Slade came down late for breakfast the next morning. In truth, he was hoping Raven would have already finished eating and that she'd have retreated back to her room. To his disappointment, she was seated in her usual chair in the dining room with a cup of tea still steaming in front of her. Papers were spread across the tabletop.
"You're late," Raven said as Slade walked in. "I can't teach you signs if you are going to be late to your lessons."
"Wintergreen," Slade called, ignoring her. "Breakfast, please." He moved around the table to the opposite end, taking his usual seat across the room.
"Breakfast," Raven repeated. She put her hand to her mouth, and then crossed one arm over the other, folding the bottom one up towards her face. "It's a combination of the signs eat and morning."
"I'll learn sign language on my own," Slade replied, taking a seat across from Raven.
"That will take you significantly longer," Raven warned. She sipped her tea, looking up at his mask to wait for his response.
"I'm in no rush," Slade replied. "I don't even know where my son is, so there is no hurry to communicate with him."
Raven sat quietly for a moment, and then she lifted up the folder that Slade had shown her last night. She pulled out Joseph's picture, and turned it for Slade to see. "Your son is in China," Raven said slowly. "Rose isn't with him."
Slade jumped to his feet. "What?"
"When you showed me this file yesterday, I recognized him. I've met him," Raven said.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Slade yelled.
"Because, the Titans have worked with him in the past. He's a hero, and for all I know, your entire story is a lie," Raven replied calmly.
"A hero?" Slade asked.
Raven ignored Slade's question. "I need to know that I can trust you - or at least that everything you said last night was true."
"It was," Slade replied. "Now tell me where my son is."
"I can't just take your word for it," Raven said.
"What do you want me to do?" Slade asked.
"Let me see for myself," Raven replied.
"What does that mean?" Slade asked.
"I can use my powers and see your mind. You wouldn't be able to hide anything from me and I would know for sure that you have no intention to harm Joseph. Once I am positive you won't hurt him, I'll take you there." Raven held out her hand. "Do we have a deal?"
Slade glared at her, clenching his fist. "No," Slade replied. "I'll find my son on my own."
"Don't be stupid. He could move again before you are able to do that," Raven replied. "He wasn't transferred out of the school system months ago, it was over a year ago. You are three steps behind. No one is going to give you a chance to catch up except for me."
"I will think about it," Slade said. He took a seat at the table across from her. "In the meantime, we can continue our lessons."
"Fine," Raven replied. She sat back down and returned to her tea.
Robin and Starfire sat on the couch in the Titan's living room watching Cyborg and Beast Boy race each other in a video game. Cyborg's car was in the lead and Beast Boy was aggressively slamming buttons on his controller trying to get ahead.
"No use, little man," Cyborg said as the finish line came into sight. "You can't stop the Cy!" Cyborg's car sped over the line and Cyborg threw his controller up in celebration. "Booyah. Cyborg 13, Beast Boy 2."
"You always start ahead of me!" Beast Boy complained.
"Cause I always finish ahead of you," Cyborg replied.
The debate was silenced by a chime ringing through the tower. Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-doo. Cyborg looked to Robin questioningly. "Who rings the doorbell?" Cyborg asked.
"Did someone order pizza?" Robin asked. Everyone shook their heads. Curiously, the group ventured down to the main floor of the tower and pulled open one of the large steel doors.
A lanky young man stood in the doorway, with long legs and square shoulders. He had smooth, clear brown skin and nervous golden brown eyes. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and his jacket's hood pulled over the brown curls that were falling in his face.
"Uh, hi there," Robin said while the rest of the team peered over Robin's shoulder to see their visitor.
"Hello," the man said, his eyes shifting between the different Titans. "Is, um, is Raven home?"
Robin glanced back over his shoulder at the rest of the team before turning back. "No, she's not. Why do you ask?"
"I haven't heard from her in a while now and I was just getting worried… I thought maybe something had happened…"
"I'm Robin." Robin extended his gloved hand towards the stranger.
"Lucas," the man replied, grasping Robin's hand and shaking it. "I work in the library in town."
"No wonder you know Raven," Beast Boy mumbled.
"I am really worried about her," Lucas replied.
"Please, friend, come inside," Starfire offered, stepping back to let Lucas enter. They led him upstairs to the common room. Together, they filled Lucas in on what happened regarding Raven's disappearance.
"We've been trying to keep it out of the media," Robin admitted as they finished the story.
"She's okay though? You've seen her?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah," Cyborg said. "We've run into her a couple of times now. She's healthy and unharmed. She's as okay as she can be, given the situation."
"What are we doing to find her?" Lucas asked.
"We are doing all that we can," Starfire promised. She reached out and grabbed Lucas's hand. "Raven is our friend. We want nothing more than for her to return home safely."
"Is there any way that I can help?" Lucas looked at the team. "Anything I can do?"
"If there is anything, we will let you know," Robin promised. "And if you need anything, our door is always open. Any friend of Raven's is a friend of ours."
"Yeah, man, we know this isn't easy," Cyborg said, giving Lucas a pat on the shoulder. "We're here for you if you need it."
Two weeks later, Slade sat down in his study. "She's a good teacher," Slade said, signing each word as he spoke.
"You seem to be picking up the language fast," Wintergreen agreed. "Have you thought any further about her offer?"
"You know I can't let her in my mind," Slade said. "There's too much in there that she could turn over to the Titans."
"But if you have Joseph back, and if you find Rose, then there's no need for you to keep fighting the Titans," Wintergreen pointed out.
"I know, but there's too much risk involved," Slade said. "There has to be another way to make her to tell me."
"Perhaps, you can try to earn her trust," Wintergreen suggested. "Try being nicer to her."
"I am nice," Slade replied. Wintergreen merely raised an eyebrow in response. "She's kept comfortable, well fed, free to roam the house." He stared at Wintergreen, who silently dusted the shelves of the study with a small smirk on his face. Slade sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Fine, well, what do you suggest I do?"
"She likes to read," Wintergreen said. "You could give her a book. Perhaps a book that means something to you, or you think she will really like, or-"
"Hm…" Slade interrupted. "A book. That...is not a bad idea." Slade stood up rather suddenly and left the room.
He walked through the halls of his mansion towards Raven's door. From the hallway, he could hear her inside murmuring "Azarath Metrion Zinthos" repeatedly. Slade knocked softly, and he the chanting stopped, followed by her soft footsteps across the floor.
Raven pulled the door open, then quickly took a step back. She had obviously been expecting it to be either Wintergreen or Fiona since Slade had never visited her before. "Yes?" Raven said as a form of greeting.
"I thought you might be tired of spending every day in your room," Slade said. "You haven't explored my house very much."
"It's a little late for a tour," Raven replied.
Slade nodded. "No tours, I - I have something I wanted to show you."
Raven raised an eyebrow at him. "...alright," Raven said slowly, stepping out of her room and pulling the door shut behind her. Slade led the way down the hall, and then downstairs. From there, Raven had only ever gone right, towards the dining area, or straight out the front door. Slade went around the stairway, passing the cellar steps Raven saw on her first night, and they entered a part of the house Raven hadn't seen before. The hallway ended at a large double door made of finely carved oak wood. The panels were engraved with roses at every corner of the doors, and Slade stepped forward placing his hands on the brass knobs.
"Close your eyes," he instructed.
"No," Raven replied.
"Suit yourself." Slade pulled the doors open and stepped forward into the room. The curtains were open, flooding the room with natural light. The large windows made up the wall across from them, but every other wall was lined floor to ceiling with books, except for a section in the back of the house where a large fireplace stood. On either side of the fireplace, a staircase led up to the second story balconies, where more books covered the walls.
Raven stood with her eyes wide, turning around in place to see all the books. "These are all yours?" Raven asked.
"Some are from my personal collection. Others have been in the family for generations," Slade replied. "I thought, well, you read the newspaper every day but I thought you might like something else to read…"
"I-" Raven said, but she stopped and nodded. "Thank you for showing this to me."
Slade nodded, glancing up at all the shelves. "Let me know if you need any recommendations. I'll send for Wintergreen to start you a fire and bring some tea." Slade let himself out, shutting the doors behind him. Raven stood in the center of massive library and smiled to herself, flying to the nearest shelf and pulling out the first book.