Raven stared up at the looming structure of Titans Tower, its massive height looking unusually ominous against the gray sky. Where the 'T' shaped building had always been inviting to her, a place she fondly called 'home', now it seemed like a heavy reminder of her duty as a Titan, and the fact that she was currently breaking it. Taking in a deep, calming breath, she lowered her eyes from the tower, and onto the 'x' marred skull mask only inches from her face. Red-X looked back at her, eyes unseen behind the white lenses, but she could feel his amusement as it flowed from him and over her, his right arm wrapped around her lower waist, keeping her in such close proximity that her empathy could only center on him.

Despite the tightness in her chest, Raven pushed against his shoulders and stepped away, breaking the heat that had built between their pressed bodies, and let her arms fall back into the folds of her cloak.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Red-X held his arms out to the sides, palms facing out as he smirked.

"Who says I want anything?" He replied.

Raven narrowed her eyes at him, her suspicion about his intentions only growing at the casual words.

"Your coming to the tower says it for you." She said.

Red-X chuckled at her, the synthesized sound seeming very out of place amongst the gentle movements of the ocean around them.

"What can I say? The place has its appeals." He said.

Raven glared at him, her irritation building because of his arrogence. The thief was the definition of confidence, and he showed no fear about being on his enemies doorstep. Deciding that it would be better to not motivate him further, she levitated off of the rocks and began to glide towards the tower.

"What's your rush, Sunshine?" he asked.

Looking over her shoulder, Raven narrowed her eyes at him, her voice not hiding her annoyance as she spoke.

"You're a fool if you think I'm going to keep playing your games." She said.

Raven continued toward the tower, gliding over the rocks until she came to the narrow path that led further up the island and to the massive double doors leading inside. Just as she touched down, a blur of black and grey fell in front of her, and she was once again face to face with the thief. He narrowed his eyes at her and had crossed his arms over his chest. Because of the slight incline of the path, and his own height, he seemed so much taller than her, and she did not doubt that his attitude helped to make him seem intimidating to anyone that he came up against. Fortunatley for Raven, she did not intimidate easily.

"You're playing with fire, Red-X." She said, her eyes glaring into his, refusing to back down.

He leaned forward slightly, and she could feel the challenging aura he was exuding. It reminded her of her own competitive nature, a side of themselves that they both had in common, neither willing to easily give in.

"Maybe I like the thrill." He said.

Against her will, a shock went from her chest down to her groin, his words touching that side of her that had revvled in taking the R-Cycle. One of her brows raised and she could not supress the smirk that came forth.

"That doesn't mean you can handle it." She said.

Red-X's eyes widened at her statement, and she could feel a sort of appreciation coming from him before he chuckled.

"Looks like you're still in the game." He said.

Raven frowned, her fingers curling into fists as she took a step closer to him, her eyes challenging him as much as he was her.

"Your poorly mistaken." She retorted.

Red-X smirked at her, his cocky demeanor rolling off of him and overwhelming her empathy. He leaned down, his mask dangerously close to her face, eyes never breaking from hers. Clenching her teeth, Raven glared back at him defiantly.

"If you were really done, Toots, you'd be in the tower by now."

*.*.*

"Alright, y'all! Who's ready for pizza night?" Cyborg called.

Raven glanced away from the wall sized window of the main room. Cyborg walked through the double doors with six boxes of pizza, two smaller boxes with buffallo wings, and three two litres of soda balanced in his arms. He smiled happily as he placed the food on the counter and hurridly began to retrieve plates and napkins from the cabinets. Beastboy'face slowly appeared from behind the counter, his eyes assesing the boxes as one hand slowly tipped open a cardboard lid. Sniffing cautiously at the steam that wafted out, he narrowed his eyes a moment before bounding away from the counter and waving his arms around him wildly.

"Dude! That's a meat lovers supreme! What the hell are you trying to do to me? Do you know how many animals are on that thing?" he yelled.

Cyborg strolled over to the box and compeletely opened the lid, his face lowering into the steam as he inhaled deeply.

"Enough to make it tasty!" he said.

Beastboy clutched his hands into his hair and stared in horror as Cyborg took a large bite from a a slice of pizza. His jaw dropped as the mechanical man finished off the piece in two bites. Licking his fingers of grease, Cyborg glanced to the green changeling.

"Chill, BB. I got you that nasty vegan-tofu thing you like so much." He muttered.

Raven turned away from the sight of a green monkey hopping on the counter and swiftly pulling out and opening each box. There was a slam, some shuffling, and a primape alarm call behind her before Cyborg began yelling.

"You got hair all over my pizza! That's it, Lima Bean, you asked for it!"

More ruckus could be heard behind her, but Raven kept staring out of the window, effectively tuning out the two quarreling Titans. Her thoughts were still down on the rocks, where she had left Red-X hours ago. His words kept circling through her head and she mulled them over, not wanting to let him get to her again, but knowing that she was failing.

"If you were really done, Toots, you'd be in the tower by now."

That one sentence had struck her deep and she had not been able to respond to him. The thief had chuckled at her and she realized that what he said was true. In a rush of panic, Raven had teleported away from him and into the main room, where she still lingered. Part of her had expected him to follow her, but he had never been one to easily predict. She spent the rest of the day in the main room, glancing out the window from time to time, staying mostly silent.

"Yo, Raven! Pizza!" Cyborg called.

Sighing, Raven left the window and went to the counter, her eyes noting the wreckage of the countertop. One pizza lay face down on the floor and green tufts of hair were scattered everywhere. Cyborg had a smug look on his face as he piled a plate with several slices of pizza and a large helping of wings.

"Come on, Tin Man, let me out!" Beastboy yelled.

Raven glanced around the room for the green changeling but did not find him. She raised a brow at Cyborg and watched as a triumphant grin spread across his face. He reached behind the counter and raised his arm high in the air. A struggling Beastboy was locked inside of a larger dog carrier, his hands clutching the cage door. Raven could not stop her smirk as she slid onto one of the stools beside the counter.

"Not bad." She said.

Cyborg grinned as he peered into the cage, his hand gently shaking it and rattling the changling stuck inside.

"He will be, once I get him neutered." Cyborg threatened.

Beastboy yelped inside of the carrier.

"Dude, not cool. Come on, I won't get hair on you murder pizza again! Promise!" he said.

Cyborg placed the cage on the countertop and put the box with his vegan and tofu pizza in front of him. He opened the lid and waved the steam into the face of Beastboy, who opened his mouth and drooled, eyes watering at the sight. After a few minutes of only being able to stare at his favorite toppings, Beastboy glanced up at Cyborg and Raven, before shifting into a small puppy. He pranced a little in the cage, his short tail wagging as he whimpered up at the mechanical man.

"Alright, man, but next time, I'm taking you to the snip clinic." Cyborg said.

He opened the cage door and the small puppy clamored out, yipping a few times before shifting back into his normal form. The cage fell off the counter and Beastboy clutched the box in his hands, his tongue hanging from his mouth as he reached for a slice.

Raven lost interest again and stared at the marble countertop, her hands resting on the cool surface as she kept to her own thoughts.

"Maybe I like the thrill."

Those words repeated themselves in her mind, vexing her, and she frowned slightly. A red plate was set in front of her, with a large slice of cheese pizza. She blinked at the food for a minute, her mind not registering right away how it had got there. Shaking her head, Raven pushed the plate aside, thoughts too troubled for her to feel hungry.

"You still fasting?"

Raven, startled, looked up from the counter and into Cyborgs face. He sat opposite of her, his own meal barely touched, and his arms crossed over his chest. He frowned at her silence and leaned forward, his human eye narrowing as he silently scolded her. She shrugged at him, turning her eyes back toward the windows but was met with an almost gray looking slice of vegan pizza.

"Come on Rae, you know you want to! You might actually like it!" Beastboy said.

Grimacing at the oddly colored slice, Raven narrowed her eyes.

"Maybe I like the thrill."

Red-X's words echoed through her mind again and Raven stiffened, her hands slowly curling into fists. Her eyes stared at the food in front of her, but did not see it. She was lost in thought, turning over his words, studying them as she thouht on everything that had happened the past few weeks.

"Uhm, Raven?" Beastboy said, waving a hand in front of her face.

Cyborg reached across the table and gently shook her wrist, drawing her from her thoughts. Raven looked at him, her face stoic, but he knew better. With a gentle squeeze he smiled at her before leaning back in his seat and casually taking a slice of his meatlovers supreme.

"Robin said that the R-Cycle still doesn't feel right since the repairs. I've got a few modifications to make on the T-Car tonight. Mind taking the bike out for me to see what he's talking about?" Cyborg asked.

Raven stared at him for a minute, her face unreadable as she processed what he had just asked of her. She smiled at him, her expression almost mischevious as she disappeared from their sight into a black shadow. Cyborg chuckled before taking another bite of his pizza.

"Not fair! Why can't I ever ride the R-Cycle?" Beastboy cried.

The doors to the main room opened as Robin and Starfire entered. Both were a little flushed and Cyborg noticed the Tameranians lips were pinker than usual.

"Hey, pizza!" Robin said.

Starfire smiled happily down at the food before retrieving the mustard from the fridge.

"What a glorious suprise!" she said.

Beastboy glared at Cyborg as Robin took the stool next to him, his hands grabbing the slice that had been meant for Raven. Just as he was about to speak, Starfire interrupted him, making the changling grow red with annoyance.

"Where is friend Raven?" she asked.

Cyborg glanced at Robin, his eyes picking up on the tension in the younger boys shoulders at her mention. Starfire held the mustard covered slice of pinapple and olive pizza, her attention no longer on her dinner, but remembering her friends troubled expressions from earlier that day.

"Don't worry, Star. She's fine." Cyborg said.

Robin took a sip from a cup of Root Beer, his free hand still holding the half eaten slice of pizza.

"Yeah she's fine. She gets to ride the R-Cycle." Beastboy grumbled.

Robin suddenly choked on his drink, his breath siezing in his chest as he dropped his cup. Root Beer sprayed from his nose, effectively soaking Cyborgs buffallo wings and making Beastboy and Starfire squeel in fright as they pulled their plates away from the mess. After another round of painful coughs and shuddering breaths, Robin looked up, his face bright red, soda dribbling from his nose and over his lips.

"Raven's what?" he choked out.

*.*.*

It was dusk in the city of Jump, but the slate gray sky had prevented any vibrant colors to signal the setting sun. Instead, the shadows just grew larger as the world went darker, and Raven exalted in it. The happenings of the city were reduced to blurs of color and lights that sped past her, becoming nothing more than trivial images that were easily forgotten. Her thoughts were focused on the machine beneath her, and the road ahead. Her leather clad thighs gripped the bike as she veered to the right to avoid a slower moving one, the rider's eyes widening through the clear visor of his helmet.

Raven smirked behind her own black helmet, the heel of her boot kicking the bike up a gear as she pushed the R-Cycle faster. Freezing wind pelted her body but she did not care, her only worry being the traffic in her way. She was beyond gratefull to Cyborg for telling her to take out the bike, both of them knowing that there was not anything wrong with it. After she had confessed to him in the garage about her frequent outings with Robin's bike, he had only laughed.

"I had a feeling when you would help me in the garage, but I knew for sure when I saw you take off after X. You're almost as good as Robin." Cyborg had said.

Frowning behind her helmet, Raven accelerated the bike and used her powers to push it off of the ground, making herself jump over pedestrians that jaywalked across the street. The frightened shriek of a young woman briefly caught her ears before she turned at the intersection and raced down the road, staying centered on the double yellow lines. As she sped by cars on both sides of her, she could not help the mischevious chuckle that rumbled through her chest. Raven felt better than she had in weeks, and the her 'Big Brothers' words felt like a challenge. 'Almost as good as Robin.'

Well, she would have to test his theory.

Swerving off of the road and down a large alley, she felt a shiver go down her spine. Her competitive nature was fully awake and mixing with her darker impulses. The past few weeks had been hell on her mind, body, and soul. Now, with a gentle push from Cyborg, she was releasing the pent up tension that had been building.

Raven broke free of the alley and opened a portal just before she collided with a rusted car, the driver never noticing the bike that disappeared into swirling darkness just next to his passenger side door. Her wormhole felt infinantly expansive as she sailed the bike through the void, the sound of its engine echoing through time and space. Narrowing her eyes she ripped open another opening and went flying through, the heavy tires making contact with the smooth surface of a wide footpath.

She had intentionally brought herself to the large park that was located in the center of Jump City. A place for families and good natured fun by day, but was known for more risky antics at night. Her eyes glared past the tinted visor of her helmet until she spotted three young men, each straddling a different bike. Raven braked the R-Cycle and squeeled to a stop a few yards away from them. They all looked up and stared at her.

Raven touched her boots to the path, balancing the bike as she tilted her head to the side at them. One of the men's eyes drifted over her body, his smile increasing as he noted the shapely curves beneath the tight leather of her pants, the dip of her waist leading up to the swell of her breasts. Narrowing her eyes, Raven revved the engine of the R-Cycle, signaling her challenge to other bikers. She smirked at their widened eyes and she sat back on the bike. Kicking into gear, she sped forward and popped into a wheelie just as she past them, her empathy picking up on shock and adrenaline rushes as they peeled off after her.

*.*.*

The thrill of competition and the danger of a four man race filled Raven's veins as she manuvered the R-Cycle through the winding path of the park. The shrill screams of speeding bikes filled the air, a trumpeting warning to any pedestrians that may have lingered on the foot path. There had been one elderly man, early on in the race, that had been in their way but Raven had easily used her powers to move him into the grass and away from danger. She managed to stay in the lead, her boredom with the three racers behind her growing as she lengthened the gap.

Raven scolded her self mentally, knowing that no civillian bike could keep up with the R-Cycle. A small creek came into view, along with the stone bridge that crossed it, and pushing with her powers, jumped the bike onto oen of the wide rails. With a flex of her wrist, she sped the bike forward and went sailing into the air, the cold wind pushing against the material of her suit as she descended back to the path. Grinning triumphantly, Raven felt the discouraged thoughts of the three that slowed behind her. She hit her brakes and halted, her bike swung to the side as she looked back at them.

They were all sitting on their bikes, shoulders slumped as they switched off the machines. They knew that they had no chance to win against the girl on the red and green R-Cycle, and decided they wanted to keep their dignities intact. Feeling dissappointed, Raven was about to ride off when a thundering sound came from behind the three men. Her heart pounded in her chest as a rush of black and gray caused the men to jump off their rides and into the grass.

The familiar rush of amusement and confidence slammed against her aura as Red-X flew past her, his hand giving her his two finger salute. Raven felt a brief hesitance, knowing what her following him could lead to, but she threw her caution to the wind. She finally had the challenge she wanted.

Peeling away from the dazed men, Raven accelerated after the thief, her mouth set into smirk. Leaning down over the bike she caught up to him, her empathy picking up on a quick pulse from him as he looked to her. Both of them narrowed their eyes at the other, Raven's remaining unseen behind the black visor of her helmet.

"Meet you at the other end of the park, Sunshine." He yelled.

Red-X pushed his bike forward and she could feel his adrenaline spike. Gritting her teeth, Raven pressed the bike faster, her eyes locked on the thief. As she chased after him, she could feel a tug in her loins and the rapid beating of her heart. Part of her knew that she should not be going along with him, that she had a duty as a Titan, to her friends and the city, but at that moment she was done with putting everything else before herself.

*.*.*

The orange glow of a lamp light shone above the entrance to the park. The footpath covered four miles, swerving and twisting throughout the park before returning back to the cedar grove at the east side entrance. The thundering sound of two motarcycles ripped through the tranquility of the night before the screams of their brakes signaled the end of a race. There were a few moments of rumbling from both engines before they were cut off into silence, leaving a heavy atmosphere between the riders.

Raven leaned back in her seat, her arms crossed over her chest as she glanced to the thief at her left. Once again, their race had been a tie, and they assesed eachother in quiet before slowly dismounting their bikes. Red-X narrowed his eyes at her, his ever present amusement exuding from him in torrents.

"Still playing, Cutie?" he asked.

Raven pulled her helmet from her head, the frigid air of late fall being a relief to her heated scalp. She did not respond to him, her silence only further enhancing the tension between them. Her face was neutral, her features giving him no clue as to what she was thinking or feeling. Red-X narrowed his eyes, and Raven could feel the caution slowly forming inside of him. He was getting suspicious.

Red-X carefully approached her, his arms at his sides as he rounded the R-Cycle, the muscles in his shoulders taught. He did not speak, neither did he move his gaze from her. Raven knew he was listening, waiting to hear any indication that the other Titans were waiting in ambush. She chuckled at his warriness, and he haulted, his hand going for the button on his belt. With a rush of power, Raven grabbed him in black energy and sent him flying through the cedar grove. She could hear his muffled curse as he collided with the large bark of a tree. Flying towards him, she watched as his eyes widened. Red-X thrust his palm forward, sending an adhesive 'x' in her direction.

Raven teleported through the attack and came back right in front of him, her power encasing around him and immobilizing his movements. He struggled as he watched her hover above the grass, his eyes darting over the park as he searched for the other Titans. She could feel his frustration building, but there was something else, something calm and collected.

"They're not coming." She said.

Red-X ceased his struggles and watched her, the white lenses of his eyes boring into her, trying to find a break in her defenses. Raven released her hold on him but she kept her attention on his hands, not trusting him to attack or attempt to flee. One of his brows raised and he tilted his head to the side, amusement stirring beneath the suspicion within him.

"Is that so?" he asked.

Raven narrowed her own eyes at him. Her empathy was almost drowning beneath the heavy atmosphere between them. Anger, suspicion, attraction, intrigue. All of these were building and she felt the familiar jolt through her abdomen. She was so preoccupied with the plethora of emotions stirring between them that she did not expect what happened next. Red-X swiftly shot his arm out and grabbed one of her arms and yanked her against his chest. Raven's breath caught in her throat as she felt her body become pressed against the hard strength of his torso. Heat gathered in her groin and a shock went down her spine.

Red-X smirked at her, their eyes level because of her former hovering, but his arms were back at his sides. He was testing her, seeing what she would do next. Raven could feel her hesitence as she drifted back a few inches, her mind at war with itself as she debated what to do. It would be so simple, she could teleport him back into the confines of the tower, right into the main room. The other Titans would be on him in a moment, and the fissure between all of them would be mended, including Robin.

Despite the relief that one action would bring, Raven felt herself letting it go. All of her life she had done 'the right thing'. She had sacrificed so much of herself for the welfare of the lives around her. In doing so she had missed out on 'living'. There was one last moment of doubt inside of her, an old scar that reminded her of what the consequences could mean, but she chose to cast it aside. Smirking, Raven closed the gap she had made between them, one hand resting against the rough bark of the tree behind him. His eyes widened for a moment, the shock she felt through him being both mental and physical, before he placed a hand on her hip.

"You're playing with fire, Sunshine." He said.

Raven considered his words, knowing that she would be burned one way or the other, but not wanting to care.

"Maybe I like the thrill." She said.

Red-X chuckled, his hand going up to the line of his cloak that kept his mask secure. A sharp pang of anticipation burned its way from her belly to her loins and she smirked at him, challenging him.

"Let's see if you can handle it." He replied.