Hey guys, quick announcement. Sephiroth's Darkness pointed out that Tony Zucco killed Dick Grayson's parents, not Two Face. But there is one very minor D.C. outgrowth branch I heard about in which Two Face killed his parents, and Two Face and his goons are about to kill Dick when he first meets Batman. Also, in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight comics, Two Face came up the nickname 'The Boy Hostage' for Dick because Two Face could easily frustrate and capture him. I decided to just roll with it because it was better for the story line. But I'm going to adhere to most of the standard D.C. back-stories for the rest of this. Now enjoy!

Slade stood before Raven, single eye narrowed. Raven gleaned traces of satisfaction and desire in his one eye as he tore the leotard from her body, magically branding the tattoos into her skin. She tried to cry out, tried to fight him, but Slade's skin was imbued with her father's power and absorbed her magic harmlessly. This time Slade dipped his head down to hers face. He removed the mask, and suddenly Raven was cowering before the immense face of her father.

She tried to summon the anger, the protective fury that had banished him before, but for the first time in her life no magic stirred in her veins. Her panic induced no explosion of dark energy, and Raven fell to her knees, grabbing her shoulders and trying to withhold a scream.

The Ring of Azar guards the world from your powers her father rumbled. Raven saw the gold band encircling her finger, the red inscriptions glowing in the light of the flames that burned sixty feet tall around her. Raven's blood ran cold. No, the Ring of Azar was design to protect the wearer from Trigon's power. It shouldn't affect her, it couldn't. Raven blinked hard, and when she opened her eyes her legs and the brimstone beneath her were bathed in a crimson light that emanated from her eyes. Raven clawed at all four eyes on her face, screaming as the markings burned her skin. Like father, like daughter Trigon chuckled, his voice worse than a thousand rusty knives dragged across jagged rock.

The dream shifted, and Raven saw Beast Boy's scowling face. 'You never want to do anything fun, Raven. You just sit around reading your dumb books, and whenever anyone tries to be nice, you turn on them. Do us all a favor: stop being such a creepy freak and get out of here. You don't have any friends.' He told her. Each word was like a hot knife to the gut.

Beast Boy changed into Starfire, her green eyes glaring, accusation pouring from them like acid. You cannot feel or have friends because you are too bossy and rude. You could not comfort me when I was hurt because you were more worried about sleep. You are not right for Robin. If you were a friend you would not be having these feelings for him. You are a Clorbag Varblerneilk. Raven tried to reach toward Starfire, but her trembling arm stopped when it was only half-extended.

Starfire dissolved into mist, and Cyborg stepped forward, eyes narrowed. You took me away from Sarasim. She was counting me, the whole village was counting on me, and you took me away. I could have had the perfect life there, stronger and faster and smarter than everyone else .You could have sent me back to visit. You could have at least let me say goodbye. Now all I have is a picture from your dumb old book. Raven wanted to scream that she was sorry, that she hadn't known, but she couldn't find her voice.

Cyborg vanished. Raven's mother Arella stood in his place, her frown reeking of disapproval. You were always flawed, a cursed child. But you did not just accept your fate- you accepted your father's rule like a meek, obedient servant, content to do whatever had been foretold. Had you fought him as your friends had, he would have been powerless when he came to earth, unable fight. You are no daughter of mine. Raven blinked. Her mother, her only kin…

Her mother melted into the figure of another Azarathian woman. Despicable child, Azar scolded. You were raised in Azarath. I taught you to use your powers for peace. All you have done is destroy. You have brought more pain and misery WITHOUT following your father's orders than every Azarathian in our history combined! You are a disgrace to my name and my tutelage. It took all of Raven's remaining will power to restrain the tears. Not Azar. Azar who had mentored her, had protected her. No, nothing could be worse…

The figure changed once more.

No.

Robin stood with his back to her. He turned to look at her over his shoulder. The others had been angry and their image vivid but not like this. Robin's masked eyes shone with pain and grief like Raven had never seen in them. She could feel his lostness, his abandonment, his hurt through their bond, venomous blades twisting through her brain and into her heart. He was not angry. He was broken.

Why? Robin choked. We could have been good together. We share a bond. I let you in, confided in you. I went to Hell and back just for you even before this developed between us. Maybe it would have been hard, but we could have worked something out if you hadn't been so afraid of taking a chance. We could have worked. Robin shook his head and turned away from her. Raven could feel his thoughts: he couldn't stand to look at her anymore. If you want to be alone so badly, fine. I'll leave. That's what you wanted, isn't it? Complete peace to control your powers so that you don't destroy the world again? Robin did not vanish. He slowly, meticulously, intentionally walked away from her. And Raven knew with the absolute certainty of a prophecy that he would not come back.

Raven tried to scream, call out to him, beg him not to leave, but her voice caught in her throat and she fell mute. She tried to run to him but stumbled and fell to her knees. Raven desperately tried to get up, run after Robin, do something, anything at all, but she could not move or speak.

Robin left her.

…

no…

"So good to see you again, sweet Raven," a disturbingly familiar voice purred. Raven turned to see Malchior flying in place behind her, eyes narrowed in cruel pleasure.

"You," she sobbed. "How…how did you get here?" Raven hadn't realized that she was crying before, but now a disgusting flood of tears washed down her cheeks. Malchior chuckles echoed through her dreams in the same voice that had charmed her so effortlessly and made Raven into a tool for Malchior's personal gain, like she was a harlot…

"Awww, did you really expect to banish me completely from your world simply by sending me to another dimension? I will return to your dimension in good time, but your dreams are another matter. You left yourself open to my mentoring, and now your weakness has left your mind open. As long as you remain a weak, sniveling little girl, I can probe your dreams all I like. And I must say, I like what I see a lot."

"Get out," Raven whimpered. She hated herself for sounding so weak- no, she hated herself for being so weak.

"Ahahaha. In your state of mind you couldn't force Beast Boy out. Really, Raven, even I never thought your were this pathetic, allowing mere imaginations to crush you." Raven leapt up, a feverish hope building in her chest.

"It's just my imagination? None of it is real?" she implored, desperate. Malchior gave her a dragon's smile.

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Raven awoke with his laughter ringing in her ears. She stared at her door, where wayward dream emotions had etched the Mark of Scath. Raven felt her face. It was dry, free of tears. But dry sobs racked her throat, uncontrollable and painful. She hugged her arms to her shoulders, more alone and emptier than she could remember.

Frantic pounding shook her door. Raven started and a bolt of black energy shot from her body, striking the lock by chance. Robin rushed into her room, eyes wide.

"I could feel you," he gasped. Raven stared in silence, too distraught and befuddled to respond. "I could feel your thoughts," Robin continued. "In my mind. You were in pain." He looked around her room, where her Nevermore mirror and a handful of books lay in the glittering piles of dust that used to be her possessions. "Raven, what happened here?" Robin took a step toward her, and black energy shot from Raven's body against her will, blasting him back to the doorway.

Raven clutched the sheets to her chin, horrified. Robin stood slowly, massaging his chest with one hand. Raven tried to let him know it was an accident with her eyes, but she couldn't tell if he understood or not.

"I…I guess you want to be alone," Robin said, voice heavier than usual. Raven could feel depression through their bond, not as intense as it had been in her dream, but enough to frighten her. Robin began to walk out the door, head bowed.

"Wait," Raven gasped, suddenly able to speak. Robin turned to look at her, surprised. "Don't leave," Raven whispered. The sound was feeble in her ears, but it was all she could manage. "Please don't leave me, Robin." Robin crossed the room to sit on the side of her bed.

"I will never leave you, Raven." He promised. Raven could no longer restrain the tears. She lunged, tackling Robin's torso and wrapping her arms around his neck. She buried her face into his collarbone and shoulder and cried, quiet, torrential, miserable tears. Robin wrapped his arms around her back and held her close, his hands gentle but firm. He tucked her head into the hollow under his chin, and for once Raven didn't give a damn that she was being absolutely useless and pathetic. He was here, and this Robin was unbreakable, not physically, but emotionally. He would always keep fighting, regardless of the consequences. She clung to that strength and compassion like it was her lifeline. Perhaps it was.

She could feel vast quantities of magic stream from her body, but Raven neither knew nor cared where they were going.

She tried to tell Robin about her dream through the sobs, but the only coherent words she was able to form were Slade, Trigon, Malchior, and please don't leave. After Raven had cried herself out she kept her face buried in Robin's shirt for another two seconds. She could justify holding on to him no longer. When she pulled back, Raven saw a tendril of magic snake its way into his chest. Horror rose like bile as she realized where the ungodly amount of deadly energy had gone. Raven frantically shut off her magic.

"We have to get my magic out of you," Raven told him, her voice still to rough and broken to be acceptable.

"It's ok," Robin assured her. He held out his hand, and after a moment black energy coiled from his hand and into the dust, rebuilding her room, erasing the Mark of Scath, and siphoning the energy from Robin's body until none remained. It took Robin minutes what Raven could have done in seconds (in her right mind), but Raven was amazed at his control. Robin smiled at her.

"I learned a lot during the Trigon battle," he murmured. "And look, you helped me out all by yourself." He pressed her hand hard against the spot where she had hit him. Raven could tell that there was no bruise. The injury had healed. His hand lingered on hers. Robin blushed; Raven could feel his awkwardness.

"I'll leave you to go to sleep now," he muttered. Robin started to get up, and Raven instinctively tightened her hold on his hand, keeping him on the bed. Robin raised an eyebrow, and Raven took a deep breath, forcing herself to let go of his hand. She couldn't be like Starfire. Robin needed to make his own choices for himself without her meddling.

"Sorry," she muttered. Robin stood but didn't leave.

"Raven," he asked. "Is there something I can do?"

"I-" Raven choked for a moment. Then she shook her head, continuing in the best monotone she could manage. "I'm not going to tell you to do anything, Robin. You can do what you want."

"What I want is to help you," Robin murmured. "But I don't know how. Do you need me to leave, or…" Raven was shaking her head no before he finished.

"Don't go," she whispered. Raven grabbed his hand again. "Don't go. Stay, but stay only if you want to, not because you think you have to." Robin brushed a few strands of hair behind her ears, fingers lingering over the curve of her ear.

"I will never, never leave you, Raven." He murmured. "I am always here for you." He sat up straight on the bed, holding her hand out to her so that she could lie down and sleep while he sat. But Raven tugged on his hand as she slowly lay down. A tiny whimper crept from her throat. If she had heard herself make it any other time Raven would have beat herself silly, but now she didn't have the strength to care.

Robin's eyes flew wide. Dark circles still adorned his eyes around the mask's edges. Raven though he was going to get up and leave, but Robin unbuckled his cloak and neatly folded it one handed before laying it on the floor. He slipped out of his steel-toed boots and allowed Raven to pull him under the cool sheets with her. Raven still had her leotard on, and she pressed herself against Robin, feeling the bone and hard muscles of his chest as he breathed. His long arms encircled her back, and Raven wrapped her arms around his waist. She buried her face in his neck, and Robin tucked his head securely over hers once more.

Raven pushed herself against Robin as hard as she could, entangling their legs and curling against his bony frame. Robin was nothing but sharp, jabbing bones covered in lean, stony muscle, but somehow Raven couldn't imagine a more comfortable pillow. Robin rubbed one hand in small, slow circles on her back, and Raven took immense comfort in the gesture. He pressed his lips against the crown of her head, not quite kissing her but not removing his lips either. Raven moaned quietly, not from desire, but from relief, pent up anguish slowing easing out of her body. His hand stilled at her back. Robin pulled her a touch closer and adjusted his lips on her head. His hand went to brushing down her hair in slow, soothing strokes.

As Raven melted into his touch, her hands repositioning to clutch his shoulder blades, she began to slowly drift out of consciousness, finally giving into the crushing, taxing exhaustion. The small voice of Passion whispered in her ear. This is all that I sought. Will you fight to prevent it?

Raven slept without dreams for the first time in more than three months.

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Raven awoke curled tightly against Robin. Her first instinct led her to burrow her face even deeper into his shoulder. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his heartbeat, the steady breathing, and faint snores that emanated from him. Then Raven began thinking logically. She should move now before her powers got out of hand and leveled her room. And if someone came in and saw them, it would lead to no end of trouble. What time was it anyway? Raven had awoken for the first time in the middle of the night, but what time was it now?

She wriggled over so that her back was against Robin and she could face the window. Instantly she felt even better. This was how she usually slept, curled on her side facing the window. The curtains were drawn. It could have been four a.m or nine a.m. Raven carefully stretched to look at the old fashioned clock on her nightstand.

Ten a.m. Damn.

Raven heard a faint mumbling, and the arms around her abdomen tightened their hold. She glanced over her shoulder to see Robin yawn. He smiled blearily, his masked eyes narrowed in contentment and spiky hair splayed all over the pillow. Raven couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning," he mumbled.

"Morning," she replied, uncertain what to do now. Was she supposed to stay, go about her normal business, make breakfast? Well, ok, if he ate her cooking he would be dead before he went to bed next, but still…

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Ten in the morning," she said, hoping that it wasn't ten p.m. of the next night. "So…" Raven shifted, reluctant to break the comfortable atmosphere. "Should we, um, get up?" Robin yawned again.

"I don't know. Do you want to stay here a little longer or go see Beast Boy and Cyborg finish breakfast?" In response Raven flipped onto her side so that Robin was spooning her and tugged his arm tighter around her. Robin chuckled.

"You like this position, don't you?" Raven didn't say anything, but she wriggled back so that her butt ground into Robin a little. Raven had meant just to ease herself closer to Robin, but she could feel something against her cheeks that had been much, much smaller before she touched it. Embarrassed, Raven turned to glare over her shoulder at Robin, daring him to comment. The masked eyes crinkled in amusement, but his only other response was to tighten the arm around her and press his torso against her back, keeping his hips still.

Satisfied, Raven wedged her back against him, careful not to press any harder with any part of her body below the waist but not moving it farther away either. She noticed that his arm was only a quarter of an inch beneath her breasts. Raven dismissed the trail her thoughts were taking. She was happy and content with this peace they had now, and anything…more seemed risky and unnecessary, like it put this simple joy between them in jeopardy.

She searched their bond for any sign that he wanted something a little…more, but Robin was just as content and peaceful as she was. He nuzzled his face into her hair, his cheek resting on her own. He took a deep, slow breath and sighed. She could feel him getting drowsy, and suddenly Raven knew that he liked this position as much as she did.

Just five more minutes, Raven told herself as she relaxed into Robin's warmth.

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A pair of eyes gleamed on the surface of the water, watching the old man. He had attacked the elderly hobo just thirty minutes ago. Now he was waiting for her. With the big bat out of the picture, she had to arrive.

His pets cruised beneath the surface with him, swimming in place. Screw the alligators he used to kill in that freakshow; these were monsters. But they were nothing compared to him.

He didn't see the point of it all, setting up a huge bounty just to hire someone else under the table, but he wasn't complaining. He was finally getting respect, and the bonus cash was substantial.

He saw her, a flicker of movement. He drifted toward the edge of the pier, slow as the earth rotating beneath him and just as steady. The wraith-like woman paused, only her silhouette visible against the brick in the predawn gloom. He studied the shape of her body with longing. Under any other circumstances, he would have postponed killing her to have a little entertainment, but this was no normal woman. He had felt the power in her punch before. And he had the bounty money to think of. And his employer. When he recalled the twisted smile and painted face, he could barely resist the urge to shudder. No, this was too important to mess up.

He slunk ever closer. The girl stopped next to the hobo. The old man had passed out about ten minutes previously. The girl began stretching gauze over the wound when she froze. A delicate, black-gloved finger traced the wound. He lunged for her, exploding out of the water and grasping her calf in his jaws. Teeth pierced flesh and crunched through bone satisfyingly.

But the girl had turned at the same time, and a black blade slashed a jagged wound in his forehead. He released his hold on the prey for only a fraction of a second, but it was enough for her to escape. No! She could not get away.

He hauled himself out of the water, stepping on the hobo's neck as he did so and snapping the spine. The head nearly rolled off the body. The girl gasped, and he struck in her moment of distraction. His blunt claws tore through the grey fabric and into the skin and flesh, leaving five long slashes in her side. She hopped back, her ruined leg tucked tight against her body, face screwed tight with pain under the mask, russet/brown hair waving in a solid curtain.

She hurled a cluster of small, grey balls into his face. The balls burst with a flash of light and issued copious amounts of smoke, temporarily blinding him. He rubbed his eyes furiously and stumbled forward, water welling up beneath the third eyelid. By the time he could see she was gone without a trace.

Damn it! He turned in a circle, searching for any clue that might help him find her. He could find nothing. The distant wail of police sirens grew louder with every heartbeat. He growled. They couldn't see him. That was vital. He slipped back into the water and swam down into the murk, his pets following, giant and deadly.

I know Raven isn't a damsel in distress, if she was I wouldn't be writing this. But when Malchior hurt her she did basically the same thing to Beast Boy (except they were standing up and not in bed), so it's not totally unrealistic. And remember this takes place after all the previous crap. And Raven would never force Robin to stay if he didn't want to, that's what makes her better than Star: she's willing to suffer so that others can keep their freedom. Hope you all like it, next chapter comes out tomorrow, and, as always…Review! (Seriously, thank you everyone who reviewed, I really, really, appreciate it)