I own nothing. The Teen Titans belong to DC and their respective creators.

Chapter titles are taken from the song "Valerie Plame" by Peter Tracy.

Lots of plot, mystery, and Raven irritating Mento. What's not to love?

After shopping, the Titans' kitchen was well stocked. Ten o'clock the next morning found him tucking into a massive bowl of cereal and soy milk. He had a cup of coffee as well, cooling on the solid wooden table. Between the food and the view of the ocean, he was having a good morning so far.

"Yo," said a deep voice.

Garfield turned, seeing a large African American standing in the kitchen. His head was shaved and his arms were huge, but his dark eyes were smiling.

"Hey," Garfield answered, putting his spoon down and tensing slightly.

"I'm Cyborg. Cy," the man said, coming over to shake his hand. "I do the tech work."

Garfield remembered Rachel mentioning their tech guy. Noting the foot that Cy had on him, he was glad this guy seemed so friendly. "Beast."

"Yeah, I know who you are," Cy laughed, going back into the kitchen and pulling eggs out of the fridge.

Garfield smirked, turning back to his breakfast.

"I'm starving. Doing some work, then drove Kori back. Finally caught up on my sleep. You want some eggs?" Cy offered, digging through the fridge.

"Nah, thanks. Vegetarian," Garfield offered up when Cy frowned.

Cy nodded, turning on the stovetop. "How are you and Rae working out?"

He hid his smile in this coffee mug. He'd been focused on the fight, but not so much that he'd missed the way she'd fought in the alley. How she was so confidant; nothing phased her. And watching her knock those creeps down without breaking a sweat…it had been beautiful. "Alright."

"Surprising. She'd been ready to kick your ass for stealing that ledger." Cy mixed the eggs in a bowl, adding in milk and salt.

"Don't blame her. But we do the job we're given, right?"

Cy nodded, "Yeah, man. That we do."

Garfield finished his breakfast and lingered over his coffee as Cy finished making his eggs and had a seat across the table from him. As he settled in, Cy's gaze lingered on Garfield's eye. "Nice shine."

He chuckled slightly and refilled his coffee.

A few minutes later, Rachel came into the kitchen, jeans hiding her bandage. The bruise on her face was almost completely invisible. He suspected makeup, but he couldn't tell for sure.

"Morning," she told them both.

"Morning, Rae," Cy responded. Garfield just smiled at her. She met his eyes and her mouth quirked up slightly before she turned away.

She put the kettle on, sorting out her mug and tea. Leaning against the counter, she looked out the window and Garfield followed her gaze, watching the ocean.

It was a quiet, calm moment.

So, of course it had to be ruined.

"Unbelievable!"

Garfield sighed and put down his cup, preparing himself. He knew that voice. And that tone.

Steve stormed into the room, papers in his hands. Robin was hot on his heels. Rachel glanced at Robin, who shook his head. Cyborg frowned at Steve, but he stalked past them all without a word, then threw the photos onto the table in front of Garfield. "Are you kidding me?"

Moving the papers around, Garfield saw photos of Billy and the others, in varying degrees of pain. It looked to be from a nearby traffic camera. Once again, Steve's deductive skills came in handy. Just not for Garfield.

"You got mixed up with the Hoods. Are you determined to drag our organization down because of your bad choices?!" Steve shouted.

Without moving his eyes, Garfield noted Cyborg's raised brows, Robin's frown, and Rachel's stare. A strange, hot feeling settled into his stomach as Garfield realized he actually felt embarrassed.

When Garfield didn't answer, Steve slammed his hand on the table. "Explain yourself!"

With a sigh, Garfield opened his mouth, "Look, I-"

"It was my fault. And it was unavoidable," Rachel interrupted. She calmly took the boiling kettle off the stovetop and poured the water over the teabag.

When she looked up, every eye in the room was on her. "Was there something else?" she asked, picking up the mug.

While Steve looked ready to implode, Robin just quietly said, "Please, Rae."

She put down her mug and put her hand on her hip. "Once again, I overestimated the male ego."

Cyborg stifled a laugh and Steve frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I shut down a guy at the bar who wouldn't take no for an answer, and he accosted me outside the club," Rachel said calmly. "He pulled a knife and I was forced to deal with him. I didn't realize he was part of a gang until his friends came out of the club, and Beast gave me a hand."

Amazed at her ability to rearrange the facts. Garfield watched her. Her eyes danced as she stared Steve down, clearly enjoying herself. Rachel picked up her mug and took a sip of her tea. She met Steve's glare over the rim of her mug, "Clear enough for you?"

Steve muttered something, but Robin spoke up, "You did what you had to do. Regardless, perhaps you should take a day off from the club. If it's a hangout of the Red Hoods, and seeing as how you beat up six of them, we don't want to attract any more attention. Based on your report last night, it may no longer be of use to us, anyway. We'll focus on Blood." Robin glanced at Garfield. "Get that eye looked at," Robin told him. "And…nice work."

"'Nice work'?" Steve repeated scornfully.

Robin smiled. "Six armed men and they never pulled their guns. It was handled quickly and almost without notice. So yes, good work. Smart call on not needing the club. And a nice display of teamwork. Thanks for having her back."

It was actually the other way around, but Garfield appreciated Robin's comments. "Sure."

Steve rolled his eyes and left the room. Robin watched him go, waited for the door to shut, then looked at Rachel.

"You know better than to lie to me," he told her quietly.

Rachel's eyes flickered down. "I know."

He turned to Garfield, a hard look in his eyes. "And you. I don't know your connection with the Hoods and I don't particularly care. But answer me, will this be a problem again?"

"No," Garfield answered. "Sir."

"Good," Robin responded. "Regardless of how it happened, you had each other's backs. So, we're going to move on from this. No more lying," he looked at Rachel. "And no more gangs. Clear?"

Rachel nodded and Garfield murmured, "Clear."

Robin glanced at Garfield, "Glad to have you with us, Beast. Keep doing good work." He nodded at Cyborg and Raven, then left the kitchen.

Garfield watched him go.

"He's good," is all he said when the door shut.

"There's a reason he's in charge," Cy rumbled.

Rachel sipped her tea and nodded.

"What's his deal, anyway?" Garfield asked.

Rachel and Cyborg exchanged looks. Then he answered, "Rob's been through a lot. But it makes him a great boss."

Garfield didn't disagree. Steve's method was to shout and intimidate, demanding loyalty. Robin earned it.

Cyborg finished off his breakfast quickly, then glanced at Rachel. "Hey, I've been working on a few things and I'd like your input. In-field comms and a new set of your blades. Do you have some time?"

"Sure," she said, putting her mug in the dishwasher. She nodded at Garfield, and the two of them walked out.

Garfield caught part of their conversation as they were leaving.

"…need you to reach out to some of your old CIA contacts," Robin was saying. "I need everything they have on Slade. Especially his whereabouts between five and seven years ago."

So Rachel was former CIA? He could buy it. She had the proper bearing, right attitude. Same skill set.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked quietly. Garfield heard the heavy pause. "You don't think it's him, do you?" Rachel whispered.

"I think it'd be foolish not to check."

"But that was years ago," she argued.

"We're still here, why not him?" Robin murmured. "And this feels too familiar. He's gotten better, sure, but the MO is the same. Just more thought out."

"What does he have to gain?" Rachel asked.

Robin didn't answer and Garfield couldn't see.

Rachel quietly asked, "Should we tell-"

"No. If it isn't him, no need to worry anyone."

"And if it is?"

"Then we'll get him. For good this time," Robin promised. "Will you check on that for me?"

"Of course," Rachel answered, though it sounded hesitant.

Robin's tone was reassuring, "Don't worry; your old partner's long gone. I confirmed it. Shortly after you left."

"Thank you," Rachel replied quietly.

"You've got enough on your plate without worrying about him, too."

Rachel murmured a reply and Garfield heard them walk away, left with far more questions than answers. Who did they think they were chasing down? Was there another Slade he didn't know about? What was their deal with him? Why did Rachel leave the CIA?

And what's with her old partner?

Garfield didn't attempt to follow them to catch the rest of the exchange. Frustrated and anxious to really try out the gym upstairs, Garfield cleaned up after himself and left to find his way there.

"Garfield," Steve stopped him as he was passing his room. "A word."

It wasn't a request.

Garfield followed his boss into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. "Yeah?"

Steve crossed his arms, "Disappointing behavior."

"Look, I'm sorry the Hoods were involved, but I had to-"

"Not you. The girl."

Garfield frowned, "She didn't do anything."

"She instigated a fight between you and the Hoods. She's dangerous."

"She's a spy," Garfield reminded him. "Kind of comes along with the job."

Steve opened his computer, showing a keylogging program had been running since the day they set foot in the safe house. "She did her research on you. She knew about your connection to the Hoods. She set you up."

Garfield laughed, "No, she didn't. They were there and they didn't even know we were there together. It was just a coincidence."

"There aren't coincidences in our line of work," Steve told him, his voice growing harsher. "Pull your head out of your ass and look at the facts."

"She had my back out there, Steve. Without me having to ask. That's the fact." Garfield's fists were clenched.

"She's a Titan. We're D.P."

"She's after the same thing. Rae just wants to stop this guy, like I thought we did," Garfield snapped. "But you seem more focused on pulling this team apart than actually completing the job!"

Steve's face hardened and Garfield knew he had overstepped. "And your infatuation has nothing to do with your attitude?"

Garfield scoffed, "My infat-"

"She's playing you, Garfield. She's a spy. It's what she does."

"And it's what I do," Garfield pointed out. "I can handle myself. And Rachel hasn't done anything to even hint at that. She's just doing her job."

"Don't be an idiot," Steve spat out. "Get out of here and get your head on straight, kid. If this mission goes south, you can rest assured that your career will be joining it."

Garfield stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"These are gorgeous, Vic," Raven breathed, staring at the blades. Small and thin, they could lie against her skin without leaving an impression on her clothing. Perfect for throwing. "I love them."

"Good. I've got a set of six ready for you."

"Fantastic." She tore her eyes away from the knives and looked at the comms. "These look great, too. They sit deeply in the ear, so they're undetectable. You won't be able to see them in photographs, either."

"That sounds wonderful."

Raven smiled as Kori and Dick joined them. The model picked up one of the comms and examined it, "No more finding excuses to get away and use the handheld."

Victor grinned as Dick gave his approval. "Great work."

"I've got two comms, one for each field operative, Kori and Raven," Vic said.

Raven was staring at the comms, "You'll need one more."

When she looked up, Vic was frowning at her.

"Beast will need one if we're working together on the case," Raven said.

"Of course," Dick agreed. "Good call."

"You are working well together?" Vic asked her.

"Yeah. Never really had a partner in the field before and he's…not bad," Raven admitted. Kori and Raven's jobs, although similar, never quite overlapped enough to actually work in the field together. Vic had been her backup a few times, though mostly as surveillance. There had been two memorable occasions when she and Dick had paired up. But in general, Raven was out in the field alone.

"Glad to hear it. Depending on how this goes, we might extend an invitation to him," Dick said, staring at the knives.

"Seriously?" Vic asked.

Dick frowned, "Why not? He's talented. He's smart. He's on fairly equal footing with Rae. Could be a useful asset."

"If we can get him without Mento," Raven muttered.

Vic snorted, "That guy's loads of fun, what're you talking about?"

"But," she continued, ignoring Vic's comment, "you might be right." Garfield was a great agent. He was clever and quick. And he could handle himself in a fight, without being overbearing about it. She wouldn't admit it, but she enjoyed working with him.

Vic added his opinion, "I've only met the guy once, but I like him."

When she looked up, Vic was smiling at her. She shook her head and held up the blade. "When can I take these blades?"

"Not until tomorrow, I want to make sure I've gotten everything written down so I can make more when you lose them," Vic told her.

Raven would have argued that she rarely lost anything other than knives were meant to be thrown at people, but the door slammed open behind them.

"Robin, I've found him," Mento announced, the anger from earlier gone in light of his discovery.

"Already?" Robin asked, moving towards him nonetheless.

Mento nodded, leading them back into the conference room. "I got a hold of his flight plans. They were hidden under a shell company behind some interesting firewalls, but I was able to bypass them."

Raven didn't jump as Garfield appeared at her side, but glared at him. It faded when he seemed a little withdrawn.

"You all right?" she asked quietly before thinking about it.

He smiled, but it was wrong. "'Course."

Raven wanted to press the issue, but Dick glanced at them. "Go get some rest. We'll talk just before lunch, hopefully with a plan."

Vic slipped between her and Garfield. "Hey, man. Want to let me know what you'd like in the field? I'll see what we can put together for you."

"Sure, sounds great," Garfield answered, almost sounding fine.

Raven took a step after them as they headed up into the armory, but controlled herself. She wasn't worried about him. He was a grown man and a spy, he could take care of himself. But she found herself at loose ends nonetheless.

"Rachel," Kori said, taking care to use her codename so close to Steve. "I need a hand finishing my report with Gallagher. Would you mind?"

Pleased with the diversion, Raven nodded. "Sure."

If she seemed a little distracted, Kori never said anything about it.

"Blood will be in Mexico, at his Puerta Vallarta location," Steve announced at their lunch meeting without delay.

Garfield's mind immediately jumped to thoughts of beaches and pale skin in a bathing suit. He dragged it back through a sheer force of will and even managed to keep his eyes facing forward.

Robin spoke up, "We'll all head down there tomorrow morning, but Rachel, Kori and Beast will be the ones in the field."

Rachel and Kori nodded, looking through Robin's plan. Vic began making notes in the margins.

Garfield was unsurprised. Blood was targeting women, it made sense that the two women would be in the field.

Garfield also found that he was a little unhappy. For the exact same reason. But he would never speak up about it – he'd seen Rachel take down armed men in bare feet, so he wasn't about to say anything.

But he thought it.

"So the girls will be bait for Blood," Steve summarized.

Robin stared at Steve with surprise, "No." The younger man frowned, "That's not going to happen."

"I am helping you run this mission."

"Helping. Not dictating," Robin said firmly, the spark of the dangerous man Garfield had met in the kitchen shining through again.

"I thought you would take the most obvious route and-"

"Not when it endangers my team," Robin snapped back. "Not when there's a better solution. Is that how you run your-" Robin cut himself off. He took a breath, then began again with a calmer tone. "Kori will be herself, there for a photo shoot. Rachel will go as her assistant and Beast her security. With a high profile guest, Blood will have to entertain her." Robin laid out all the groundwork. "At some point, he'll have to invite you up to his exclusive floor, where Rachel or Beast could put a tracking device into Blood's electronics."

"And what makes you think Blood will invite a model up to his room?" Steve snapped.

Garfield laughed disbelievingly, but quickly smothered it when Robin shot him a glare. "Sorry."

"I actually have a thought about that," Kori spoke up.

Steve rolled his eyes, "Do you now?"

Rachel's brow arched. "Until you also have three doctorates, Mento, don't speak to her like that."

Garfield hid his grin.

"What do you have, Kori?" Robin asked her.

She pulled out the packet from before, along with a large sheaf of additional papers. "I was reading through Blood's speeches, going back five years. And I noticed a distinct change in his rhetoric in the past eight months."

She handed a small pile to each of them, almost every page notated with tiny handwriting and highlights. Garfield was fascinated as he flipped through the impressive pile of work.

"His original speeches were focused on him. They were arrogant and narcissistic, with every move made to benefit him and his career," Kori said as they flipped through, finding the evidence for themselves. "However, in the past few months, it's changed. Blood began taking a larger worldview. He donated to some fundraisers, spoke about international affairs with a degree of competency, even did a few things to improve education."

Garfield caught up with her train of thought, "He's going political."

Kori glanced at him and smiled beautifully. He couldn't help but notice that although it was gorgeous, it wasn't as pretty as some others. "Exactly." She looked back up at Robin, "His focus so far seems to be donations to large, well-known charities, putting him in the same room as powerful people, obviously to help him get a step up."

Rachel nodded slightly, "And you run Pure Water. That's perfect."

Garfield was aware of Kori's Pure Water Program. Most of the world was. She'd been one of the biggest movements in getting clean drinking water to underdeveloped countries. She held benefits and fundraisers that generated millions.

"So," Kori continued, "our premise is that we're looking for a substantial donation from Blood to solidify our stance before moving on to the international market. He'll want to because it will get him into the political spotlight-"

"And you into his rooms," Robin finished off for her. "Great work, Kori."

She smiled, a faint flush on her cheeks as Robin smiled.

Garfield glanced between them, seeing the obvious connection. He caught Cyborg's eye and the big man grinned at him.

"Excellent," Robin said, tearing his eyes away from the model. "Here's a stipend. Take today and get what you need." He handed an envelope to Garfield, "Security." Another went to Rachel, "Secretary and assistant. Cy will be finishing up the comms, one for each of you. I've asked him to include a tracker as well, just to be safe. Flight leaves at seven in the morning, so I'll see you all packed and ready by five."