"Somebody is in an awful good mood today." said Cyborg to Raven as she walked into the common room and approached the kitchen to where her friends were having breakfast. "Does it have to do with a certain vampire in your bedroom?"
The empath couldn't help but grin slightly as she remembered waking up tangled in her girlfriend's arms. Mika's hair was all messy and she had the cutest smile on her face as she sweetly kissed her brow so she would release her. "Well that certainly helped."
"Somebody had a fun night." hinted Beast Boy smirking at Raven.
"Don't get your lesbian fantasies running. We just talked and slept. After all she's here detained as a murder suspect." declared the empath taking a seat next to him.
"So, where is Mika right now?" asked Nightwing noticing the lack of the other girl.
"Still sleeping in my room. She refuses to go out until the sun goes down."
"So she doesn't shine in the sun?" teased Beast boy.
"Don't even mention that to her." she knew her girlfriend hated that reference. Cyborg placed a plate of waffles in front of her, but before she took the first bite she turned to address their leader. "Are we going to continue the interrogation when she wakes up?"
"I don't really think that's necessary. I checked the security tape of the night of the first murder, and she's downtown at GameStop like Gar. She sneaked in front of the line to be the first one, but besides that minor offense, I doubt her mind was set on picking someone off the street and dumping him all the way across town. And if she can't go out during daylight hours, some of your dates can also be used as alibis."
"So you are fine about me and her then?" inquired Raven a little worried.
"She's not a criminal, so I have nothing to forbid your relationship."
"But you are good about it?" questioned the empath. She could feel Richard's discomfort about Mika and it made her feel insecure.
"She's pretty, and she certainly strikes me as your type."
"But?"
"I think she's too old for you."
"She does claim to be a teenager… whatever that means." justified Raven.
"Come on dude. Give her a break. I think she's pretty cool." remarked Beast Boy placing an encouraging hand on Raven's shoulder. "You think she might want to play Mega Monkey with me?"
The half demoness smiled back at him. He was really sweet when it mattered. "I think she'll like that."
"Oh, you think she might like to do the girl talk and go to the mall of shopping too?" shrilled Starfire excited. The possibility of a new female friend made her burst with giddiness.
"I don't know about that one Star, she's kind of a tomboy."
"What is a boy tom?" asked the Tamaranean confused.
"A girl who likes boyish stuff." explained her boyfriend trying to help.
"So that would make Raven a boy tom? She does like the girls."
"No, that just makes her a freak… a sexy freak." teased the changeling make Raven scowl.
"What about you?" asked Raven turning to look at Cyborg, he looked confused by the question. "What do you think about my choice of partner?"
"You really care what we think about it?"
"I shouldn't… but I do… you guys are my family." explained the empath.
"I think you have good taste in women." admitted the metal man. "But she does have this am-a-bad-ass-vamp kind of look. So she can expect an older brother talk from me."
"That's just for show off; she's really sweet with me."
"Then as long as she makes you happy we won't have a problem." finished Cyborg smiling for her before going back to devour his waffles. Raven did the same.
"So Richard, if Raven's friend who is a girl is not the killer, then…?" asked Starfire.
"We are back on square one."
Later that night everyone gathered in the living room preparing for tonight's patrol. The Bay Harbor Vampire was still on the loose, so they would work undercover to try and catch the perpetrator of such heinous acts. Cyborg was wiring Raven's clothing when Mika finally showed up.
"Alright let's get it over with." exclaimed the vamp walking over to them.
Nightwing turned from the case files he had on the table to look at her. "That won't be necessary. We checked your alibis and it all adds up. You are free to go."
"Alright! So let's continue the smooching luv." exclaimed the vampire hugging her girlfriend tightly.
Raven blushed at Mika's bluntness. She didn't seem to mind the others were there. So she apologized and softly pushed her away "Sorry, tonight's not a good night."
"But you are dressed like you're going to party." argued Mika.
"We are working under cover." said Starfire to help her friend. "To catch our real bad guy."
"Oh! Right. Hero stuff." The vamp was suddenly feeling a little out of place. "So what exactly are you guys doing tonight? Maybe I can help."
"We are going to be patrolling in civilian garb." explained Raven. She then turned to look at their leader. "Where are we going to be posted exactly?"
"Raven you will go to the Vamp Bar, Starfire to the college frat party, and Beast Boy to The Hype. If anyone comes near you and tries to take you out alone to the street go with it, our killer might lure people out like that."
"Dude wait!" interrupted Beast Boy looking at his leader like he had grown two heads. "Isn't The Hype the gay club? If I get picked up by a guy I'm gonna freak! I might even punch someone!"
"Don't be such a homophobe Beast Boy…" scolded Raven.
"Fine." Robin sighed. "Raven you go to The Hype."
"Hey!" Mika sounded offended. "If she gets picked up by a girl at the club I'm going to be the one freaking out and punching people!"
"You calm down and lower the butch level, ok? Nightwing is sending his girlfriend to a frat house and he doesn't get all psycho." Raven called her off making the vampire pout and cross her arms like a spoiled child about to throw a tantrum.
Nightwing sighed. He had enough trouble dealing with his hormonal teenage team to deal with a jealous vampire, so he thought he might at least put her on something useful. "Mika if you want to help, why don't you take a look at the pictures of the victims and tell us if there are any signs that might point us in the direction of anyone you might know?"
"Sure." agreed the brunette happy to be of assistance. But as Nightwing was about to usher more orders Mika's yelp interrupted him. "Holy shit! What is that?" she said pointing at the images from the frat house incident.
"That is the scenario of the Bay Harbor's Vampire collective massacre." stated the Titan's leader as a matter of fact.
"Dude, there is no way that was a vampire! First off, no one has a mouth that big. Second, we don't leave any marks, and those are some mean scars. Third, there is no blood anywhere, feeding is a messy process. A blood bath would require… well blood. And fourth, there are no signs of a struggle, keeping so many people subdued most have required several attackers. Not just one." explained Mika quickly.
"You seem to know a lot about murder scenes for someone who claims to be a pacifist." remarked Nightwing.
"I have satellite tv… Besides, my knowledge on the matter has nothing to do with what we are discussing here…" declared the vamp.
Nightwing assessed her words carefully but they didn't really had much to go on to change strategy. "Well that doesn't change tonight's plans. Raven, Beast Boy and Starfire you are going to be the bait; we can only hope the vampire takes you for a victim. Cy and I will be in the T-Car at a safe location nearby to come to your rescue."
"Wait! You are sending the three of them alone and expect them to be snatched away by whatever did this?" snapped Mika. She was overprotective by nature, and there was no way she was going to let her girlfriend get kidnapped by a monster.
"Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy are perfectly capable of defending themselves." answered Nightwing as he tried to reason with her.
"Yeah, I bet they are. But you don't know what you are really dealing with here." interjected the vamp. "Look, there are a lot of things that go bumping in the night, but there are really few that are scarier than me, and whatever did those kids in the frat house certainly sends chills down my spine."
"Mika, we'll be fine. We know what we are doing." finally said Raven trying to calm down her overprotective girlfriend.
"I'm just trying to take care of you."
"Ok, hold it right there! I don't need you to take care of me. I think that is perfectly clear now." groaned the empath. She had mixed feelings regarding that matter. She found it sweet that she worried like that, but she hated to be treated like a delicate flower.
"Ok fine. But you are trusting he will save you if you get snatched away?"
"He has and he will." argued Raven. She wasn't sure how to explain her loyalty to their leader was exactly because of everything he did for her during his father's invasion of the Earth. Of course he would save her if needed.
"He's the only one with no superpowers around here!"
That did it. Mika had successfully wounded Nightwing's pride. They all knew the subject about his lack of superpowers made him feel like he had to overcompensate for something. Powers or no powers he was an extraordinary leader and could perfectly manage any threat, but the vampire had touched a delicate string for him. He remained stoic, but soon turned to the demoness and gave her an order she knew she just had to comply. "Raven, take your girlfriend home."
The empath looked at her girlfriend sheepishly and took her hand to escort her out. Mika felt betrayed that Raven didn't take her side and immediately barked. "That's not necessary. I can leave on my own."
Raven stopped her as she began walking fast towards the door. "Wait, I'll take you home. There's a psycho on the loose, I want to make sure you get safe."
"Ok, now you hold it right there. I don't need you to keep me safe either!"
"That's not what you said when you where coming to the Tower!" argued the demoness finally losing her patience.
They stared at each other until finally Cyborg stepped in to try and defuse the tension. "Ok, ladies. We all get you are both strong, independent women. Can you kiss and make out so we can get back to work?"
"Yeah, whatever. Come look for me when you are done playing hero."
"How do you think you are going to cross the bay?" asked Raven still mad.
"Like this." said the vampire as she turned into mist and vanished.
They all saw her disappear and realized that if she had wanted to escape she could have easily done it. BB finally turned to look at Raven grinning. "I like your girlfriend Rae; she certainly knows how to make an impression."
"Shut up Gar."
The hours passed and no one had reported anything unusual. The least successful one was Gar; he just didn't fit at the Vamp Bar and returned to the check point with Nightwing and Cyborg.
"Told ya the red head would have been more successful at the gay club." pointed out Cyborg referring to BB's appearance with the holoring.
Raven was not fitting in the club either and was about to return as well. The only one that seemed to be getting a lot of attention was Starfire. Nightwing had to make a colossal effort to restrain himself from breaking in the party and knocking out cold the jerks that had whispered indecencies to his girl.
Richard, if BB is no longer at the Vamp Bar I'll head there and see if I can attract more attention. said Rae into her communicator.
"Alright, good luck."
As the guys waited in the T-Car for the girls to bring any leads, Raven walked alone down the empty streets of Jump City. She remembered going that road with Mika on the night they met, and how she had been burning with desire; the heat had made her contemplate the possibility of taking Mika by force in a dark alley. Probably her girlfriend wouldn't mind that now; she had quite a temper but her anger easily shifted if she got naughty.
Ok Raven concentrate! You'll see her after everything is over, and then you can think of ways to make her forget her anger. Now look for the killer.
With that in mind she approached the Vamp Bar, but as she drew near everything faded to black.
Raven regained consciousness as she was dragged through the floor in what looked like the sewer system. Her head hurt so much she felt like an ax was splitting it in two. She couldn't move, nor her limbs, nor her mouth to talk. She tried to use her magic but she felt it being sucked away from her.
Finally she was dropped in a clearing and she could see the hideous creature that had dragged her there. It was definitely not a human, nor a vampire. His skin was scaly and gray. It had deep, amber eyes, a wide mouth with vicious fangs and long, pointed nails. It circled her like a shark, enjoying the fear creeping through her spine.
Their plan had worked a little too well; they were closer than ever to stopping the murders. All she hoped for was that Nightwing and Cyborg had noticed her location had changed, and they would be there any minute now, or else she would be on the receiving end of those fangs. His eyes were piercing through her soul as if trying to kill her just with that. No wonder his victims had all being terrified in their last moments. And as the monster approached with open jaws ready for the kill, Raven felt panic spread all over her.
Suddenly a flurry of hair and muscles tackled it from the right side. The chocolate brown wolf growled at it and leaped to attack it. But the creature was fast and strong, and managed to grab her from the neck and threw her to Raven's side. Mika turned back to human form, and as the monster launched for them the vampire quickly threw a knife at its eyes. The monster shrieked in pain and Mika took the opportunity to grab Raven and carry her over her shoulder.
The empath was carried away fast through the sewer tunnels by her girlfriend; and as they got further away from the monster she felt her strength return slowly to her. It was as if the beast was the one absorbing her energy.
They finally reached an intersection and Mika stopped unsure of where to head now. Raven felt weird been carried like that so she found the strength to finally talk. "Mika, we are safe, you can put me down now."
The vampire gently placed her on the floor and checked her for any injuries. When she made sure she was ok she finally asked. "What happened? Why didn't you fight back? Why didn't you blow him up or something?"
"I can't. It's like that thing is feeding off my magic." explained Raven trying to make sense of the situation. "Maybe that's what it ingests: Life force."
The empath tried to walk but she stumbled on her girlfriend's arms. Mika kept her still and finally asked. "Are you alright?"
"I feel very weak; like it took a bite out of my essence." answered the Titan as she was embraced protectively by Mika.
"I got you luv."
Raven blushed slightly, even though she didn't want to look weak and fragile she did appreciate having a strong girlfriend on whom to rely on when there was trouble. After a few minutes the empath regained her footing and they both began walking slowly. They were confused and disoriented. And feared they might be walking in circles. They just couldn't find an exit anywhere.
"Luv can't you teleport us out of here or something?"
"In order to do that I have to be able to feel my surroundings, or else we might be teleported inside a wall or something else." explained Raven. "Problem is that thing ate a part of my magic, I can regain it back, but I need time to rest and heal. No wonder I couldn't trace it before. In order to trace something there has to be a life signature, but that thing just devours every trace of it."
"So we are stuck down here with the monster?" fretted the vampire. Although she had successfully managed to get them momentarily away from danger, she was no superhero. Dealing with that kind of crisis was something she had never encountered before.
"The Titans are probably on their way. But we have to warn them, it has the capacity to paralyze its victims. I think that's how it subdued the boys at the frat house."
"How come you are not paralyzed anymore?"
"I metabolize everything too fast."
"Why? What are you?" wondered the vampire with rising curiosity.
Raven stopped walking. She knew she had to eventually come clean to her girlfriend. Her friends had come to accept her the way she was, but she knew deep down they feared the moment she might lose herself to her dark side. That's why they kept the special containment cell in the basement; it wasn't to keep criminals, it was for her in case she got out of control. The empath turned to look at Mika in the eyes. The vampire looked confused by the sudden silence, probably wondering what was so wrong about it. She was afraid her girlfriend might fear her after that, but took a deep breath and finally uttered. "I'm the daughter of Trigon."
"Uh… huh?" was the only response that came from the vamp.
"You don't know who Trigon is?" asked Raven baffled.
"Should I?"
"Ok, that's unexpected…" Raven scratched her head and tried to explain it in a simpler way. Considering they were escaping a monster in the sewers they didn't really have time for long explanations. "Trigon is a demon lord who has done unspeakable evil. So I'm half demon, half human."
"So you are a demoness and a superhero?" asked Mika trying to clarify. Raven nodded, and the vampire remained silent for a few seconds. The half demoness didn't know how to read her reaction, until her girlfriend finally yelped in excitement. "Awesome… I got the coolest girlfriend ever!"
"You think I'm cool?" Raven asked perplexed. She really didn't get why her girlfriend would think that was awesome.
"Yeah! I mean you are like the archetypical superhero with a dark past that tries to make up for the evil that lurks in its heart. That's like the most awesome story line plot ever!" beamed the vampire looking at her with reverie.
"You are such a geek."
"Yeah, I'm a total geek." admitted the vampire grinning widely for Raven. "But I'm a cool, beautiful and charming kind of geek."
"I'll give you that." Raven smiled for her warmly. But her expression changed as she caught the movement of something from the corner of her eye. "WATCH OUT!"
Raven barely saw the monster leap out of the shadows towards them. So she pushed Mika out of the way but wasn't fast enough to dodge it herself. She felt a searing pain curse through her left side and fell to the ground, and as the beast towered over her limp body she heard the distinct battle cry of their leader.
"TITANS GO!"
All the team finally appeared and they managed to get the beast away from Raven with long range attacks. And although she felt relief to know they were handling it, the pain became too unbearable and she began losing conscience. Mika kneeled in front of her and Raven could see her panicked expression and her eyes glow faintly red. At that moment she identified the pain came from her neck. The monster had bitten her and she was bleeding heavily.
"You are losing too much blood…" said Mika faintly to her. "Don't worry. I won't let you die."
She saw Mika's fangs elongate and fear spurred in the empath. Mika ripped open her own wrist and placed it hard over the empath's mouth. Raven's mind was racing.
What are you doing!
The half demoness' mouth was invaded by the coopery taste of her girlfriend's blood. She tried to fight it back but had no strength to push her away. And as she did that, Mika closed in on Raven's wound and sank her fangs into her flesh. The empath was so startled by what was happening that she finally swallowed the blood in her mouth.
After that, she could only hear the distinct cries of her friends calling her in the distance. And as the pain and the pressure in her neck faded, Raven was immersed in darkness.
beep… beep… beep
Raven woke up to see the infirmary's white ceiling. Her eyes were sore from the light in the room, and her throat was dry as a desert. She could see the sun going down from the big window on her right side and wondered how much time had passed. The memories of her last battle began pouring into her mind.
"Mika…" she whispered faintly.
"She'll be here in a minute, as soon as the sun goes completely down." She turned to her left and there was Beast Boy smiling at her. "Wakey wakey Rae!"
"BB how long have I been out?"
"Three weeks. You sure had a lot to recover from." he said as he lifted her bed so she would be in a sitting position. He quickly gave her some water and she felt her throat burn from the contact. She had to get used to drinking again. "We've been taking turns to watch over you during the day. Mika spends here all night though."
"She stays here all night?" asked Raven a little surprised.
"Yeah… I hope you don't mind that we let her stay in your room during daylight hours. It's very dark in there. She likes it."
"I guess we have similar tastes…" admitted the empath. "So she's been here in the Tower with everyone?"
"Yeah, she's really cool. I see why you like her. At first she didn't talk much to anyone. She didn't want to get away from you more than necessary either. But then she got hungry and we had to make arrangements to get her sustenance. Cyborg was thrilled cause it gave him an excuse to buy lots of pork chops."
"Pork chops? You feed her pork chops?"
"Oh, no. She doesn't eat. We buy pig's blood at the butcher for her, and Cy gets the pork chops for him."
"Oh!"
"She does say we have her on a veggie diet though…" Raven looked at him confused. "Apparently pig's blood is the equivalent of a veggie diet for a vampire…"
"I guess I had not really assimilated her been a vampire." admitted the empath. "Guess I really like the dark ones, huh?"
"She might be dark, but she saved your life Rae." stated the changeling.
Raven's mind went back to the sewers; she remembered the blood flowing down her throat and the searing pain on her neck. "She did something to me, before I passed out…"
"Yeah. You should ask her about that. It kinda freaked us out."
"Am I going to turn into a vampire now?" asked Raven a little worried.
"No." said Mika as she emerged from the shadows. The sun had finally lowered in the horizon and the vampire made herself present. Raven smiled at the sight. Her girlfriend was wearing her pajamas again.
"Why are you wearing my clothes?"
"Oh you should have seen me yesterday in Starfire's skirts. When you've been away from home for several weeks clean clothes become an issue." answered the vampire approaching her girlfriend. "Your black kitty pajamas actually fit me better. I'm not one for skirts. I have to remember to sit properly."
"You wore a dress once…" reminded Raven.
"Yeah, but I was trying to seduce you, so I really didn't have to remember to sit properly."
"Oooookay… too much information." Beast Boy looked from one to the other until he finally stood up. "I'm going to tell the other ones you are fine now. They'll be thrilled to know you are awake."
As soon as he left, Mika sat on the bed by Raven's side and took the Titan's hand into hers. She petted it taking care of not hurting the part where the IV was feeding her veins with meds.
"You fed me blood, didn't you? Isn't that how vampires are sired?"
"You have watched too much Buffy…" stated Mika sarcastically. "Anyway, you need to be dead first for that, and you never died… I told you I wouldn't let you die."
"Why?"
"Well, I kinda like it when you get all sweaty and your heart starts racing for me."
Raven blushed at this. "You are such a flirt."
"Yeah and you just love that."
Mika approached her and chastely placed her lips on hers. The kiss was soft and gentle but Raven felt her girlfriend's emotions pour into her like a stream of cold water. The vampire had been very afraid she might never wake up and now that she did she was lost for words on all that she was feeling: relief, happiness, uncertainty, fear, hope…
Raven looked back at her as they separated. "That's funny."
"What?"
"Am an empath, and all this time I had not been able to feel your emotions. I figured out it was because you are technically dead. But just now I did… I felt you. It was different than what I normally get though."
"What do you mean?"
"It's as if everyone else was on FM and you are streaming your emotions on AM." explained Raven. "What is not clear is why I'm getting that frequency now… I mean, we have kissed before."
"Maybe it's because of the blood we shared."
"Speaking of which, what exactly did you do to me?"
"My blood has regenerative properties; hence the eternal youth." mentioned the vamp pointing at herself. "I just gave you a bust so you would heal faster, you could have died… I was scared."
"Thank you… Does that mean that anyone that drinks of your blood can live young forever without turning into a vampire?"
"Yes… although that would imply living forever by my side." noted the vamp.
"Well, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea."
They kissed again. Mika was being careful not to hurt her and then lay by her side on the bed, hugging her. They remained for a few minutes like that, enjoying each other's presence, until Raven broke the silence. "Mika… I'm sorry…"
"For what luv?"
"For doubting you…" explained the empath "for contemplating the possibility that you could be a murderer… the Bay Harbor Vampire."
"Well, I am Bay Harbor's only vampire." answered Mika playfully. "But I'm a vegetarian now! And I hope you will give me the opportunity of getting to know each other better."
"Without all the lies?" asked Raven and Mika nodded her consent. "Sounds like a good plan."
They both smiled and looked into each other's eyes. Mika began caressing her face with her fingertips and was closing the distance between their lips when they heard a gasp at the door.
"Told ya we should have knocked!"
Mika quickly stood up as the Titans poured into the infirmary. Raven blushed knowing they had seen them, but her friends commented nothing on it and just hugged the empath, glad that she was awake.
The 4 teenage heroes soon began regaling Raven with the stories of everything that had happened while she was asleep. But then Raven noticed the vampire just looked at them from a shadowy corner in the room. So she turned to look at her, inviting her girlfriend to join in the conversation. Mika smiled and took a sit again in bed next to her. A few minutes later and the brunette was immersed with the boys on a discussion on videogames. Even though Raven was not into those games she smiled, knowing everything was going to be alright from now on.
To be continued…