Yet another chapter! Didn't get too many reviews for the last. Wondering if I did something with that chapter no one liked...well, the story continues! Soon, you will be seeing familiar faces, so keep in tune! This chapter isn't too lengthy, but hopefully will tide you all (my loyal readers) over until next week. I won't be posting anything new on my days off. Sorry...so! Enjoy the chapter and thanks for reading!

10: The Conscience's Influences

Their soft bed brought her no comfort. The disturbing meditation session had shaken Raven to the core. While she lay completely still and silent, staring at the silk covering of their canopy bed, Slade sat at the bedside watching over her. An hour had passed since the incident and she was refusing food and drink. This behavior Slade hadn't seen in years, ever since he first hidden her from Lex Luthor. The sun was drifting lazily into the top of the sky and Slade had grown bored of watching its progress. There was no words between them and the silence was becoming unbearable for Slade. To know the only woman he cared about was refusing his company caused a streak of aggravation. Slade could recall no account on which he should be treated as such.

"Raven. I believe I have done nothing to receive this treatment. Tell me what happened," Slade asked in a smooth, low voice. Still she didn't answer him and instead, rolled over in the bed so her back was to him. This was not something Slade could ignore. It was an instant before he was on the bed and forcing her onto her back. Hands caught her wrists and as he prepared to force the problem out of her, he stared into her glowing white eyes. It was a second too late when he realized he made a grave mistake. The white hot power of her magic blasted him off her and through the wooden canopy of the bed. He landed hard on the bed and had hit his masked face on the headboard. When he groaned and sat up, he saw her standing at the end and glaring angrily at him. It occurred to him the mistake he just committed.

"Raven...I wasn't going to-"

"SHUT UP!"

The dangerous aura surrounding her silenced Slade as he stared. It was wise not to pick a fight with her while she was this upset. Slade removed his mask to show her concerned face. Once Raven was faced with an unmasked Slade, her anger simmered down. She looked down at the floor and said nothing more. Seeing this as the only window of opportunity, Slade slid off the bed's side and walked to her. Still she remained motionless and refusing to face him. With a gentle sigh he wrapped his arms around her frame and held her tightly to his chest. Raven didn't protest as she closed her eyes and drew closer into his hold. Slade was different with her. On the surface he may appear the same as she known him years ago, but now, she knew who he loved and knew without a doubt he would jump in to protect her.

"I'm sorry, Slade...something different happened in my meditation...I...I don't know what happened but it broke my focus."

"You have to tell me what happened."

Raven didn't want to tell him the deepest secrets she had. The fantasies she had about him, or the fact there was still a lingering hatred within her. If he heard that a foreign entity was able to force itself through into her meditation, it would be the end of her meditation sessions. While Raven was aware of the many changes she made over the years, the one tradition she never abandoned was meditation...and she wasn't about to let some invading force make her give that up.

"...I...I...it was something foreign entering my mind and forcing me to look into the past...I think I know what to do to deal with this."

Slade's eye narrowed in concern. A seperate entity not a part of Raven had been able to infiltrate her mind? For an outside force to even be able to enter someone's mind had to take great magic skills, perhaps on Raven's level or higher. For it to be able to locate it's target was another matter. This wasn't a time to pummel her for answers and took instead to petting her and soothing Raven. While Slade had no guess what this force was, it was obvious it wanted to tear them apart and turn them on one another.

The two sat outside on the patio. Remnants of rain still remained from yesterday morning, but the sun was doing a swell job of drying them up. Birds were chirping and the sound of the lively city gave them a sense of excitement. They both were sharing a cheese pizza under an umbrella and drinking coke. They had talked about the nice day, and were making plans to venture through the big city and shop. Jinx wanted to show Cyborg where she bought her clothes while he wanted her to see a favorite game arcade of his. The two shared laughs as Cyborg told her funny stories (mostly including Beast Boy making a fool of himself) and entertained her with the facial expressions to go with it. After most of the pizza was gone and their cups were bone dry did Cyborg grow more serious. He picked up one of the remaining two slices and stared at it for a moment.

"Jinx...you still mad at me for deceiving you at the H.I.V.E.?"

The smile disappeared from her as she stared into the empty cup. Her cat-like eyes blinked a few times before she smiled.

"Well, a little, I guess...I was...kinda taking a liking to you. You acted so cool. Hmhm, you were always pissing Gizmo off. When I found out who you were I still wasn't too angry. I wanted you to be with us, with me."

Cyborg gave a weak smile and set the pizza slice down. He had liked a few girls in his life but he had taken a liking to Jinx first. Once he got to know her and get past the chilly exterior, he found how nice she could be.

"Ya know, you can stay with us...become a Titan. We won't abandon you at all. At least, I ain't gon' to."

When he looked up to her she was staring at him with those wide eyes and a mysterious smile. She had looked back down and pushed the cup away from her.

"I never had anything personal against you Titans...it was always cause someone was hiring us, or ordering us. Slade, Headmistress, Brother Blood...and I thought I got to know you a little bit with you infiltrated our academy. I liked that. I did hate you for a bit for sticking with your friends and not us, not me...but it seems a time has come that we can look beyond that, right?"

Cyborg gave a nod and smiled. Jinx threw down the money and grabbed his hand, giggling and dragging him off. Their early date was filling her with a giddiness and happy feeling she couldn't quite decipher.

"Let's go to that clothing store!"

"Cyborg? Cyyyboooorg!"

Beast Boy was looking everywhere for his friend. The garage, Cyborg's room, the gym, the usual places he would be at. The search turned up empty and Beast Boy walked back into the living room and collapsed on the couch by Starfire. Wide green eyes stared at him in confusion before she poked him a few times in the head. It was a beautiful day out and he wanted to see if Cyborg wanted to join them in a game of volleyball.

" Have you not found our friend Cyborg yet?"

"Nope. Man, I don't know where he's at!"

Rose was lounging by the window staring out of it at nothing in particular. Cyborg was missing and so was Jinx. She remembered Cyborg walking out of the room this morning, and never coming back. When Rose went to check on their unwanted guest, Jinx, she also was missing. Rose refused it to be so simple as the two going out on a date. She knew Gizmo and Mammoth were alive. Could that whole thing have been a set-up? Jinx could have led Cyborg out alone and have her friends help ambush him. After all, Cyborg was a crucial member. It was he who invented and installed the security system for the tower, built the team's transportation vehicles, and made the technology so that if even one criminal was raising a problem in the city, it automatically phoned the tower. If they could subdue him then that little tech freak Gizmo could hack into Cyborg.

"You all do know Jinx isn't here either, right?"

The room grew quiet when Rose spoke. Nightwing put down his paper as he thought about what she said. Beast Boy let concern rise to his face as he thought of the worse case scenarios Jinx could put Cyborg in. Starfire frowned and looked to Nightwing.

"Perhaps we could call him?"

Nightwing gave a nod and picked up his communicator. He raised it to his face and spoke clearly into the speaker part. "Cyborg, you there? Answer, Cyborg!" he yelled and after a few moments, they heard Cyborg's voice respond.

"What, man? I'm out right now. Somethin' goin' down?"

The normal response ended the others' suspicions except Rose's.

"You out with Jinx, Cyborg?"

"Yeah, we're at this crazy clothing store she shops at...don't worry, man. We'll be back soon."

Nightwing hung up and set the communicator down. Fingertips drummed on the counter before Nightwing sat back and picked up his paper again. Beast Boy sat up and felt more relieved knowing his friend was out and would be back soon. The television came on and Rose tried her best to block out the noise. This wasn't a time to be watching showtimes. She went to her room without saying anything and locked the door. Rose walked to her bed, fell on it and laid there for a long time. The comfortable mattress and warm covers was becoming inviting. She crawled in and figured a nap wouldn't hurt. Anything to avoid this sickening feeling they had a spy in the tower.

Dreams were weird. Rose was hopping along the roofs of towers, along with her friends. They were chasing a giant floating blob around the city. Nightwing yelled at Starfire, telling her she had to eat it to stop it from destroying the city. Starfire was whining, and telling him she didn't have any gorgakop'd sauce to eat it with. Beast Boy was a flying pig at her side who had a fork in his mouth. As she came close to the blob, she drew her katana only to find it was a plastic kid's sword. Still, she narrowed her eyes as if she meant business with this feeble toy. Just as Starfire had hopped on the glowing blob and started gnawing on it, did the whole scene disappear into an inky blackness.

It was suffocating and dead silent. Rose groped the dark air in front of her and came in contact with nothing. For a few moments, Rose feared she had gone blind. It was a thought she was fearing and beginning to whimper about until a flash of light behind her eased her worry. As she turned to see what the light was, there only stood a man. His clothes were a shining white which contrasted against the endless darkness. His blonde hair and fair blue eyes were kind and gentle. Rose was unsure of this person, feeling that this was not safe. There was something unusual about this "dream".

"Hello, Rose."

Rose glared at the man with a look of intense hatred and backed away. Never once did she let her eyes stray from the figure and instinctively her hand went to her hip for her katana. The blonde man put his hands up to show no harm, stopping where he was. Once rose felt safe enough to talk to this person, she came out with the first and foremost question in her head.
"Who are you?"

The man gave a warm smile and put his hands on his chest.

"I am The Conscience. I am the one who knows you through and through, better than you will know yourself. I have come here to help you."

"I don't need help," Rose spat as she backed off.

"You are sadly mistaken. You see, you have a mind dripping with the aspect of vengeance. It reeks. Your eyes give it away."

Rose tried not to let her astonishment show as she withdrew her sword and prepared to fight him. Still the man didn't once let his face change and continued to gaze at her fondly.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"You want vengeance against your father, don't you? A father who's never been there and whom you hated being with. You joined the Titans to spite him, knowing they were his arch enemies. Knowing it was the best shot you had at facing him and fighting him."

"SHUT UP!"

Rose didn't want to hear no more. The more this man talked about suggested motives, the more she found out to believe that it was the true reasons she taken those chances. This man wasn't some ordinary man and this couldn't be an ordinary dream. Rose began to look for an exit or some way to rn away and not listen to this person.

"Rose. Flirting around and playing hero won't erase the pain, and once you do defeat your father, what will you do then? Will you see his face in every other criminal?"

Rose hissed and threw her katana at the man's face and just before the blade would have struck him, Rose woke up screaming and sat bolt upright. Nightwing and the others were crowded around her bed, all with deeply concerned appearances. Even Jinx was standing by Cyborg laden with bags and was curious as to what was going on.

"Just...a bad dream, guys. Real bad dream...I'm ok."