Number 7!!! Who's excited? Are you guys excited? I'm excited. But I'm a spaz so you can't really count me at all. So I finished this really good yet depressing yet happy yet sarcastic book for English class and I was just… whoa! Blown away. It was f*cking amzing!!! I actually CRIED!!! I NEVER cry! I sobbed. It was wonderful to cry again and now I'm dying without my herbal tea so I'm making some as I type. Yay!!! Anyways… here it is.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or its characters. Slade's smexy voice is strictly the from the actor who plays HellBoy… which sucks a lot… cause I want it… not for me though… but for someone else.

Bold: me talking… or a transition to another time or place.

Italics- usually thoughts or emphasized words and lyrics.

Bold and Italics are a dream.

Robin had a smug smirk on his face as Raven came strolling in humming. He was affecting her in a positive way. Moving from his spot on the couch, he followed her into the kitchen. She sighed softly, reaching up into the cabinet, and with fluid movements plucked a small tea bag from a box and brought down a rather large black mug. Letting the small herb filled bag plop into the empty mug as she set it down on the counter.

He watched from behind the other side of the counter. Her graceful movements: all so familiar. She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully as she tried to remember where the tea kettle was. Robin held back a chuckle as he practically saw a light bulb appear above her head. She crouched down, opening a wooden door and pulling out the steel kettle. Turning around her eyes caught his as she started to fill the pot.

"Morning." Her tone was soft and (dare he say) wistful.

Grinning from ear to ear, he responded. "You must have slept well."

Her back was to him as she lit the burner, and nodded in confirmation.

She hummed a few bars of some unrecognizable song as she turned back to face him. A small smile glued to her lips. God, he wanted to kiss her. He frowned slightly as she raised an eyebrow at him. Had she felt his urge? When she rolled her eyes at him, it only confirmed his suspicion. The kettle behind her whistled softly. Turning her back on him once more, she gripped her mug in hand as she took the kettle off the stove top by its handle.

"So, who's got you so happy this time?" Beast Boy's voice rang in the kitchen.

When she opened her mouth to respond, she saw Robin's bashful face. Tipping the kettle she began pouring the boiling water into her awaiting mug. Words escaped her. Robin was expecting her to either respond with his name, or not at all. He didn't know that his arch enemy – her arch enemy – was the reason behind her giddiness.

Finding the rose on her nightstand had made her heart flutter in her chest the way Robin's surprise had. The only difference was: she wasn't supposed to feel that with Slade. Even with Robin it was a tiny bit Taboo, he is her 'boss' after all.

She didn't hear the shouts of concern her friends yelled at her.

'Why are they yelling?' A quizzical look passed over her face.

That's when she felt the stinging. The scorching of her flesh as the steaming water filled the mug and began cascading down the pale hand wrapped around it. Hissing, she dropped both items to the floor. The mug shattered and the kettle clanked quite loudly as they hit linoleum.

Her heart raced as she cast a glance of guilt over at Robin. The sheepish look was gone, only to be replaced by one of concern. His gloved hand took her by the forearm and yanked her over to the sink. He reached out with his other hand and turned the cold water on high. Placing her hand under the running water, she winced as the cold rush contrasted against her scorched skin.

Clenching her teeth, she flexed her injured hand under the water. She gasped as she was suddenly jerked away from the icy relief. Robin pulled her out of the kitchen and led her down the hallway. The rest of the Titans stood back in shock, watching there friends disappear down a long corridor.

"Where are we going?" She asked, wincing as his glove brushed against the sensitive skin.

He didn't answer her, but she knew as he pulled her into their private infirmary. Bringing her over to the single medical bed, he pushed her down onto it. Glancing around as he let her arm slide out of his firm grasp.

"Robin…" She said, trying to get his attention.

He paid no heed as he mumbled under his breath. "Where is the gauze?"

"Robin." She spoke louder, staring at him warily.

He busied himself with searching for the fluffy white cotton. He growled in his throat as he opened a cabinet, but couldn't fine the item he was looking for. Rolling her eyes, Raven levitated the wrap over to him. He grabbed it out of reflex as it flew straight at him. Glaring over at her, he made his way back to the violet haired girl.

"Robin." She said softly, grinning. "I don't need that."

"Yes, you do." He kneeled down in front of her; unraveling the rolled up gauze.

"No, I really don't." She shook her head, holding her hand out. "It's already healed."

He looked down at her hand. She was right. The red irritation was already gone, leaving her soft vanilla scented skin. Sighing, he placed the gauze beside her on the bed. Taking her hand in his gloved ones, he pressed a soft kiss to the palm of her hand.

Raven blushed deeply. A few of the cabinet doors went flying off and crashed into the wall parallel to them. She bit her lip as her blush grew. She shrugged at him meekly as he raised an eyebrow. He smirked, standing up, only to sit back down again next to her on the small bed.

"So, why are you so happy today?" He asked lacing his fingers with hers, his voice taking a hopeful tone.

Gulping, she looked over at the door wishing for someone to come in and interrupt them. "Um… it's just this song I have stuck in my head. And I had a great day yesterday. You know, hanging out with Cyborg and Star. It was just some well needed fun."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief, hurt flashing across his face. "Did you not have fun on Saturday?"

'Damn…' She winced at the question.

Of course she'd had fun. That wasn't the problem. The problem was is that she had literally slept with the enemy. Sure, it had been Slade's idea, but she let him. Who knows what he could have done after she'd fallen asleep!

Turning to look at Boy Wonder, she put on a fake smile. "Of course I did. I just… I don't know… didn't want to admit it."

"Why not?" His face faded back to a questioning gaze.

"It's just—"

The alarm went blaring off, red lights flashing through out the entire building. Looking at each other, they grimaced. Go time. Sighing, they stood making their way to the living room.

"What's going on?" He asked, his voice commanding.

"Who do you think?" Cyborg tossed over his shoulder, frown on his face.

Raven scowled, crossing her arms over her chest after pulling her hood over her head. "Great."

Downtown Jewelry Store…

Not wanting to fly down there, Raven had chosen to ride in the T-car with Cyborg. She spent the entire ride, banging the back of her head against her seat. Her eyes were closed as she blocked everything out and tried to sort everything out in the 20 minute drive.

After the car had lurched to a stop, a strong bionic arm shook her lightly. Her lavender eyes fluttered open to look at him. He grinned at her assuringly, seeing the stress behind her façade. Sighing, she gave a weak smile back.

When they'd made it inside all they saw was a normal jewelry store. Everything seemed to be in its place, and they couldn't see any droids. It was a single floor building, but it was large in size. Some rooms were off limits because of the rare jewels held within them. Raven glanced over at Robin, waiting for his command.

"Titans, pan out." He told them, already taking out his staff. "Be careful."

Raven caught the glance that he cast at her. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Now that she's the love interest he has to fret over like brittle glass. She started to head towards one door, but then as if someone was pulling her, headed for another. She reached out a pale hand to pull on the door knob, only to jerk it back as something shocked her.

Fine eyebrows furrowed over her confused eyes. Placing both hands on the hard wood of the door, she leaned forward, fazing through. As her foot tapped down on the other side, she knew she'd made a mistake.

"Slade." She said shakily.

He stood before her in body armor, two toned mask over his face. A secret smirk was hidden beneath that same metal mask. He scanned her with a single eye as she looked at him from beneath the hood of her dark blue cloak. He was leaning back on a desk, one arm crossed over his chest and in the other he held a fist sized sapphire.

"Ms. Roth." His voice was smooth. "So nice of you to fall into my trap."

Her eyes widened a fraction. "What do you mean?"

He gestured around the room with the hand that wasn't gripping the stone. She followed the directions, seeing small symbols engraved into the walls around them. Seeing no window she realized just what he'd done.

"Magickal barriers." She scoffed, shaking her head. "You can get in, but you can't get out. Where'd you learn these?"

He frowned at her calmness. Watching her with a single eye as she made her way to one of the walls, he studied her movements. Her feminine hand brushed across the unique markings. She cast a glance over her shoulder, catching his gaze.

"You've been in my head." Her eyes narrowed at him. "How did you—"

"We still have a connection." His smirk returned. "The one your father, Trigon, gave us."

She tensed the mention of her demon father. This was not something she'd wanted to happen. Raven had hoped that neither Robin nor Slade would ever figure out how to use the bonds between them. She figured Robin would some day, considering how much stronger there's was. She never thought that Slade would know it was still there…

"You figured out how to use it?" Her panicked eyes betrayed her monotone voice.

"It wasn't that hard." His voice curled around her, seeping into her senses.

It sent her heart racing in her chest. Their eyes stayed locked as she turned her body to face him directly. His voice, his essence, his scent… it was all making her so dizzy. Slade tilted his head to the side gazing at her questioningly. Her toes curled in her shoes as she fought back the euphoria that wanted to take over.

"So, how'd you do it?" Her voice was surprisingly firm despite the war going on in her head.

Returning to his straight posture, he shrugged a single shoulder. "It was simple, really. Last night, while you were in my 'color', as you put it, I found yours."

"You found my essence?" Her eyes narrowed at him as she took a step forward. "You invaded my mind. Found out things I'm not sure you should know. And now… what? What exactly are you looking for?"

"You're angry. I understand that it was an invasion of privacy, but I'd done it before. Not to mention consequences don't exactly apply to me." He said in defense.

"Yes, I'm angry." She hissed out, black magick encasing her hands. "But you didn't answer my question. What were you looking for? My mind isn't exactly the best place for anyone to be."

"I noticed that." He grinned beneath his mask. "In answer to your question, I'm not sure."

Slade almost jumped as the desk he had been leaning on was flung back and hit the wall. It splintered under the force she'd used. Snapping his vision from the ruined wood over to the girl in front of him, he almost growled. The only thing keeping him from attacking her was the frustration in her eyes. Her jaw clenched tightly as she tried to make sense in her head.

"You don't know?" She ground out.

"No, I don't." He spoke calmly, placing the sapphire in one of the pouches of his utility belt.

There was another loud crash as one of the file cabinets were flung across the room. It concaved under the pressure of her powers. Taking a deep shaky breath, she calmed her nerves. Her personal privacy had been invaded for no reason. It had been invaded by a psychopath who she couldn't understand in the least bit.

'Don't believe him.' Rage hissed to her. 'He's a sociopath and a pathological liar. He was in our head for a reason.'

Raven began gnawing on her lower lip in thought. It was a bad habit she'd picked up at some point in the last year. Groaning, she pulled her hood down, letting her hair from it's ponytail in the process. Dragging her fingers through her long hair she tried to concentrate on how she should go about this. She's trapped in a room, with no way of getting out unless Slade let's her, or her friends break in. Both choices seemed unlikely.

"Thinking?" His voice tightened its hold on her.

She felt week in the knees as she stepped back. Her back met the wall as she slid down to sit. "No… planning." Her eyes fluttered shut, blocking off the world. She let herself sink into her own mind. Her emotions crowded around her pulling her this way and that.

Not feeling his presence get closer, she jumped when she felt him tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her violet eyes snapped back open and stared up into his. She knew the question he would ask. He knew the answer she would give. She gulped as the flames licked at her skin again. Her breath came shallowly as she tried to get her body to work. She was going to push him away any second now.

Slade chuckled at her. He'd already settled the problem. He was evil she was good. It was as simple as that. All he had to do was make her see things his way. He had found her essence the night before. It was white and black. She was every color and no color at all. To complicated to understand, but simple enough to get. It had been soft, and warm enough to where you could just curl up and sleep forever. He didn't think that it would have a scent, but it did. Her essence smelled like midnight.

"Stop doing that." She said softly, but like she was scolding a small child. "I don't want you to feel it. The more you do—"

"I know." He said playing with a soft violet lock of her hair.

"Then why are you?" She growled, her hands fisting her cloak tightly.

"Because, little bird," He grinned as her eyes widened. "I want to. I like yours just like you like mine."

She sighed, her eyes shutting again. He'd seen too much. Yet at the same time, not enough to understand her. Her father had told him a lot, and now he found a way to find out the rest.

"For now, Raven… I'll leave you to think. I will be back though." He told her as he stood. "With a question you'll have to answer."

Ohhh!!! Cliffy! What will his question be? What does he not understand about her? I know but you don't. Anyways, review. This chapter was short, I know. I'll try and make the next one longer and put some more action in it. You'll probably learn more about the barriers later.

S.N.B. Rae S.N.B.