Chapter 12. Call them brothers.

Raven groaned as her massive headache pounded inside her head, as if something was pushing against the inside of her skull. Her eyes were closed and she turned her head to the side, before sighing. She was at least warm and very comfortable, the caresses on her right hand soothing the pain somewhat, relaxing her and for a moment there, all she wanted to do was sleep, surrounded by this presence and scare the headache away. But then the memory of what had happened hit her. Robin had been poisoned. Her eyes fluttered open and she winced as the same throbbing pain stroke her harder as the light hit her eyes.

"Rae?"

Her eyes went to the figure next to her. She couldn't see properly yet, still confused and flashes of light messing with her perception, but she didn't need to see him to know who was speaking to her.

"Garfield…" she gasped his name, and then immediately asked, "Where's Jason?" She felt the fingers that'd been caressing her hand stop and move away, and she almost wished she hadn't said anything at all.

"He's gone. Threw a smoke bomb right after you passed out and disappeared. I thought, well, it was more important to keep you safe." She opened her eyes fully to stare at Garfield. Even with the dim light and her weary eyes he seemed tired, as if he hadn't been sleeping in days. And maybe he hadn't. How long had it been since she left the tower? A week? More than that? She couldn't remember a time she hadn't been on that rundown tiny room, with just a kitchen, a table and a living area all in the same place, sleeping on the couch as Jason watched her from the floor. At least he'd been a gentleman, already used to not have a bed. But Raven had never lived like that before. She'd always felt some sort of self-pity over her own childhood, living in a temple with no one to speak to her but Azar. Her own mother had never wanted her, the people around her hadn't cared for her and yet, she'd had meals, a bed, a roof. But Jason had lived for years on the street even before meeting Bruce. He'd slept on floors, sometimes on alleys, right under the rain, inside cardboard boxes… Just the memory of it made her shudder. Maybe that was why now she felt so relaxed now, with the comfortable cool sheets covering her body, and the soft pillow under her head. Or maybe it was the man sitting next to her, keeping her safe while she slept.

"Where am I?" she wondered, still trying to blink and grow accustomed to the light. She heard him sigh and move about and then she felt the mattress move. He was sitting next to her now.

"Don't get mad." He said hurriedly and she almost smiled. Leave it to him to still be frightened even though she was still too weak to do anything. "You're in the tower. We- ah, I brought you to Cy. He told me to." The last was added in a rush, as if passing the blame on someone else. And she would've gotten mad, had it not been for the next gesture. Again, he moved his hand against her cheek, removing her hair from her face and she sighed, too weak to hide the pleasure the waves of warmth that came from his touch gave her.

"How's Robin?" She asked as he repeated the action and she closed her eyes.

"Not well… creepy. I've never seen anything like it. I was always telling Robin he should laugh more, but after seeing that expression, I'm starting to understand why he doesn't." Again she groaned as another painful tug inside her head hit her and she felt his panic through his touch.

"Rae, are you-?" He let out a sigh and removed his hand. She felt him stand up and move around the room and she blinked again, trying to focus her vision. "Cy said this would happen. He's destroying your mind, X I mean. It's his fault. That- hatred or something, he's-"

"Garfield, please." She said and, though her tone was stoic, he could almost hear her desperation, "It wasn't his fault. I was the one who-"

"There you go again. Stop protecting him, Rae. He's a criminal. He's not some lost puppy you found, who's aggressive because he never had an owner. This is a thief, someone who belongs in jail."

"I'm the one who made the bond."

"A bond that's killing you." She sighed, turning her head. Now she could see him clearly, pacing next to her.

"It's not killing-"

"Yes it is, Rae! Cyborg said so. He said it's like… like a parasite or something."

A parasite? She groaned as she tried to sit up. He was immediately next to her, holding her up and trying to help her. And, maybe taking advantage of her situation, she leaned against him, letting out a breath and relaxing for once.

"Where is he?" she asked and she felt him growl, so she had to explain. "Cyborg. Where is Cyborg?"

"Oh." He seemed torn between moving away and staying next to her. "He went to check on Robin. Star's with him too. He should- ah." Just as he was saying that the door to the infirmary opened. Cyborg stepped in and he looked just as tired as Garfield did. He raised his human eyebrow as he noticed the two sitting close on bed but said nothing of it.

"I see you're up and going, Rae. Well, not literally. Since you can't." He said, though his tone didn't sound as happy as it usually did. He looked at her dully, and it was obvious he was mad at her. "How're you feeling? I mean, apart from the headaches, the pain, the weakened powers and the fact that you just lived alone in a room with a most wanted thief for about a week?" She glared at the big brother of the team and then turned her narrowed eyes at Garfield. The green boy gulped and this time he moved away from her.

"I- ah, I told them how you two were- you know." She sighed but turned her angry eyes at Cyborg.

"I don't see how that's anyone's problem but mine." Cyborg regarded her for a moment, still cold, and then nodded, looking down at the chart in his hand.

"Yeah, you're right. You're free to live with how many criminals you want." She almost choked at his sarcasm, but only glared. "Hope you had fun, because now we have a thief on the loose and two teammates down." He flipped the chart and walked closer. "How's that headache?"

"Killing." She said bitterly, still glaring. She'd never expected a lecture from him. She's expected it from Robin, but not from him. Maybe it was just the lack of leader that made him feel entitled to scold her, but it still wasn't appreciated.

"Literally." He said, his red eye flashing. "It seems that now that your… bond, if you still want to call it that, has gone on for far longer than it should, and this guy's mind is out of his, well, his mind, you're literally losing yours as well. The physical effects are quite impressive. Wanna see?" She pursed her lips.

"No." He ignored her and threw the chart to her bed, keeping a piece of paper in his hand.

"See that picture? Look at all those colours. Pretty, eh?" He moved closer and she sighed, sending him a glare again as she picked up the image. There it was, her brain, with so many colours it barely looked like a brain at all. "The coloured part is where there are anomalies. So just focus on those." His sarcasm wasn't missed since the entire thing was flashing different colours. "You need to break it off."

"I can't. I need to be near him to do so." And then as a defence, she added, "I didn't think it would take this long."

"You didn't think. That I can believe."

"Dude…" said Beast Boy, trying to get him to lay down a bit, but both his teammates ignored him.

"I'm trying to do something good." She said and Cyborg snorted.

"Yeah, like getting yourself killed."

"I'm doing this for Robin." Cyborg glared at her with his human eye.

"And look how well this turned out for him."

"I can heal him. Maybe if I-"

"You're too weak, Rave. You couldn't heal a scratch right now even if you wanted to. I'm not risking you."

"That isn't your call." She retorted bitterly.

"No, it's Robin's call. But he's not exactly available, is he?" His tone was accusatory and she didn't like it.

"I was trying to prevent this." She defended, her voice flat.

"What a good job you did. Aiding the man who probably was the one to poison him in the first place!" He finished, raising his voice and her eyes widened. She stared at Cyborg for a moment and then turned to Beast Boy. The green man looked away, closing his eyes as if he was in pain.

"What?" she whispered in disbelief, but Cyborg didn't change his angry expression.

"Your boyfriend was here last night. Didn't he tell you?" She leaned back into the pillow, still in shock. Her eyes went to Cyborg and then Beast Boy, before finally settling down on her lap.

"I- I knew that, but all he did was take his belt back."

"He STOLE Robin's belt." Corrected Cyborg, still glaring at her, "And he paid a visit to the kitchen too. The man got thirsty. Left us this." He threw the piece of paper at her and she looked down at it as it landed on the mattress. A picture of Jason holding her close while she'd been unconscious. She pursed her lips at it. The thief certainly had a horrible sense of humour.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Means he was here that night. Means he had access to the tower, to Robin's water bottles." She shook her head.

"We're connected. I would've known."

"Really?" He nodded toward the picture, "You don't seem conscious in that picture. What happened there?" She fell quiet and he nodded knowingly. "You're not connected all the time, are you?"

"I-" she sighed, "No." Cyborg nodded and that made her angrier. She turned to glare up at the half bot. "But that doesn't mean he did it."

"He was here that night, Rae." Tried Beast Boy but all he got was a glare.

"That's merely circumstantial. Jason's been trying to-"

"He's Jason now?" Asked Cyborg and her eyes narrowed at him.

"He's been trying to prevent this from the start!"

"Or has been waiting for an opening." Insisted the half bot.

"He would never use Joker's methods."

"You don't know that."

"I do know! I know him better than anyone else!" They fell quiet and she could almost feel a wave of emotion from both her teammates. But Cyborg's wasn't as strong as the one she felt from the man standing next to him. Not that she needed her powers to see his distress. She could almost see his heart break as she stared at his face, so she looked down.

"Well, whatever happened, doesn't matter now." Said Cyborg and she peeked at him from under her eyelashes. Beast Boy nodded, turning away and leaning against the wall.

"X hit again last night." Said the green man, and she felt her own stomach tighten at the thought.

"Where did he-"

"The Department of Research." Continued Beast Boy, his back to her, "Took the chance of both you and Robin being down and stole the Xenothium." He shrugged and Raven shook her head.

"He wouldn't. He promised-"

"He took everything." Cyborg said firmly, making her look up at him. "Every last bit of that thing." He sighed again. "We didn't even bother going, what with you entering into circulatory shock and Robin losing his mind to the venom. The titans were down and that's when he hit."

Raven looked down at her lap, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. It just couldn't be. He'd promised. Where was he now? Where did he go?

Jason? Jason!

No answer. Instead, there was another wave of hatred, hard, raw rage and the same adrenaline rush she'd felt from him before, urging her to do something. She let out a breath, trying to calm down and then another. She tried closing her eyes. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.

Something started beeping and she felt Cyborg move around her as she twisted, trying to do whatever the rush of adrenaline told her to do. Run? Fight? Kill? What was she supposed to do to let out of that energy? She twisted again, her hands clutching the sheets. The lights started to flicker and something exploded in the background.

"She's having another panic attack. Rave, you need to lay down. Rave?" She was panting and the beeping increased. "Raven!" She turned her eyes to him, blinking, but they were completely blank.

"What do I do?" hurried Garfield from her other side, trying to do something useful. Cyborg sent her a glare before moving away.

"Hold her still. I need to sedate her again, before she hurts herself."

Again? She thought dimly, still panting, and Beast Boy held her against him firmly, stopping her movements.

"It's okay, Rae. You're going to be okay." She looked up at him, unable to say anything. How could he be so sweet with her when she'd just felt him break? How could he still be there, next to her, still holding her when she'd done nothing but hurt him? She sighed; suddenly feeling very sleepy as the serum entered her system and she moved to nuzzle his chin, finally relaxing. She saw his eyes widened as hers closed, losing consciousness.

He stared down at her sleeping face as the beeping stopped and she was breathing softly, too quietly, looking almost gone. His hold tightened at the thought. How many hours had he spent watching over her in the past week? This was the third time he'd been like this, first with the beast incident, then with that idiotic bond and now… like this. She was pale, but her lips were almost purple. Had they always been that way? His eyes dazed as he leaned down ever so slightly, thinking of the kiss she'd given him before. Had she kissed that thief too? Were they something of a couple now? He'd apparently broken a promise, and Garfield's hold tightened further as he thought about it. That brat didn't deserve her. Not when he would go around hurting her friends, hurting her and breaking promises. She needed-

"You can put her down now." Said Cyborg amusedly and Garfield blinked up at him in surprise, obviously having forgotten he was there.

"Um… yeah." He did as he'd been told, slowly letting Raven slid from his arms and back to the bed. Her face suddenly changed, her eyebrows furrowing as if she was in pain. "You think she'll be alright?" Cyborg didn't answer. Instead, he took the chart from her bed and frowned down at the picture.

"You should rest a bit, man." He told his teammate with a half smile. He nodded before sending his friend a foul look.

"You shouldn't have pressured her like that." The half bot shrugged,

"It needed to be done." Gar sighed, staring down at her.

"You could've gone easy on her."

"She doesn't deserve that." Best Boy turned to him sharply.

"She made a mistake. That's not-"

"Her mistake could cost us Robin's life." Said Victor, returning the harsh look, "And her own life." He sighed, "I'll be damned if I let her stupid crush on some boy hurt this team. Hell, hurt her. She's-" he stopped for a moment and Gar stared at him, "She's my little sis, okay?" Beast Boy smiled sadly.

"Yeah… I know what you mean." He answered though he was sure Raven wasn't his little sister, or older sister or anything like that. She was still his family, but the sister aspect of it had been lost right when she'd kissed him, maybe before that. How was it that such a small gesture could change his perspective about someone?

Cyborg placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to smile, though it came out empty, not reaching his eyes. "You should go have a nap, man. You look like you haven't slept in days." Garfield huffed.

"I could tell you the same thing." But then he shook his head. "I'll stay with her." And Victor nodded.

"At least use one of the beds instead of the chair. She's not going anywhere for a while. Not with the meds I gave her." Garfield nodded.

"What about you?" Cyborg sighed.

"I'm going to check on Robin. He's… he's not doing great and I need to check the vaccines, just to see if… you know." The half bot couldn't help but notice the worried expression the green man was giving their teammate and he ruffled the green man's hair.

"Cheer up, Grass stain. We'll get through this. We always do." Beast Boy gave him a half smile, one that didn't reach his eyes, but still nodded.

"Thanks dude."

"Anytime."

Starfire sobbed, rubbing her reddened eyes as she stared at her boyfriend. The moments when he was conscious were the worst. Robin turned to her, unable to close his eyes fully as the toxins kept his face twisted in a wide grin. This wasn't the first time he'd been hit with something similar, but the first to be hit with something so strong. The worst part: He couldn't stop smiling; he couldn't, just for a second, stop and tell Star to go away. He hated that she was seeing him like that, in such a weakened state, with his heart pumping and beating as fast as it was humanly possible, and he knew that in half day it would stop.

"Star?" Cyborg entered the room and the girl sniffed, rubbing her face with her hands, trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying. "You should get some sleep. I can take care of him for a while." She shook her head.

"No. If Robin is to spend his hours in pain, I should be the one to stand beside him." The half-bot nodded though he could see the desperation on the laughing man's face. "How is he, Cyborg? Are we able to create a cure?" Cyborg sighed again, unsure of what to tell her.

"I'm doing what I can. There are still some samples cultivating with some chemicals. I still…" He choked for a moment as Robin's eyes fell on his and he gulped down his words. "We'll get through this." He said instead, though he hardly believed the words anymore. It seemed like Robin could communicate through his eyes, despite the twisted grin. He wasn't wearing his mask, since it'd started to dig onto his skin the moment his grin froze in that horrible way, so he could easily see his face. It wasn't often he got to see Richard's face. It made him look younger, smaller even. And Robin had always been thin, lean and short, but he never looked small. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, or the respect they all had for him, their leader, that made them look up at him instead of down.

Starfire sniffled, breaking Cyborg's train of thought. Robin was still watching him with wide eyes as if he wanted to tell him something important, something vital. But what?

The half bot looked down, shaking his head at his friend from behind Starfire. He wasn't going to make it. He knew that. There was no cure for Joker venom. Not that it was known of. Not to him at least. Robin's eyes went from Cyborg and back to the red eyed Starfire.

"I'm going to check on those samples, Star. Just be sure to tell me if you notice any changes." The alien nodded, barely hearing the heavy steps of her teammate as he left the room.

Robin laughed again, trying to move and Starfire stood, placing a hand in his. "What is it, Dick?" she wondered. She could see his stress as he moved and twisted. "Do not worry, my love. Cyborg will find a cure for your pain… I am certain." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. He was covered in sweat. She sighed against his skin, her eyes closed. At least, for now, he was still there, alive and conscious. "It does not matter what will happen, Dick. I will always be here." His hand managed to squeeze hers and he again started laughing, like he did every time he tried speaking. She stared down at him in confusion, wondering what he'd been trying to tell them. "I am sorry… I cannot understand what you are trying to say." And he stopped, leaning back and giggling, squeezing her hand as tears fell from his eyes. "Oh, my love."

Garfield turned in his bed restlessly. He'd tried closing his eyes, but then panic raised and he would have to turn and see the empath on the other bed just to reassure himself she was still there. What was happening to him? Since when had he been so obsessed with keeping Raven near? Not that it was weird when she kept tossing and moving like she was.

He sighed, rubbing his face and sat up, moving until he was sitting on the bed. Not only were they losing Robin, but they were losing Raven too. All because of that scum. He growled to himself, hoping he would see that twisted smirk again and punch it until the brat wasn't smirking anymore. Raven let out a moan, a mutter, and then settled down again. And he lost his grimace and stared at her worriedly. What would he do if he lost her to this stupid spell of hers? What had she been trying to do? She'd insisted it'd all been for Robin, but what did that mean? He gulped, wondering if she would do the same for him if they were in the same situation. For a moment there, he wished it would be him with the connection. At least then he would be able to see inside her head, see her reason… hear her voice again. He was almost hoping to hear her call him stupid again, in that light monotone, instead of that drowning weak voice she had when she'd been awake.

Again she made a noise and he stood, moving closer to her. Her face was twisted as if she was in pain and it killed him to not be able to do anything to offer comfort. He walked to her, his back cracking as he straightened and he groaned. The stress was starting to get to him, though he was sure it was getting to all of them. This was far too much to handle. But there she was, with him, for the moment. That was something, right?

Again, he returned to the same place he'd been since the previous night: the chair next to Raven's bed. That was the only spot he could be where he wouldn't feel completely useless. He took her hand once again as she started moving and that seemed to calm her down, just like it'd happened the night before. He bit his lower lip, his fangs sticking out, as he wondered if she calmed with his touch or if any touch would do. But her face still showed the same painful expression as before and he couldn't look at her that long. So he raised her hand to his face, closing his eyes and letting the back of her skin touch his cheek.

"You need to get better, Rae." He whispered, though he was sure she couldn't hear him. "We need to have a long talk, and you can't bail out on me. You kissed me and I need to know why." And then he sighed and opened his eyes. "I need to know if you feel the same way."

Raven was floating with her eyes closed, feeling safe at last, as waves of warmth covered her body along with the inside of her mind. What had happened? She could barely remember when she felt such peace. Her emotions were nowhere to be found, so she could just relax without anyone disturbing her. It was such a perfect moment. There was a light blue aura around the sky and she smiled gently, staring up at the soft, white clouds. And that odd scent helped calm her. Something wet and humid, but for some reason soothing, like the scent of rainy days. It was so relaxing, so perfect. But good moments don't last forever.

Raven.

Someone called her and she sighed, closing her eyes again, trying to ignore the call.

Raven.

She blinked and saw up into the darkness. Whose voice was that?

Raven.

Her eyes widened. This voice wasn't…?

"Jason?" she wondered out loud and the voice answered.

No.

She blinked. Who was-? Her eyes widened as memories came back rushing, giving her the same headache again.

"Robin!" she exclaimed out loud, stopping in the air suddenly and looking around. Robin was using their bond. But why? How-?

"Robin. I heard-"

Raven. Bruce has it.

He sounded weak and she blinked in confusion. What?

Bruce has a cure.

Her eyes widened.

"How?"

He was hit ages ago. He developed Joker's venom antidote to cure himself. You need to hurry.

"I can't move. I'm sedated. I can't-"

You're the only one who can help me now.

"I want to. I need to wake up, I just need- GAH!" She felt like electricity went through her body and she fell to the ground, weakened, falling on both her hands and knees. She was shaking, trying to get up. What was happening to her? "The mind meld. It's been going on for too long. My powers… my body…"

They are his now.

Her eyes narrowed at the tone and she shook her head.

"He doesn't know. He's not doing this on purpose."

Doesn't make it any less true. Even if it's dim, I can feel it too, Raven. His hatred. I need to break the connection or it'll weaken me too.

Robin had used her own ideal against her and she hoped she could be free of her own emotions, and just feel Jason's. She wished Jason could give her that sleeping gas he'd used before to make her numb again, for now she would have to deal with the pain, the guilt, of being the one to drag her best friend's murderer to him.

I need you Raven. I know I can count on you.

And with that last phrase, she was left alone inside her mind again.

Cyborg slammed his hands against the desk as soon as he entered the operations room he'd been working in. He gritted his teeth, unable to think, shaking in rage. The moment he saw that scum thief, he was going to kill him. No doubt about it. The two moral compasses of the team were down, meaning there was no one else to hold him back. He turned his eyes to the many test tubes. They were all bubbling, foam escaping from the top. Failures. He sighed, placing a hand on his head. What could he do? All of his tests had gone bad. He'd known that when he'd been back with Beast Boy, back with Starfire. What could he tell his team? That he'd failed? That he hadn't managed to save two members of their family?

He turned, moving about the place. This was Robin's operation's room. Well, not Robin's in particular, but it seemed the titan never left the place. The bot walked up at the desk. Many pictures were on top. Bruce Wayne? His human eye narrowed as he stared down at the very well known man and then his eye widened.

"I'll be damned." He said as realization hit him. And then he shuffled the pictures. There was a younger Jason, smirking at the camera. Even then he looked like a little brat. Next to that picture was the image of a pretty red headed girl with glasses sitting on a wheelchair. He raised his human eyebrow, wondering what the hell had Robin been doing all this time. Their leader never told them anything. His hand moved around the pictures. Some of them had Dick Grayson, smiling widely at the camera and Cyborg couldn't help but smile in amusement. Robin was never that open and cheerful when he was around them. Was it because being a leader forced him to be serious? In another, there was a young Dick Grayson, hugging a very disgruntled looking Bruce Wayne. He never knew Dick was a hugger.

Cyborg sighed again, throwing the pictures back at the table. He was tired and had no idea what to do next. Well, he could- something caught his eye and he looked down with a frown. There was a map there, with some crosses here and there.

"Water treatment plants?" Wondered Cyborg and his eye widened. So Robin had been investigating water plants. All of the plants were crossed out, as if dismissed. Why would Robin take Jason's warning serious, he wasn't sure. But why would Jason warn them if he was going to attack them in just that way?

"Criminal minds, man." He muttered to himself, moving the sheets of paper around. He found another under it and his eyes widened. Robin hadn't been done. He had a map with bottled water companies? Those were all rounded up. So why had Robin drank from the water bottle if-? His eye widened. He hadn't. He'd changed the bottles. But still there'd been venom in there! How-? He found a note next. He frowned. Robin had changed water bottle suppliers. He was the only one to drink those, so…

"No! Crap." Cyborg's red eye ran an infrared scan on the sheet of paper. With his human eye, he saw a simple receipt, signed by Robin. But with his red eye he saw it. The image of a card, neatly drawn on the piece of paper. A joker card. "That sick bastard." He muttered to himself as he realized the mad man had probably planned all from the start. How else would Jason know-? He sighed. He'd blamed the wrong person. And it was like a sick joke to add his image, signing his face onto his work, knowing no one would ever find it.

Just then, an alarm started to sound and his communicator started to beep. Cyborg turned to the screen in the room, his red eye flashing. And his human eye widened. The infirmary.

Hey love!

It'd felt like days since she heard that voice. Raven was laying on the ground, staring up at the sky, being covered in warmth, too weak to move. Robin's talk had left her exhausted and she couldn't figure out how to wake up.

"Bastard." She spat out to the surroundings and she almost felt gleeful. But this wasn't her glee, this was his.

I love it when you talk dirty. How're ya feeling? I was worried.

She glared up at the sky, feeling her own emotions stir. But then there was that warmth, keeping them in place, keeping her controlled enough not to have another attack. "You left me. You stole. You-" she choked, and she sighed, leaning back, closing her eyes at the pain.

Yeah, sorry about that. I was… a bit upset.

"Upset?" she snorted. "It was you who caused this."

Pardon me?

"You poisoned Robin."

Is that what you believe?

She felt his pain, his regret and his sadness. Was it that he could actually trust her? Care about her? No. He was a criminal, a monster, capable of killing his own brother.

"I don't know what to believe." Raven sighed, turning to her side weakly, still on the ground. "You were in the tower right before Robin drank the venom." There was silence after that and her eyes narrowed. She tried sitting up, but then felt too weak. Even her mind wasn't as strong. She needed to break the bond as soon as she could. If she didn't, maybe Jason's mind would mend with hers far more than she'd intended to, considering how strongly he felt.

That doesn't mean anything.

His tone was dark, and for a moment there, she wondered if he was begging to be trusted again.

Believe what you must, love. I just wanted to let you know...

The voice around her continued as the connection with Jason got strong enough to overcome her. When did it get like this? She'd noticed getting tired far easier than usual lately, but that was just normal when you had to keep such connections for too long. One as dim as the one she had with Robin didn't bother her much, but this? And it'd been days.

"What is it, Jason?"

I'm in Gotham.

Her eyes widened, hope starting to grow.

"Jason. Bruce has the cure. Bruce can cure Richard. Please, Jason. You need to go-" She sounded desperate.

I'm not talking to Bruce, Raven.

Her eyes narrowed at the dark red sky. Hadn't it been blue just a few minutes ago?

"You're the only one who can help Robin."

Why would I do that?

She stared up with wide eyes. Had he-? Had he been the one to-?

You don't know that. Whatever happened to your trust?

She looked down, her nails digging into the ground.

"Didn't you steal the Xenothium? Didn't you break your promise?" She heard him chuckle bitterly. Even so, she still felt his regret, but it was quickly overcome by hatred.

Sorry, love. I needed it. She tried standing up and the environment turned even redder.

I'm going to kill the Joker.

Just as the words were said a flock of ravens flew around her, and they covered her and she screamed out in pain. She tried using her powers, but she was too weak, barely managing to push a few back.

A life for a life.

Beast Boy's head nodded as he was starting to fall asleep. He was still on the chair, still holding Raven's hand. The touch at least assured him she was still there, she was still alive, and that was enough to relax him. But he still was uncomfortable in that chair, his back still painfully tense, reminding him how much time he'd spend sitting there. His eyes were closed as he took a deep breath. In went the air carrying the fresh scent of herbal tea and soap, and he smiled to himself. She was there, alive, breathing, smelling wonderful like she always was. He knew he should be worried about Robin, should be there with Star, but he couldn't leave Raven's side. Something kept him there, telling him it was his duty to protect her. She'd stirred something inside him the moment she'd kissed him and now he was sure it would never go away. It wasn't like it'd been with Terra. With the blonde, he'd never worried about her safety. Maybe it was the fact that Raven was always at risk, always something trying to get her, trying to get hold of her powers. Most of the time it was something he couldn't fight directly, leaving him feel helpless, scared and, most of the time, useless. So all he could do was stay near her, like a good guardian dog, to keep her safe in case anything he could fight tried to steal her away again.

He was falling asleep when he heard a beeping. Soft, constant beeping and he wondered if it was inside his head, inside his dream, or if it was real. He blinked a couple of times and noticed the beeping had grown louder.

"Raven." He said, suddenly awake and he moved to stare down at her. Her features grimaced and he grabbed her hand with both hands. "Raven? Come on, Rae. Don't scare me." She gasped for air and Beast Boy quickly hit his communicator with one hand, still holding her hand with the other, beeping for Cyborg. "Rae, are you okay?" She shouldn't be waking up now. This was wrong. Cyborg had said the meds would keep her sleeping. What was-?

"Garfield." He gasped, letting go of her hand. Her voice sounded like an echo, as if someone else's voice was speaking with her. And then her eyes opened. Four red eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"Oh no."