Back. Yes. In contrast to what other people think, I'm not dead. I just had to take a little break to clear my head from all the family problems. But now I can finally say that things are looking better, although I don't want to jinx it. Here is another installment

V.

Birds of a Feather

Chapter Six: Bizarre Circumstances

Raven stared at her cup of tea, lost in thought as she sat in the coffee lounge at work. Thoughts concerning a Model, and a Marine Biologist. The lounge door opened without her noticing, so lost in her thoughts.

"Mornin' Winn." She turned her head to look a grinning Cyborg, a box in his left hand.

She stared at it, then raised her eyebrows at him. "Are those my waffles?"

He chuckled. "Maybe."

"They'd better be, I skipped breakfast for them." Admittedly, she never ate breakfast, but still, a white lie never hurt.

He laughed, "Well this is your lucky day, little lady, because what I have here," he motioned to the Box "happens to be the best gosh darn Waffles this side of Jump city."

Raven tilted her head. "And what about the Other side of Jump City?"

Cyborg rolled his human eye good naturedly. "Women, what ever you do, it's never enough"

She chuckled softly. "Thanks Cyborg."

The metallic man pulled out a chair and sat across from her. "Now lets chow down on these babies."

With that, he opened the box and started pulling things out of them. Raven watched, wide eyed as she saw more then waffles emerge. The smell of the obviously hard-made breakfast intoxicated her so she did notice that the door opened once again to reveal their rather tired looking employer. Upon seeing them, all the exhaustion in his eyes vanished to be replaced with a suspicious light, something looking remarkably like annoyance to Raven.

"Mornin, Oh fearless leader." Cyborg said, busy loading up eight large fluffy golden waffles onto a plate, hefting a sizable amount of honey onto them, sprinkling raspberries on the top before sliding the plate over to rest in front of Raven.

She stared at the plate. "Good God, Cyborg, are you trying to feed a small country?" Still, she was amused, and a little touched by his generosity.

"Nope. Just you. You look like you could get blown away by the wind, girl." He said, quite cheerfully, loading the same amount of waffles onto a second plate.

She rolled her eyes. Right. Not even an atomic bomb could blow her away.

"Ahem." Robin, if possible, was looking more put out by the fact that they had both forgotten about him. He cleared his throat, before asking. "Cyborg, what's all this?" He said, motioning to the amount of food set out on the table. Biscuits, scones, bacon, everything ranging from eggs benedict to sliced fruit was set out on the table. A towering plate of waffles swayed precariously in the middle of the table. Robin's eyes narrowed. Since when had Cyborg ever managed to make breakfast?

Yes, Cyborg was a skilled cook. Very skilled in fact, but usually he didn't have time in the morning to make such a feast. Usually the half mechanical man usually ate day old scones in the company lounge. This was certainly an odd turnaround.

Cyborg didn't answer him, his eyes were closed in rapture, savoring the taste of his homemade waffles.

"Well?" Robin asked, crossing his arms in annoyance. It was Raven who answered him.

"These are the waffles he promised me last night." she said, motioning to the tower of waffles in the middle and her own heaping helping in front of her. "The others?" she motioned at the scones, muffins, and everything else. "I have no idea"

Robin's eyes narrowed. "Last night?" he echoed.

Raven chuckled. "He called me to tell me to get better. Then he said he'd make me waffles."

"Less talking, more eating." Cyborg ordered through a mouthful of eggs benedict. Raven rolled her eyes, but forked a mouthful of waffles into her mouth.

"So?" Cyborg asked, slightly anxious about what she thought.

She swallowed, and stared at him. "You have to give me the recipe for these. Very, very good." Cyborg grinned, then looked at his employer and friend.

"Want some, Rob?"

Robin opened his mouth to comment. The door burst open again.

" I smell waffles!" Beast boy said, already salivating over the aroma.

"Pull up a chair, Gar." The black man said.

Not needed to be told twice, Beast boy practically ripped out a chair and as soon as his butt hit the seat, he was loading up on everything.

Raven looked on in mild awe and disgust as she watched Beast Boy load his plate. Eggs Benedict on waffles, scones, muffins and butter on eggs benedict, all towering high with fruit shoved to the edges of the plate like a colorful porcupine. To top it all off, Beast boy loaded honey on the entire plate. The sweet syrup oozing over the entire thing.

Raven stared. She didn't know what amazed and disgusted her more. Beast Boy's table manners, or the food in front of him. Neither, she decided, as she watched Beast Boy stare at his plate with food instilled lust. It was the fact that he was actually planning on eating the mess.

Glancing up, she saw Cyborg staring at Beast Boy, practically turning as green as the changeling himself. Robin, also looked nauseated.

Apparently she wasn't the only one mildly horrified by Beast Boy's eating habits.

"So, Beast Boy, what did you do last night?" Cyborg said, after gulping down a glass of orange juice.

Raven tensed slightly. She knew she had wiped Beast boy's memory, still, she couldn't help second guessing herself. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she focused on eating the breakfast Cyborg made for her, vaguely aware that Robin had pulled up a seat next to her.

She couldn't help feeling slightly awkward, sitting and having breakfast with her target and his entourage,

Her lips curled involuntarily at the irony of it all. Here she was, Raven, Trigon's daughter, top assassin in the Flock, sitting having breakfast with people who clearly hated the flock with all their might.

Albeit she hated it too, at least they weren't a part of it. Cyborg and Beast Boy's family had been murdered by her father's organization and Robin was on to the top of their hit list.

Yes, wasn't fate a cruel bitch?

"...Watching Clash of the Planets last night." Beast Boy said, with obvious relish.

Raven very nearly rolled her eyes at the childish enthusiasm practically gushing from his pores. Stabbing a waffle viciously with her fork, she motioned with it.

"Television rots your brain."

Cyborg and Beast Boy stared at her. "You! you evil being! Back! Back I say!" Beast boy squealed dramatically placing a hand over his heart.

Robin hid a smile behind his hand and shook his head. Sometimes he wondered about the sanity of the people in his office.

Still, Beast boy was still ranting. "How could you say that! Television is good for you! You! You're not normal."

"Says the being with green skin." Raven's monotone voice laced with sarcasm and amusement.

"You!" Beast boy paused, frowned, glared at her, then promptly stuffed a waffle into his mouth, deciding not to answer. Or more accurately, he couldn't come up with one.

Cyborg was busy writing something on a napkin.

Robin frowned. "What are you doing?" he asked his metal friend.

"Keeping score." Cyborg muttered nonchalantly. "Rowena One. Garfield zero."

Robin rolled his eyes, then started eating.

Silence reigned over the table for a while.

Raven sat and thought about her current situation, berating herself for getting close with them and getting comfortable in their presence.

She supposed it would be easier if they trusted her. It would be easier to kill her target if she got close.

...But...if she was honest with herself, she didn't think she could betray them if they trusted her. That wasn't her style.

She didn't want to see the look of betrayal on their faces like she had the previous night with Beast Boy.

She sat up straighter, remembering the call she got earlier this morning from Bruce Wayne when she checked in to her desk.

"Mr. Greyson?"

"Richard" He corrected automatically, cringing slightly.

"Robin" Cyborg said, grinning.

"Wha?" Beast boy asked, his mouth still full with fruit.

"Don't talk with you mouth full." Raven said. Having often said the same thing to Dove.

He chewed, swallowed, then answered. Sarcasm heavy in his voice he muttered "Yes, Mother." So quietly, had it been anyone else, they wouldn't have heard it.

"What was that?" Raven asked, perfectly aware of what he had said.

"Eh heh heh heh. Nothing?"

Sighing, she turned back to Robin, only to find him staring at her intently with an amused expression on his face.

She forced down the blush the was threatening to overcome her face. What was wrong with her?

"Mr. Wayne called this morning."

Robin straightened in his seat, "What did he say?"

"He said he wants you to go to France. To conduct some business." she said.

Robin growled low in his throat. "Damn him" he muttered softly.

"Apparently you are to take only those who will be of help with you. I'm supposed to book the tickets this afternoon. We leave tonight."

"Tonight?" He echoed. He rubbed his eye in a tired motion.

"Who will you be taking?" Raven asked, not bothering to repeat it.

"Cyborg, of course, and you."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Understood." She got up. Ready to make the necessary arrangements. "Excuse me for a minute."

"Helloooo?" Beast boy said, waving his arms frantically, "What about me!"

"Sorry Garfield." Robin said, looking apologetic. "Unless you're willing to sit through over five hours of negotiation, I don't think it will be very interesting."

"But-but, I can help." He pleaded.

"No doubt you can." Cyborg said "But it'll be pretty boring."

"I can go sight see or something while the three of you are in the meeting"

"Can you speak French?" Raven asked, fed up with his whining.

"No"

"Can you read French?"

"No"

"Do you know how to interpret the French subways?"

"No"

"My guess is that you'll end up getting lost in the airport."

Beast Boy growled softly. "And I suppose you know how to read, write and speak in French"

Raven smiled a self depreciating smile. "I can read, write and speak in 26 different languages, not including English."

It wasn't like I had a choice in the matter. Raven thought, somewhat bitterly at the harsh treatment she had endured while learning.

Beast Boy deflated a little and Cyborg and Robin stared at her in appreciation and slight disbelief.

"Then what am I gonna do while you're gone?"

Raven threw a look at Robin, silently asking him to give the guy something to do.

Robin shrugged, at a complete loss.

He glanced at Cyborg, who shrugged in return, snagging a biscuit

Raven sighed. "Here" She reached into the bag resting against her chair and pulled out a thick manila folder.

"Deliver this to the address. When you do, they'll give you another folder to deliver at another address and so on"

"So I'm the delivery boy?"

"Unless you want to sit in the office for the duration of our trip."

"..." Beast boy stared malevolently at the folder before snatching out of her hands. "Fine. But you owe me."

"Not really." Raven remarked, slightly bemused.

"Why not?"

"Technically you don't work for Mr. Greyson."

"Richard." Robin interjected automatically.

"Robin." Cyborg said, his mouth full.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Raven resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, didn't these boys know any manners?

"Therefore, we are under no obligation to take you along with us." She continued.

Beast boy muttered something under his breath about the unfair ness of it all before he grudgingly agreed.

"So, if we're done here, gentlemen, I still have work to do." She strode to the door, turned back and looked at Cyborg. "Thanks for lunch, Cy."

"No problem."

Raven turned her attention towards Robin.

"And Mr. Greyson?"

"Richard. Is that so hard to say?" He said.

"Robin." Beast Boy and Cyborg chimed, grinning.

She gave in and rolled her eyes.

"Ms. Koriand'r Peters called. Apparently she requires that you call her back at the soonest possible moment."

Beast boy and Cyborg began making cat calls.

Robin blushed.

"A word of caution, Mr. Greyson." Raven said.

"Richard." her employer all but snapped.

"Robin." the other two sing-songed in the midst of their cat-calling.

"Ms. Starfire is engaged."

Robin's eyes narrowed. He'd never heard that before.

"To your former associate, Darren Rakes. Or as the public calls him, Aqua lad. I'll make the arrangements for our flight."

With a nod she walked away, as regal as a queen, leaving three befuddled men in her wake.