Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, nor the song. I only own my OC, John Smith

"I'm hungry!"

"Shut up."

"But my stomach hurts…"

"BB, not so loud!"

A yelp. A curse.

I sighed, opened the door to Cy's and BB's room and stepped in. Cyborg was trying to clamp BB's mouth shut, while the elf was furiously trying to find some fleshy part on his friend hand that he could sink his wolfish teeth in.

"Both of you, shut it, NOW!" I growled.

BB turned back into a human and looked sheepish. Cyborg scowled.

"But I'm hungry." BB whined.

"So?" I raised an eyebrow. "Cyborg can call Room Service. There's no need to yell. Don't forget that only Cy is supposed to be staying in this room –if somebody hears your voice we might get into trouble."

"I know! Do you think I'm stupid, or something?" Beast Boy whined. "But he doesn't want to order some tofu for me…"

I slapped my forehead in frustration. Not that old routine…

"Just get him some tofu." I growled. "And then, when he's eaten up, get ready. The rest of us would like some dinner as well."

"Right. I'll say it again. This is a top class establishment. I expect to see some decent table manners. And BB, I know you can hear me, don't even think about doing something that might compromise our cover in any way."

I led the way into the restaurant of the Thirteen,the Titans right behind me. Waiters in dark suits bowed as we entered and the maitre d' hurried to our side.

"Table for four?" he asked in the oily voice of the maitres d' all around the globe.

"Five, actually." I answered, surveying the room. There were only two other tables occupied –one by two ladies in their early forties and the other by a mobster-like looking fatso in his fifties. "We're expecting a friend and she might arrive anytime now."

"Of course. Please, follow me."

We were led to a table, close to a window overlooking the Thirteen grounds, a cliff, and then the sea. The maitre d' pulled back Raven's chair and got a glare for his pains. I couldn't hold back a smile. Other waiters arrived with menus, bread and assorted paraphernalia.

"I shall leave you to decide." the maitre d' said, still shaken a bit from Raven's glare.

"Thank you." I answered and scanned the menu.

"What are these things?" Cyborg whispered. "I can't understand what this is all about! What is sole a la…"

"Shut up." I hissed. "Just get something."

"This one will be to your liking." Raven offered, pointing somewhere on his menu. "It'll be even better with this wine."

I grinned. Who would have thought?

"Ah."

(Sigh)

"This is the life."

"Quite satisfactory."

We leaned back on our chairs, Cyborg sporting an idiot grin, Raven smiling contently. It had been a longtime since my last high-class dinner. I should really consider a date with Raven in a similar establishment (once we returned and I had earned enough money to be able to afford it).

"Starfire's late." Nightwing said. He looked a bit worried.

"Don't worry." I said. "She'll be here."

Cyborg smiled, raised his wine glass for a sip…

…and very nearly choked.

"What the…?" I leaned forward, concerned.

"Look!" He pointed at the door. I turned on my seat…

Dr. Chang…

…With four bodyguards…

…had just. Walked. In.

Raven shuddered, Cyborg glared and Nightwing, though quite still, gave a small grimace that suggested a certain green flea in his hair had just bit down hard in surprise and anger.

"Don't even think about it!" I hissed to both Raven and Cyborg, who were ready to leave their seats. "Get back down! NOW!"

The maitre d' had approached Chang and was saying something…

"We can't just let him…" Cyborg protested.

"Yes. We. Can." I growled and glared at him. "If we attack him, we break one of the basic rules of Zandia: No attacking each other. This requires…"

"Tact." Raven suggested and got to her feet. "When he looks at you, smile."

She walked up to Chang, who was being led to his table and spoke to him. He seemed surprised and his bodyguards glowered at Raven, but she smiled (creepy!) and pointed to our table. We smiled and Chang returned our grin, displaying rotting teeth.

He and Raven made their way back to our table and my hair rose to an end when I saw her walking with a certain…bounce…in her step.

Her eyes were cold as ice, but Chang wasn't looking.

"This is the well known Professor Chang." she said when she approached and, if the Titans were shocked to hear the cheery tone in her voice, they were smart enough to hide their shock. "I told him that he simply must sit with us. Do you mind, John?"

I smiled an accommodating smile. "Of course not, Rachel. We would all be honored." I turned to the maitre d' "The Professor will dine with us."

I gestured towards Starfire's empty chair. "We were expecting a…colleague, but she is late. Have a seat, Professor, please."

"Don't mind if I do." Chang answered, his voice raspy and hoarse. "How could I say no, when asked to by such a pretty creature?"

He smiled at Raven, a lecherous old man's smile and I swore that, just for that, I'd break both his nose and his spirit.

"Tell us, Professor." I said as a waiter arrived with Chang's menu. "What new accomplishment can we expect form you in the near future? I must say that I was impressed with that xinothium-powered ray-gun you developed."

"Oh, that." Chang laughed, returning the menu with his order. "That is all in the past, Mr. Smith. I am currently working on genetics."

"Really?" Nightwing's voice was colder than it should be, but Chang didn't notice.

"Oh yes. Genetic Tailoring. Marvelous. But I can't say any more. Top Secret, you see. I work for The Lord!"

"How very interesting." Raven said. I could hear the self-disgust in her voice, but Chang only got the fascination.

"Yes, isn't it?"

"Very."

"Indeed."

"Hmm…"

His bodyguards had got a table not far from ours. They were glaring at his back, vigilant, but they were too far away. They just didn't know it.

"Gaia, Aerion, Menthos!" I chanted under my voice.

"What?" asked Chang.

"Nothing." I smiled. "Tell us more about this job of yours, Professor."

He laughed. "Oh, no! I really can't say anything more. Why don't you tell me why you are here? Vacation? Recr…"

He paused. Invisible fingers touched his neck.

"I thing you misunderstood me, Professor." I smiled. "I'm not exactly asking you to talk. I'm telling you to."

"What…"

He had gone pale, but his bodyguards couldn't see it. They were sitting behind him. They could only see our smiling faces.

"Don't do anything foolish, Professor." I warned him. "My Wraith could kill you in an instant. Or slowly. Will it have to?"

He shook his head, no.

"Wraith…" he whispered. "Wraith… Of course!"

Shit.

"Yes, yes." I sighed tiredly. "You got me. I'm Wraith. We're the Titans in disguise. Now TALK…" I lowered the volume of my voice into a growl but kept the smile pasted on my face "…or you're history. Geography. Whatever."

"The Titans…" Chang's eyes widened in surprise. He looked from Nightwing, to Cyborg, to Raven and laughed, softly. Raven scowled.

"…And you, my dear." Chang was smiling. He shouldn't be smiling. "Oh, I must say, your DNA was a challenge. Such potential!"

"You're playing with fire." I warned him. "Don't piss her off."

"Or what?" Chang's eyes hardened. "You'll kill me? You're the Titans! You don't kill, by definition. All I have to do is cry out."

I put my hand flat on the table. Then I raised my palm and formed a claw with my fingers. I saw him stiffen, as Wraith's phantom fingers dug into his skin.

"AllI have to do is squeeze." I said.

Silence.

"I'm not a Titan." I said. "Never was. Deep down, I mean. I worked for them. I worked with them. I lived with them. I even fell in love with one of them." I glanced at Raven who looked at me, somewhat shocked. "But I'm not a Titan. I probably never will be. I don't think like one, I don't feel like one."

I tightened my hold (Wraith's hold) on his neck.

"You think I won't kill you?" I hissed. "Watch me. Now TALK, damn you!"

Silence.

"I was hired sixteen months ago." Chang said.

"Yes…?" I urged him.

"I was…I am… in charge of the genome decoding. We find out what every gene does."

"Go on…"

"Killer Moth does the final sequencing. He's…good at it. He…"

"Enough." I cut him off. "This is a waste of time. Three questions. Who is 'The Lord'? Where can we find him? Where is this sequencing lab?"

"The lab…is on Mount Arriman. It's a secure area…The Lord's house is right on top of it… He wanted to keep…an eye on us." Chang was sweating. "Listen, I'll need protection. I'll…"

"Keep talking." Nightwing growled.

"You don't understand…He'll kill me…he'll…" he was rubbing his hands together nervously.

"TALK!"

Nightwing's hand darted across the table, got a grip on Chang's and pulled up the sleeve of his suit. On his wristwatch, a red light was blinking on and off.

Chang grinned, a manic grin.

"Too late. I've called her. You're too late."

Like a bad dream, I looked over to the bodyguards. They were frozen in place, staring at the blinking red light like it was their death sentence.

Slowly, I turned to look at the door.

A girl was there.

She didn't look older than eight years old, but she was dressed in a long, black, leather-y gown, that hugged her small figure and reached down to her feet, trailing a bit on the floor. Her skin was pale; grey, even. Her hair was purple.

Her eyes were a deep, glowing, bloody red.

"Eve!" Chang cried and got up. "Thank God! It's them! I didn't say anything, but…"

The girl moved. She opened her mouth. Inside, a cyclone of black magic and fire was raging.

holymothergodohgoddamnwhatthehellisthis…?

Nightwing's reflexes saved us. He catapulted onto Cyborg, laid him flat on the floor, fell next to him and with his foot turned the table over, so that it somehow shielded us all from…

…the blast that came across the room, setting everything on fire, cracking the marble floor, breaking the glass of the windows, hitting Chang, lifting him off his feet…

It hit the wall and dissolved, leaving nothing but a pile of ash, were the Professor once was.

"Hhhe isss NOT pleassssed."

We peered over the top of the table. The girl's voice was like a rasp on wood, inside an echoing underground chamber. Demonic.

Raven, her face pale as death, reached under the strands of her hair and pulled out a small, silvery, bluetooth-like device.

The psychic dampener.

The girl turned to look at us. She sniffed, her nostrils widening, tracking a scent.

Silence.

"Motherrrrrr…"

Shit.

For a few seconds, none moved.

Then, all hell broke loose.

The girl –'Eve' Chang had called her- darted forward, not walking as much as gliding over the floor, past the stunned bodyguards. She jumped.

She landed on the upturned table and gave a screech that nearly busted our eardrums, displaying row upon row of sharp pointed teeth.

"Motheeeeeeeeeeerrr…"

I saw the look in Raven's eyes.

I Blinded the bodyguards, and everybody else in the room.

Raven flicked her fingers.

The blast of raw magic lifted Eve off her feet and against the wall, twenty feet away.

"I'm not your MOTHER!" screamed Raven, and her face shifted, blurred and…

…four red eyes, glaring, her body changing into a pillar of dark smoke…

I grabbed her.

Cyborg grabbed Nightwing. We dove off the broken window and hit the lawn underneath, rolling away from the building just as part of the wall exploded in a shower of dust and debris.

Eve glided out, fire dancing around her mouth.

Raven raised a hand, black magic pulsing around her fingers, her face a mask of rage. I grabbed her hand and ran, dragging her behind me.

"Don't fight –RUN!" I screamed. "We can't fight her here!"

"Why not?" she growled.

"Because we have to hide your powers!" I growled. "I hid them in the restaurant, but I can't Blind the entire city! We need to run! Somewhere where we won't be seen!"

Where the HELL is the Parking space?

We tore through a hedge and then, suddenly, there was concrete under our feet and shiny cars all around us.

YES!

"Get on the car!" I growled and pushed her into Cyborg's arms. Nightwing ran past me, jumped, landed on his bike and started the engine by pressing his finger on a sensor next to the key slot.

"She's right behind me!" he screamed.

I turned and there she was, a thing out of a nightmare, her eyes burning red, her mouth hanging open in a shark grin.

She raised her hand.

My blast of pure fear got to her before she could summon her magic. She winced, hissed, spat like an angry cat, shrugged my attack off like it was nothing and jumped.

Beast Boy rammed into her from the side, his tiger's claws slicing through her gown and waist…

…She howled like a banshee, threw him off and pressed her hand against her wounds…

…a flash of blue magic…

…The bleeding stopped…

…I mounted my bike and started the engine…

…Beast Boy charged her again and she fell on all fours to meet his attack, her fingers turning into claws, her teeth growing to match his fangs…

…I flipped a switch, near the throttle and a part of the exhaust jumped open, revealing a hidden compartment…

…Beast Boy and Eve were fighting like demons, claws flashing and teeth clashing…

…I reached into the compartment and pulled out one of Jason's Viper Uzis…

…Beast Boy turned one of his attacks into a perfect bitch-slap, which threw Eve against the hood of a parked Porsche…

…She hissed, got to her feet…

…and her gown moved,opened, and became a pair of wings –black bat's wings…

…She screeched that hellish screech of hers again…

…Beast Boy cowered, his tiger's ears pressed against the top of his head…

…I fired.

The first shot got her in the left shoulder. The second in her right thigh. She staggered back and leaned on the Porsche.

I revved the engine, flanking the T-Car as it sped towards the Parking's exit. Beast Boy roared and Raven rolled down the back window –he turned into a sparrow and flitted inside.

Eve hissed, righted herself, saw us speeding towards her and opened her mouth, the fire licking her teeth.

I raised the Viper one last time and emptied the clip on her.

She howled and fell, blue sparks already dancing around her. She was healing herself, but now we had our chance. The T-Car blasted through the Parking's exit, closely followed by the two bikes.

Which way John? Think, think, think! If we go left, we'll end up in the city. Not good.

"Right!" I yelled, hoping that Cyborg would hear me. "Drive right! Take the scenic route to Kali!"

I don't know if he heard me or not, but he turned right. Good.This road was rarely used –Kali was pretty much a ghost town on the other side of the island.

I fumbled inside my pocket and pulled out my communicator, plugging it in the bike's com system. It auto-dialed the T-Car's number.

"Everyone OK?" I asked, fixing my hands-free headset on my ear. "BB, how are you?"

"Bitch!" I heard BB's response and grinned. "What kind of weirdo…"

The sound of a brief struggle and some muffled exclamations.

"John?"

"Yes, little blackbird?"

"She's following us."

I snapped my head around so fast I thought I would break my neck. Raven was right. There were three bikes and a car following us, and I could feel Eve's aura closing in.

Curse that bitch!

"We can take 'em!" came Nightwing's voice in the intercom. "Three bikes? Piece of cake!"

"Yeah." That was Cyborg. "Just let them get close to my baby and…"

"Can I use my powers yet?" came Raven's annoyed drone.

"WATCH IT!" Nightwing screamed.

One of the motorcycle riders had produced a rocket launcher. It was long and black and evil-looking.

"I got it!" I yelled and threw a Veil up.

At least, I tried to.

The monster I had fought in the sewers had a mean counter-magic aura. Eve's was even better. I felt my attack bounce off the mental shields she had put around herself and her minions, like an arrow bounces off a tank's armor.

Think, think, think!

"Get closer to me!" I yelled and the T-Car moved next to my bike. Beast Boy opened the back door, despite Cyborg's protest.

I accessed the GBM's AI just as the motorcycle rider finished aiming his rocket launcher. I flipped the controls over to 'Auto-drive' and jumped.

He fired.

I landed inside the T-Car, on top of Beast Boy (Ouch!).

The GBM swerved, balanced itself on its gyros, fell back, engaged full rear brakes, skidded, turned its broadside towards the pursuers, shielding the T-Car…

And got hit.

The explosion rocked the T-Car, even though we were already six hundred feet away. The GBM disappeared in a red fireball that lit the night. Motorcycle parts rained all around. What would have happened if that rocket had hit the T-Car, I dreaded to think.

My bike…

"You sick BASTARD!" I yelled, getting off Beast Boy and looking back with a tear in my eye. "Do you have any idea what that cost me?"

"JOHN!" Raven's voice was full of concern. "Are you all right?"

"No." I cried. "My bike! My beautiful (sob) bike!"

"If that's how you felt about it, than it's better off gone." she said, her voice dripping with the usual sarcasm. "Can I use my powers yet?"

The T-Car turned sharply to the right and I realized we were 'round the Kali cape –out of view of Zandia city. I grinned nastily.

"Go ahead, dear."

"Right."

She motioned and the top of the T-Car was twisted apart, like the top of a sardine box. Cyborg stared, horrified as she stood, looking back towards our pursuers, her hair whipping in the wind.

"Maybe you should get out of my way." she yelled to Nightwing, who nodded and overtook the T-Car.

Raven's eyes glowed white.

"Azarath, Metrion…"

Beast Boy chuckled and covered his ears. "Ouch."

"…ZINTHOS!"

The road- the very asphalt- glowed black and cracked. Concrete, pebbles, rocks, trees –everything rose into the air and flew towards Eve's car.

A black shield materialized around it.

The hailstorm of debris reached the car, hit the shield and ricocheted off. Two bikers lost control of their rides and fell –one of them quite a long way, down the cliffs and to the sea. The other got behind the car just in time.

Raven growled, irritated.

"Trigon damn that bitch." she hissed.

Eve's car swerved wildly, maneuvered round the craters left in the road and took up the pursuit once more. Its top opened like the T-Car's and I saw Eve stand up.

Her wings unfolded.

She leaped into the air and flew –she didn't levitate,like Raven does. Trust me, there's a difference. This was a creature of the air, finally in her own element.

I couldn't hold back a gasp of fear.

God help us…

She was too far away for me to see the actual flames in her mouth, but I saw the fireball allright, coursing towards us like a meteor, hitting the road a hundred feet in front of the T-Car, forcing Cyborg to slam his foot on the brakes.

The T-Car screeched to a halt a few feet away from the gaping hole in the road. Nightwing stopped his bike next to us.

We got off. This is it.

The car and the bike came round the bend, their headlights blinding us.

Raven raised a forcefield across the road.

SCREEEEEEEE…

…WHAMM!

The car hit the black wall doing at least 40 mph, and was flattened against it instantly. The bike managed to break –hard- and avoided its friend's fate.

WHUMMMMM!

The car blowing up was a spectacular sight. The Titans stared, horrified, as the flames climbed high into the night…

…Eve came flying and screeching through the smoke.

She landed with a blast of magic that lifted us all off our feet. Beast Boy and Cyborg landed hard on the T-Car's hood. Nightwing hit the mountain slope on our right and recovered almost instantly, his bird-a-rangs at the ready. I rolled on the ground, wishing for the safety of SHROUD and Raven…

Raven charged Eve, screaming like a lunatic.

Tentacles of magic flailed in all directions; magic blasts pulverized rock and road as the two sorceresses met. Raven, in her demonic form, hissed and spat like an angry cat, or a snake; Eve on the other hand screamed defiance and met Raven's magic attacks head on.

Raven scored the first hit; Eve was rammed against the cliff side, rose into the air, held by a black tentacle and was finally catapulted into the smoking pile of scrap iron that had been her car.

She got up, brandishing a long piece of steel like a club, her magic surrounding it in a black halo.

Raven got hit, twice. She rolled on the ground, clearly winded, changing back into her human form.

Eve jumped, holding her club like a sword, aiming to skewer Raven into the ground.

The starbolt hit her from the side, badly burning her right wing. Before she could react –she didn't even have time to scream- Starfire had rammed into her, finishing her attack with a punch that would have made Superman proud.

"You will not hurt my friends!" she screamed.

Eve slid down to the ground, coughed out blood and groaned –a long, agonizing sound. Then, she scrabbled back up, and glared at Starfire.

There was murder in her eyes.

"Titans…GO!" came Nightwing's battle cry and we charged.

Cyborg got to her first, his fist reaching back and descending like the wrath of God.

Eve caught his fist with one hand, and kicked him in the face.

Too late, bitch!

My Haze was in place; not as effective as a Veil, but not as tiring either. Cyborg blurred,his shape twisting and changing like a Fata Morgana and Eve's kick sailed wide. Nightwing came next, knocking her down with a well-aimed kick in the back of the head and freezing her to the asphalt with one of his disks; she used her breath of fire to melt her way out.

Starfire swooped low and charged one of her starbolts.

Eve motioned and the world exploded in a whirlwind of magic that knocked us all off our feet.

Ow. Ow. Ouch.

I saw Nightwing slide over the edge of the cliff and reached out to grab him; my hand closed 'round his wrist but the kid was knocked out. He was just a dead weight –he wasn't trying to get back up.

Great. Now we're both sitting ducks.

Situation assessment. NOW.

I craned my head back. Raven was out. Starfire as well; a nasty burn ran down her right side. Beast Boy was moaning and crawling aimlessly along the ground. Eve's magic blast had cost Cyborg an arm and a leg (ha, ha. Great, John. Beast Boy is rubbing off on you).

Eve was still standing, sniffing the air.

She saw me struggling to pull Nightwing back up.

She smiled.

Oh SHIIIIIIIT!

She raised a hand wreathed in black magic.

The rocket hit her just above the waist and took her with it. She was lifted off her feet, her wings flailing desperately, but to no avail. She sailed a few inches over my face and I could see her look of baffled astonishment.

The rocket drove her a few hundred feet, off the cliff and over the sea, before it exploded in a beautiful fireball that reminded me of the fireworks in Jump City on the fourth of July.

I craned my head around.

Beast Boy sat limply on the asphalt, leaning against the T-Car, the biker's rocket launcher still smoking in his hands. He had a dreamy, faraway look in his eyes but his jaw was set in a determined expression.

"Heal that, bitch." he growled.

The rocket launcher clattered to the ground.

He chuckled; then sniggered; then laughed; a coughing, barking laugh that bordered on hysteria.

After a few seconds, I joined him.

The look on the receptionist's face when we walked into the lobby, beaten, bruised, bleeding… 'filthy',was priceless.

"Mr. Smith…" he gasped.

"That's me…" I answered, still high on adrenaline.

"What happened?" he asked. "And who is this? What…?"

I raised a hand, grinning like a lunatic.

"A good question." I replied. "You tell me. We invited Professor Chang to sit with us, we behaved quite civilly and then, suddenly, he calls in this crazy, psycho, flame spitting…child…that very nearly puts us six feet under. Can youtell us what happened? Because we sure as hell would like to know."

"John…" Raven interrupted me, her voice tired and drowsy.

"Go upstairs, Rachel." I asked her, my voice as soft as I could make it. "And tend to the others."

She opened her mouth to say something, changed her mind and helped Cyborg to the elevator. Nightwing followed her, holding the still unconscious Starfire, bridal style, in his arms.

"Right."I barked and leaned over the reception desk. "I'd like some answers, please. Now.Who was this crazy bitch?"

The receptionist licked his lips, nervously and looked over to the two security guards who were flanking the door. I snarled and grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him up.

"They won't hear you. They won't see you. Not even if you scream your head off. Which you will, if you don't start talking." I hissed.

"Physical violence is not allowed!" yelped the receptionist, his hands clawing on my wrists. It was one of the oldest rules in Zandia. You could threaten, blackmail, but not brutalize. It was a rule.It was tradition.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, until an hour or so ago." I growled. "Talk!"

He blinked and decided it was better to cooperate.

"She was Eve." he said. "The Lord's daughter."

"His child?" I gasped.

"Yes." He writhed in my grip. "She's also his favorite henchman. Henchwoman.Henchgirl.Ha. Ha."

Hilarious.

"Why did she attack us?" I asked.

"I don't know!" he replied. "She shouldn't have. Not in my establishment. There are rules.No physical violence…"

"Yeah, yeah…" I let him fall back into his chair. "From what I've heard, this 'Lord' creep is one for breakingrules."

"Not that rule." he whimpered.

"Every rule." I mused, more to myself than to him.

I left him straightening his clothes at his desk and made my way to the bar. I should probably be going upstairs, to check on everybody, but, first, I needed to think. A drink would also be good.

The bar was empty. After the chaos in the restaurant, I guess that most of the customers would have left the Thirteen.There was some kind of moody blues-like music playing, which fitted my own mood perfectly.

"Vodka." I told the barman, who gaped at my 'beaten-up' look in something resembling awe and then filled a glass faster than the eye could see.

Beast Boy was hysteric. Killing does that to you. I guess I should do something about it.

"Listen. Fill a glass about this tall with sherry. Put two spoonfuls of sugar in it. Send it up, room 303. Tell the guy inside he's to give it to his 'little green friend' and that he is supposed to drink it no matter how awful it tastes."

"What…?" the barman asked, baffled.

"Just DO IT!"

"Right. Sherry. Sugar. 303. Little green friend. Awful. Right."

I wet my lips in vodka and felt the bitter-y taste help me snap back to reality. Or snap away from reality.

Whatever.

Eve. Hmmmm…Interesting.

Why name your daughter 'Eve'? Especially if she ISN'T your real daughter, but a genetically engineered freak?

Another sip.

And why go for Raven's DNA? If you wanted to create something very powerful you could go for someone like Superman. Or anyone of the 'Big Ones'. Why target a second-rate superhero team?

No. Wrong. Why target RAVEN?

Another sip.

Raven is the key.

Why name her 'Eve'?

Another sip.

'Eve'…Why? Can't be random.

"Should you be drinking?"

"Yes"

Raven sat on a stool next to me. She looked at me in a funny way.

"You told us you get drunk easily."

"I can hold one vodka."

Another sip.

"How's everybody?"

"Nightwing's OK. Cy…David as well. His 'little green friend' drank the foul concoction you sent up and is now sleeping like a baby. S…Blackfire looks like she'll recover."

Which meant that Raven had healed her.

"What about you?"

"I've been better."

I snorted. I bet.

"She was…evil." Raven said.

"Yes. I felt it." I agreed. "Cunning. Smart. But evil to the core.Feral."

Another sip. I slid the glass back. "I'm done."

I let my eyes wander over the empty bar. It looked…dead, in a way. Right across the room, behind the small tables, there was a dance-floor. Empty as well.

The barman reached inside a panel in the wall, behind him, and the music stopped.

"Wait." I said. He looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Turn it back on."

He did. I turned to Raven.

"Dance with me?"

She stared.

"…"

"Please."

She stood and we walked to the dance-floor. There, she put her hands around my neck and I laid mine around her waist and we rocked to the slow music.

"You're not...her." I whispered. "Never will be."

Might be hard to be lovers,
but it's harder to be friends…

She nodded.

…Baby, pull down the covers,
it's time you let me in…

"I'm sorry I got us into this." I continued. "I really am. I'm sorry I got you into this."

She pulled me closer.

"Don't give yourself too much credit. You didn't get me into this. I got myself."

I smiled.

…Maybe light a couple candles,
While I just go ahead and lock the door…
Why don't you talk to me, baby,
'Till we ain't strangers anymore?

I breathed in and her scent was there, hidden beneath her fear and her nervousness, that familiar smell that…

Lay your head on my pillow,
I'll sit beside you, on the bed.
Don't you think it's time to say
some things we haven't said?...

"Chang…"

"What about him?"

"You told him…You said you…fell in love…?"

…It ain't too late to get back to that place.
Back to the where we thought we was before…

I smiled.

"Yes. I did. Didn't I? Fancy that."

She looked up and her eyes were serious.

…Why don't you look at me,
'Till we ain't strangers anymore?

"I meant every word, if that's what you're asking."

Her head bumped into my chest and she heaved a big sob. The lights flickered and I barely got a Conviction up in time.

"Idiot."

Huh?

Sometimes it's hard to love me,
Sometimes it's hard to love you too.
Sometimes it's hard believing
That love can pull us through…

"Why didn't you say so before?"

Ah. That.

"Six months! Six Trigon-damned months! Why didn't you say so?"

Good question.

"I don't know."

It would be so easy
to live your life with one foot out the door…
Just hold me baby,
'Till we ain't strangers anymore.

"You don't know?"

"Sorry."

"You don't know!"

"I was afraid, all right? I was stupid, I admit!"

Her head bumped into my chest once again. "Idiot."

I grinned.

"Whatever you say, little blackbird."

It's hard to find forgiveness,
when you just turn off the lights
It's hard to say you're sorry,
when you can't tell wrong from right…

She backed away, grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the lobby and the elevators.

"You are an idiot!"

"I know."

As the doors of the elevator closed behind us, she kissed me –a big fat kiss I never expected from Raven.

Holy…

Two floors later, I managed to get a breath.

"OK, who are you and where's Raven?" I asked.

"Shut up, idiot." she growled and pushed me out the door to the third floor hallway.

It would be so easy,
to spend your whole damn life just keeping score…
So let's get down to it baby.
There ain't no need to lie.
Tell me who you think you see
when you look into my eyes.

She marched to the door of her room, dragging me behind her and stormed inside. Starfire looked up in surprise.

"You are sleeping with Robin tonight, Star." Raven growled.

Starfire didn't react for a moment, but then her face split into a wide grin and she whooshed out of the room like a rocket, the door slamming shut behind her.

Raven looked at me. I looked back.

Silence.

Let's put our two hearts back together,
and leave the broken pieces on the floor…

I reached out and pulled her close and…

Make love with me baby…
'Till we ain't strangers anymore.

You can stop reading now. The rest is private.

A/N: (Nasty grin)

Now go ahead and tell me this wasn't worth waiting for. :-P

I don't like Bon Jovi. I can't listen to them for more than ten to twenty minutes. But then, one day, my sister was listening to their latest CD and I heard this song and I was like WTF? O.o PLAY THAT AGAIN!

The song is called 'Till we ain't strangers anymore'. And I don't own it of course.

Now, about them reviews...

Why only three (sob):-(

VV: You changed your name AGAIN???!!! O.o
Sorry about the dog.
Welcome back into the Darkness... :-P

Xaleria: Yep. Torpedoes too. :-) And thanks- I am afraid that from now on, Raven is gonna be OOC. :-(

Ghostalker: Thanks!
And he's not sleeping in another room. Nosiree...:-)

Now, I'll have to think about the next update, but it probably won't be soon. The story draws, slowly, to a close. The next big fight 'll be the last one.

See ya later, folks!

Cheers,
-Phaethon