Thank you guys so much for all the concerned messages. I have the sweetest readers this side of Jump City ;) They were especially great to read as the next day, I got into a car crash xD No worries, I wasn't hurt - only sore. This chapter was hard, but I adore at least some of it. We're nearing a conclusion, so everything's coming together...

dun dun dun

Shards Of Time:

"What Do You See?"

"You've got to send me back," Raven said, staring him directly in the face, her pose one of determination, "This doesn't have to happen."

Nightwing rose from his throne, raising his arms in an all-encompassing gesture.

"This? What do you wish to prevent? A city free from filth and crime? A sense of order?

The Empath felt her skin begin to flush, and an unpleasantness throbbed in her throat.

"We had that with Slade," she replied, each word cold and precise, "Your attitude was different then."

A hiss of air escaped from Nightwing's lips, and his expression grew stonier than Raven had yet seen. Her instincts screamed for her to put up a shield, but she refused to look afraid, only her balled fists giving any indication of her feelings. Even when he walked over to her, circling in a predatory manner, she did not budge, save her eyes, which followed his every movement.

"So you think I'm like him?" he asked, continuing to circle her, his movements becoming more restless, "Of all people, Raven, I thought you would understand the power of motives."

Nightwing must have sensed her confusion, as he stopped suddenly, directly in front of her.

"What do you see?" he said abruptly, gazing into startled purple eyes.

"A- a man in a mask," the Empath said, then gasped as Nightwing grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling so that their faces were separated by mere inches.

"You're hurting me," Raven squirmed, but he acted as if he didn't hear her, instead taking one hand to his face, the other releasing her shoulder and instead taking control of both her wrists.

"Look at me," he commanded, the hand on his face slipping to her chin, tilting it so she had to look up at his face.

"Let me go—" Raven started, but stopped, entranced by what she saw. His mask was off, and she could see his eyes – shockingly, expressively, like-nothing-she-had-ever-seen-before blue. And in those eyes, enough emotion to overwhelm her. There was hurt, pain, anger, frustration, but more than anything else, there was love.

Her lips parted slightly, needing to speak but unable to find the words. All she could think about were the eyes before her, and what they told. He was right, he wasn't like Slade, even if he wasn't the boy she knew before. Even if he wasn't—

"Robin," she breathed, and with that word, she felt him release her wrists, taking her by the hands instead. Her heartbeat quickened and she was aware of every breath he took, his breaths mingling with hers.

"Raven," he said, more of a plea than a name, and with a slight dip of his head, he kissed her, first gently, then with an increasing intensity. This time, Raven's powers did not flare up to push them apart, and she slowly found herself responding, pulling her hands free of his in order to wrap them around his neck, entangling them in his long ebony locks. Nightwing's hands traced their way up from her hips to her throat, never slowing the pace of his kisses. If anything, they were more urgent, as if he knew the time between them was short. Raven shivered under his touch, her knees becoming weak, but her lips still returning the kisses. Passion clouded her mind, but not so much as to stifle the voice screaming to her to stop and focus on getting back home. A sudden coldness, due to Nightwing unlatching her cloak, was enough to shock the Empath back to a clearer state of mind, disentangling herself from him and fixing her cloak, pulling up the hood to hide her flushed face.

"No," she said, before he could say a word, "This isn't what I want."

It wasn't fully true, but Raven couldn't make a distinction, knowing that if she admitted to him that he, or, at least, who he was, was all that she wanted, she would be lost to her time forever. She'd gone too far already, and the longer she stayed, the harder it would be for her to leave. Nightwing's eyes narrowed as she spoke, and he reached for her once more.

"I know what you want, Raven, and I can give it to you. All I've ever worked for, I've done for you," he touched her hand, but this time, she recoiled.

"You don't know what I want," she said, her voice growing louder, "If you did, you'd know that I wouldn't want to live in a city like this, wouldn't stand for your kind of injustice."

Nightwing opened his mouth to respond, but Raven cut him off.

"If you knew what I wanted," every word reverberated throughout the structure, "You'd know I wouldn't – couldn't – let myself love a tyrant. But this isn't about what I want, now is it?"

"Everything I've done was for you!" he argued, his voice rising to match hers, his fists clenching and unclenching. Raven stared at him, her heart aching.

"Then give it up," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. Nightwing hesitated before responding, and that was all the answer Raven needed. Her head shook from side to side, her shoulders hunching in, a miserable feeling gathering in her stomach.

"You can't change," she took a step backwards, summoning power to her hands, "You're too far gone. But this won't happen. I won't allow it!"

"Raven, don't," Nightwing warned, reaching towards his utility belt, but the Empath had already released a bolt of dark magic. It barely missed him, instead striking near his throne, toppling it with a dull clang. Where the throne once stood, there was a small chamber, in which there were two shackled figures, as well as two gleaming suits of armor. Raven raced to the chamber as fast as she could, recognizing both armors, but barely believing what she saw. One suit of armor was the golden armor which could send her home. The other was a darker color, with a two-toned mask that Raven would recognize anywhere.

"Slade."