in the large monitoring room, the blue garbed tech in front of her nervously tapping away at various controls and panels, the tension in the room making him error more often than not. "Can you stop that pacing, you're driving me nuts!"

The dark haired witch stopped, realizing with a start she had been pacing. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves and watched the triangulation patterns fail again and again on the monitor. "So we can't figure out where the Slideways put her, because for all intents and purposes, they don't even know?"

"More or less." the technically inclined hero noted. He tapped again at the terminal and looked over at Zatanna, "Where would she possibly try to go?"

The woman twisted her hair around a finger, contemplating how to handle this. Should I try to let the League deal with her, if they even decide to, or do it myself? Or should I do anything at all? Really this isn't any of my concern, outside of what that Half-demon's father will do. She shook her head finally, letting Beetle come to his own conclusion on what it meant.

He looked back at the screen, and having received the same memo as the others, took a chance and centered his searches on Jump city. When everything came back with a high percentile negative he frowned, scanning the results again. High percentile negative? Meaning there was some possiblity?

"What is it, did something show up?" Zatanna was nervous for her charge, for many reasons. This little escapade, if handled badly, could undo all the work they'd done to clean up and polish the younger girl's record. If she somehow complicated the situation with Raven, the results could be much more deadly.

The blue uniformed man shook his head, not sure what to make of the readings. "Not really. Basically Jump is clean, but it isn't sure." He widened the parameters and frowned. "Too much background interference. I can't locate anything without a solid signal."

The witch nodded and left the room, debating her own course in this strange play. Finally she found herself outside the door of a long time colleague and peer, and smirked to herself as the door opened before her. "Welcome, Zatanna. What brings you here?" Kent Nelson stood, his blue and gold armor in place but lacking the helm he normally wore as his calling card.

"Fate apparently. Evening Doctor, mind if I impose a few minutes, and discuss something with you?" She grinned as he gestured inside, his calm expression never slipping at her joke.

"Of course, ever you are welcome here, for whatever reason." He stood by the room's sole chair, gesturing for her to have a seat. Zatanna felt far too much like this was turning into a psychiatric evaluation and laughed quietly, shaking her head. The two stood uneasily as she gathered her thoughts.

Deciding that being direct would probably be the best, she ventured forth. "Fate, what do you know about the young girl, Jinx, who was here recently?" He tilted his head, and shook it slightly.

"Little, other than when any other League member knows. But then, I'm only Kent, speaking. Would you address Doctor Fate instead?" He asked, moving to the desk and the golden helm resting there on a stand. It was nearly featureless, two simple slits for eyes and the slight contour of it below, a gentle sweeping of metal with a single crest, unadorned atop it.

She looked away and nodded, knowing that under the influence of Nabu, the man would have much more in the way of resources to draw on, particularly in the realm of any who touched the fabric of magic. The man smiled and dismissed her anxiety, simply slipping the helm on and standing silently a moment.

"Jinx. She is a new one, isn't she?" The voice was hollow, lacking inflection. Zatanna looked up into the blank white stare emanating from the mask.

She nodded and filled in what she knew, describing, yet knowing Fate as his whole self knew it all already. Such was the power of the one gifted with the prescience over the realm of Order.

"So. One has risen to claim that place it seems." The ambiguous words rankled Zatanna, and she was about to mentions such when a warning hand raised, stilling her. Doctor Fate shook his helmet adorned head and seemed to sigh. "This is a complicated matter, one we must observe and not take a hand in."

She narrowed her eyes and glared openly at that. "But what happens with Trigon? What if she pushes Raven too far, letting her father take her and open the gate early? What if both of them get killed in the aftermath?" She let her concerns spill out, not sure when she'd become so involved, or protective of the two girls and their fates.

If the helmet could have smiled, she was sure it would be at this moment. "Such are the workings of fate. Their paths determine much, but aren't ours to meddle with. She's taken steps beyond what I can see as well. That should tell you enough, with what you are aware of." Kent removed the helm and slumped a bit, shaking his head.

Zatanna knew that answer was all she'd get, and laying a hand on his shoulder in parting, left the man with much on her mind.

Beyond his sight. Fate, the avatar of Order. Jinx. The strands seemed all in place, but she couldn't seem to trap them in a pattern, the strings never bending to her will to show their faces. She walked the halls, passing the sights unseeing. Empty greetings and partings as her company came and went, yet still she walked. It was nearly an hour later when she was on the observation deck, watching the world sit in half light, half shadow from their vantage. Two halves, two aspects, two sides.

She stopped short as pieces started coming together. Beyond Order, was Chaos. Jinx, bad luck, ill fate. Zatanna's eyes flew wide as she finally put the pieces in place and a chill swept over her as she made the slow trek back to her own quarters, thinking on what to pack for her trip.

The smirk she wore spoke volumes on how much she at once valued and understood the other magicians words. Oh I understand, but you don't get one thing about me, Fate. She pulled out her signature top hat and settled her few needful things into a pocket book with an interior the size of the congressional library. And that being, which side of that coin you flip I'm on.

"I'll be there soon Jinx, and goddess help you, if he's right. You have some rather big shoes to fill, and I don't mean those cute purple platforms."