The fire roared and crackled as it spread, swallowing the house. Walls fell like papier-mâché under its fury when the Gotham City Fire department gave to word to pull out. They could no longer deny the fire's power and knew attempts of rescue now were but in vain. This however was no comfort to the wailing mother as she watched on in absolute horror as her home crumpled to the ground. Her husband his face streaked with tears and soot held her back burying his head into her hair in misery. Inside they knew their child….their only son…faced a fate they could not protect him from. A familiar scene to those who have been with us from the start of this tale. But then…that tale had an obvious difference. There would be no hero this time. No brave man running from the flames a bundle in his arms. No…this time…no human could save the child.

The father held his wife close removing his face from her tresses to turn her away from the sordid scene. He looked up at the burning building and felt his heart skip a beat. Floating there amongst the flames was a boy. A masked teenager surrounded in a blue glow zipping from window to window. Suddenly the teen looked up and the man followed his gaze and gasped as a large shadow spread across the sky. A giant stone eagle hovered above his old home before it let out a cry and disintegrate the dirt covering the flames. Another took its place and did the same. Then two more and slowly the fire started to calm. Filled with a renewed hope the fire fighters began battling the flames fiercer then before as above them the red haired teen shot towards the ground landing near the man. A strong sense of hope filled the father and he shouted to the strange meta teen.

"Please! Please my son is inside…Gods he's only two! Please help him!"

The leather-clad teen turned towards him his masked eyes not showing the true despair he felt. He glanced up and shook his head. They could save the building maybe…but whatever was in there…there was no way…then the 10th story window shattered.

And a large black shadow fell from it…

The man's wife screamed as the dog plummeted to the ground its jaws clamped tightly on the back of her son's shirt. The teenager beside them shouted and just as he took off the canine snapped back its head tossing the toddler into the air…only for it to change and a girl to takes its place, a hand lashing out to grab the boy's shirt again. One of the stone eagles shot down towards the falling woman but neither the eagle nor the teenager would reach her in time.

Another ebony shadow ripped through the air…a crow fastened its talons in the girl's long red and black cape. Then he too changed, a teenage boy in his place. But with the momentum he had he pushed the descending girl into the brick wall of the building, where she grabbed hold ending her plummet. Before anyone could say a word the teenager was gone a crow circling above them. The girl shifted again and leapt to the ground as a jackal, upon her back riding safely the man and woman's son.

With a hysterical scream of relief the mother dashed forward and grabbed her frightened baby in one hand in the other yanking the dog girl forward in a tight embrace.

"Oh god…oh god thank you!"

The wild canine pulled away and gave a nod the gem glinting in her forehead before disappearing in a swirl of shadow. The boy's father came to his son and held him crying into his dirty ashy hair. He turned to thank the group who had saved his son…

…but found nothing but darkness…fire engine sirens blaring in the distance.

"Jackal?"

Zachary "Phoenix" Drake landed atop a building, blocks away and found a shadow perched upon the edge. She coughed for several moments before trying to stand and crumpling to the edge. Zak rushed towards her catching her shuddering frame, "You're hurt!" he cried out and picked her up bridal style cradling her as if she might break. Anya chuckled and gave a weak cough batting him with a hand, "I am fine Phoenix….just a little smoke…now put me down." She coughed again and Phoenix settled her to the ground kneeling there with her. Then completely ignoring the stupidity of the move removed his mask revealing his concerned blue eyes, "Anie…are you sure you're ok?" She laughed gently and lifted her ash caked eyes to his before leaning over and kissing him lightly. He kissed back with equal care wrapping his arms about her small body and holding her close. The broke away and Anya with nimble fingers spread his mask back across his eyes. She sighed and settled against him gazing out at the lit city, "I'm fine…now."

A building away from this happy scene a monstrous shadow stood amber eyes filled with hate and loathing. His shadow a mockery of a man hung like a veil over the night as his lips pulled back into a snarl at the sight of the happy couple. A human fist lifted into the moonlight and came down shattering the concrete below his fingers. A growl filled his throat and he could feel his legs itching in preparing to jump to the building below. A hand rested upon his shoulder and a voice hissed in the shadows, "Not yet Baby. Don't worry…Mommy will get her back for you…" Blue eyes narrowed behind him…

"I promise."

A week or so passed and the times were uneventful. The New Teen Titans ("I'll work on the name!" Crow had yelled at some point) had seen this as a welcome break. After all 7 robberies, 2 sludge monsters, a fire, and a rather interesting character who called him Mr. NutterButter all in the space of 2 weeks and they were at their wits end. And it was getting quite hard to explain to their parents exactly why they came home smelling of ash and looking like they'd been hit by a Mac track every other night. But not that this mattered. Right now there was only one thing and that one thought was in all five of the teen's minds.

Pizza.

"I want pepperoni!"

"Mushrooms!"

"Pepperoni!"

"Mushrooms!!!"

"Anya! Alex! I swear if y'all don't shaddup I'm gonna throw ya both out the window!"

"BUT (S)HE STARTED IT!"

You see it had been Victor's bright idea that the four of them should have a "family night" and go out for dinner. The unanimous decision was pizza (unanimous because apparently Raven's groan of disgust had been interpreted as a yes) and the four had packed themselves into Cyborg's newest "baby." Well Victor thought his eyes narrowing Five of us… he shot a small glare at the brooding blue haired teen in the back seat before reaching a hand up and swiping at the kid, "Are you SMOKING IN MY BABY!!??" The resulting argument lasted for the rest of the ride to the pizza place.

Victor screaming at Malachy for "defiling his baby."

Anya/Alex screaming at Victor for trying to smack Malachy.

Raven screaming at Victor for driving like a complete psycho.

…and Malachy…just glaring at everyone (gee I wonder why Raven likes him so much?)

Maybe if they hadn't been screaming so much they would've seen the two families already seated inside the pizzeria.

"John you little freak! CUT IT OUT!"

Across the table, an orangey skinned child glared at his older brother with his bright green eyes and turned to his mother yelling, "Mo-OM! Zak just called me a freak!" Kory gave her older son a look and frowned, "Zachary! Don't say that to you brother." With exasperated sigh Zachary growled out, "He keeps throwing spitballs at me! I can't stand him!" As mother and sons began to squabble Tim did the fatherly thing to do…

…go by Garfield.

"God! How hard is it to follow simple instructions! I said NO CHEESE! Tofu! Vegan pizza! How hard is this!" Tim laughed and sipped his soda throwing an arm around his green friend shaking his head, "They never get it right…why do you bother?" Garfield frowned unhappily glancing at his embarrassed wife and daughter as Tara answered for him, "Cause he's an asshole. Garfield jus scrape the damn cheese off and stop making a scene!" Jamie chuckled under her breath and glanced across the restaurant at Kory as she attempted to separate her feuding sons she took no notice as another family walked in ordering at the counter several feet away, "We're not the only ones at least."

Back at the Drake table the feuding had broken off from the three of them and now rested solely with the mother and her elder son. Jonathan sat pouting in boredom glaring about the pizzeria when he saw another family. An evil grin spread across his face at the sight of the blond teenaged girl standing with them and with an innocent tone he questioned, "Hey Zak? Isn't that your girlfriend?" The red haired teen's face went ash white as his mother stopped screaming and turned to see the "hussy" walking towards them

At the counter Anya sat drumming her fingertips before taking notice of her pale-faced beau. She shot him a warm smile and began walking over towards him a confused expression painting her face when Zak began to wave his arms gesturing for her to stop. Then she saw his mother. Kory Drake looked as mad as a hornet. Now most girls would take a hint and walk away… Anya took the hint alright…there was no denying the hate burning in Kory's eyes. Across the room Tim could see what was happening and began to start over to intercede. Now the smart thing to do would be to just walk past and pretend she didn't know him. But while Any hadn't been mad that night…she remembered quite clearly what the boy's mother had called her…so she marched right over to the table…

Kory glared hatefully at her and snapped, "Go. Away. You. Little. Whore." A smirk roared across the demi-demon's face and as her brother shouted mentally to stop…as Raven turned to see where her daughter had gone…before Tim could restrain his wife…Anya kissed Zachary full on the lips. Kory stood the stool flying across the room and as if Anya hadn't added enough salt to the wound she broke away from the lip lock and sneered…

"Go fuck yourself."

Anya was against the wall in a second.

"Kory!"

"Mom!"

Now on the other side of the pizza place all Raven saw was her only daughter held up by some lunatic. So she did the only sensible thing.

And launched a chair at the woman.

The glowing black chair caught the former titan off guard and tossed her to the floor leaving Anya to fall down the wall gasping. Out of reflex of seeing his wife drop Tim lashed out and grabbing a knife flung it point blank at her attacker. Now also not thinking Victor grabbed Raven and tossed her aside shooting a laser towards the black haired punk who had just tried to kill her.

When your friends are in jeopardy you act out of instinct and that's just what Tara and Gar did. A stone hand reached up and grabbed the woman as a large green cheetah pounced upon the African man. In the chaos no one heard the teens screaming at his or her parents to stop…until gunshot rang out through the air. The adults turned towards the unhappy owner of the pizzeria who now had a shotgun aimed at them, "GET OUT!!!" They looked around to find the restaurant in shambles and their children staring at them in shock. Slowly the six "adults" ambled outside dragging their families…they were far too embarrassed to even look at one another.

Once outside Garfield feeling quite sheepish looked to the violet haired woman he and his wife attacked and opened his mouth, "Listen I'm sor…" he mouth could not find the words to finish though. There before him she stood…like a dream he had so long ago. She looked so much older…but it was her. She stared at him in the same manner, fear and regret mirrored in her eyes. Neither could speak, neither could even breathe…it was finally Tara who whispered.

"Raven?"

Everyone instantly looked up and the silence that followed was thick and tense. They were bruised and battered and due to their fight covered in pizza sauce and toppings. Kory's eyes filled instantly with tears, and as if forgetting that the woman and hit her with a chair dashed forwarded and crushed the smaller one in a hug, tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh Raven!"

Hesitantly Raven hugged her back a few tears springing to her own eyes as the group continued to gape, cry, and stare. It was everything and nothing like what Raven had pictured coming home would be like…

Home…

She liked that word.

In the span of a second the moment was shattered as a tangle of sticky goo splattered against the old friends tossing and binding them to the ground. The others dashed forward without their children to help but soon found themselves covered in the same substance. They struggled and cursed some ordering their children to run for cover. Silence fell when a shadow covered the ground. Tara looked up and screamed. There atop the shattered pizzeria was a boy…

With 8 spider like legs extending from his back.

The brown haired amber-eyed teen laughed and scrambled down the side carrying on his shoulder a middle aged blond woman. She had a small potbelly and her chest sagged with age. Crow's feet plagued her eyes along with a hideous amount of eye shadow. She wore a mini skirt and a halter-top and seemed to forget the fact that she was NOT 16. Tim's frown deepened…she looked so familiar. She gave a horrendous cackling laugh and waved a manicured hand at them before shouting out in a nasally voice, "Hi Robbie-Poo!" What color was left drained from Tim's face and he gulped, "Kitten?"

Kitten dropped gracelessly from her son's back and sneered at them all, "Well isn't this a sight! All my OLD friends…" she glanced at Kory and smirked, "See age spit in your face girly." Starfire's eyes blazed and anger flared but before she could retaliate a wad of goop shot out from the teenager's hand and silenced her. Kitten smiled fondly at him and ran a hand through his auburn hair, "Poor poor Travis…my baby's got quite a bone to pick with all of you doesn't he?" She ripped her gaze towards them and snarled at Star, "Well…with your brat that is." She sauntered up to them and poking Kory in the head snarled, "Your worthless excuse for a spawn STOLE my poor Trapdoor's girlfriend…and now…he's going to fix that…starting with each and every one of you!" She threw her head back and cackled again her son joining in as well when from the side a voice shouted.

"I don't think so!"

The duo of villains turned towards the noise and let out a bratty identical growl. There stood the source of their problems clad in a leather suit a mask hiding his eyes. Behind him stood Jamie in a jump suit of purple and green a large G on her chest and next to her Malachy, smoke lazily dripping from his open lips. And framing the little group shrouded in black and red "The Carrion Twins" grinned psychotically, Anya toying with a lock of Phoenix's hair. As annoyed as the villains were, the former hero's were shocked but there was no time to worry for these things Zachary knew. And with a snarl he shouted the words, which truly let it sink into his parents.

"Titans…GO!"