Author's note: Hi everyone, apologies for my delay in uploading. Thanks for reading and reviewing all of you - over five thousand views, I can't believe it. It's been busy after Christmas, but I've still been writing so there will be regular updates as I promised. This chapter feels filler but is necessary for story progression (you will see :)) Have faith my friends and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or anyone from the DC Universe.

Chapter Twenty-One – Training and Learning

Raven woke up organically, feeling strange. Her body felt unusually warm, and she realised that she was still snuggled up to the changeling. She gave a small smile then wriggled free from his grasp. He was snoring softly, she could see his chest moving up and down in the half-light. She glanced over at his bedside clock and noticed it was 5.30am. Sighing, she swung her legs out of bed and wrapped her cloak around herself. She was wide awake and suddenly aware that she needed a glass of water desperately. Cursing the fact that she forgot to bring one in with her the night before, she stood up quietly and looked to the green shapeshifter one last time. He was still peacefully asleep, despite her movement. She phased through the door so as not to wake him, breaking her rule of conserving energy. She started down the long cold corridor towards ops, feeling the cool air against her legs. The door opened to reveal the room which was still fairly dark. Raven smiled, early morning was her favourite time of day. Not only was it peacefully quiet, but she liked the feeling of morning somehow. How it was the start of a new day. It left her feeling optimistic and refreshed.

Walking over to the counter, she reached up to the top shelf and grabbed a glass. Running the cold water, she put her hand under to test it before filling the glass to the brim. Sipping the cool liquid brought instant relief and she couldn't help but to let out a contented sigh.

"Couldn't sleep?" came a voice behind her, causing Raven to leap out of her skin for the second time in the past day. She spilled the water over her cloak, and put the glass down, shaking her hands out.

"Perfect," she growled, scathingly. Her eyes looked towards the sound, and she noticed Cyborg sitting on the couch. Her anger rescinded upon seeing his face. He looked gaunt and tired, with dark circles under his eyes. The empath's face softened as she reached out and sensed his pain. She stretched over and grabbed a towel, wiping herself and the side down from the spillage.

"I slept quite well, actually," she stated, in response to his earlier question. "But I've always been an early riser."

She put the towel down and picked up her glass, striding over to sit with him. She gave a little wry smile. "It's just you're not normally up to see it."

Cyborg gave a little laugh, but it was tired. His eyes fell to the ground. "Fair enough."

"Cy, have you been here all night?" asked the Azarathian, placing her glass down and turning to face him. Cyborg's eyes never left the floor, but he could feel her enquiring lilac ones resting on him steadily. He nodded. She persisted. "I know this is probably a ridiculous question, but are you okay?"

"Not even close," sighed the cybernetic man, reclining back on the couch and running his hands over his temples. "Just couldn't settle somehow. Decided to sit here and watch the city for a while."

Raven nodded, understandingly. She normally opted to go up to the roof to do that, but it was cold as winter was nearly upon them. Going up there at this time of day would prove freezing. Ops was a fair second place. "It's a nice view."

"Yeah," confirmed her metal companion, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "It is."

"Cyborg, I know there is nothing that I can say which will make you feel better," began the empath, softly. She touched his arm gingerly. "But I can listen if you want to talk."

"I don't really know what to say that you don't already know, little lady," laughed Cyborg, trying to keep his positive outlook. "You can sense my feelings, Raven. You know where I'm at."

Raven nodded and picked her glass back up. She took another sip and then spoke again. "True, I can sense how you're feeling, but I don't know what you're thinking. I'm your friend and I'm worried about you, powers aside. Bumblebee's departure is sad for everyone, but you are much more affected than any of us."

Cyborg looked at her sidelong, his dark eyes flashing at her perception. "It's true, I'm strugglin' with the idea of her not being here. But there's nothin' I can do. I think it's just the waitin' for her to go that's the difficult part. Knowin' she's gonna go in the morning hurts the most."

Raven nodded but didn't speak. Cyborg sighed and turned his head back towards the window. "Guess it's just harder seeing romance everywhere else. Makes you feel even more alone. Makes you think about what could have been."

"Cy," began the Azarathian, lowering her hood so she could see him properly. "You might miss Bumblebee. Your heart may be broken. You may think of all the things that should have been, that could have been. You may feel sad at witnessing the romance in those around you in the city and here. But one thing I can promise is that you are not alone. You always have us, you always have family."

He turned to look into her defiant eyes, and they were filled with such deep care that his own tone softened slightly. He ruffled her hair, in his normal way. "I know that, sis. You know that you mean the world to me. You all do. It's just—"

"We can't give you what you and Bee had," interrupted the Azarathian, knowingly. Cy nodded, and she reached for his arm again. "I know it feels awful now, but it will get better. You will meet the right person, and you'll just know."

"But what if she is the right person, Rae?" questioned the cybernetic man, imploringly. "What if I'm makin' a huge mistake?"

"If you want to make it work, then you will. If you two want to be together, then there's no reason that the distance has to be an issue," responded the empath, folding her arms. "What's more important is what you want. Once you both know that, figuring out the rest is easy."

Cyborg gave a small smile and shifted his gaze to the floor. "So, what you're sayin' is that her leaving now doesn't necessarily mean goodbye forever. The end of this."

"Not if you don't want it to," shrugged Raven, her eyes soft. A playful look came over her face. "Look, if I can overcome the prophecy to destroy the world, you can manage a long-distance relationship."

Cy let out a genuine laugh at his friend's statement. He shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know what it is about you, Raven. But you always know the right things to say."

"It's because I've been damaged so many times," responded the Azarathian, dryly. "You start to learn a few lessons after a while."

An amicable silence passed between them, as they both digested the conversation. Raven drained her glass as they sat pensively and fiddled with it absently in her hands. The sun was starting to rise above the skyscrapers.

"Morning's here," stated the empath, quietly. Cyborg nodded but didn't offer to speak. Raven took a deep breath and sighed. "I'd better go and get myself ready, I think Robin is going to drill me hard today. Think of all those practices I missed whilst I was snoozing."

"Uh oh," joked Cy, a little of his old sparkle back. "You're for it, girl. I'd run for the hills if I was you."

"If only it were that simple," responded the young woman, a small smile on her lips. "Oh, the joys of superhero living and Robin's morning training drills."

"I hear that," laughed the metal man, stretching his arms over his head. "Still, you gettin' all the flack at least gives the rest of us a break for a couple of days."

"You're welcome," responded Raven, sarcastically. She pulled her hood up and went to stand from the couch.

"Hey," said Cy, softly. Raven turned to look at him inquiringly, not raising to her feet as she had previously planned. He took a deep breath. "Look, I appreciate you sittin' here with me. Talkin' me through stuff. It's been really helpful, and I don't feel quite as bad as I did before."

"It's no problem," replied Raven, kindly. "You'd have done the same for me. You did yesterday. I wouldn't have got through that fight with Phobia if we hadn't had our chat."

"I'm glad I was able to help you out," smiled the cybernetic man, his eyes gleaming. "Raven, I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad you're back. We've really missed you. All of us."

"I know," stated the empath, gently. She tried to be honest with her feelings. "You've all been great. Having such good friends is...important to me."

"You know, you seem a little different lately," observed Cyborg, tilting his head to one side and narrowing his eyes. "Somethin's changed in you. I can't put my finger on what it is, but I like it. It suits you."

Raven felt her face flush a little and wondered why. She swallowed back her emotions and took the compliment with a nod. "Well, we're all different now. In our own ways."

"That's true," conceded Cyborg, with a knowing smile. "I hope it wasn't too bad bunking with the green bean. I'll get your room fixed up today for you."

"That's kind," responded Raven, trying to keep her tone and breathing level. "It hasn't been too bad, it was nice of him to offer. Those medbay beds aren't the best thing for your spine."

Cyborg laughed openly, in complete agreement with the statement. "Well, anyway. You mean a lot to my pal, you know. He just wanted to look after you, make sure you were okay."

Raven felt her throat going dry again and managed a nod. She knew that Cyborg, like Robin, was fishing for information. She remained as clammed up as she could. Her monotone voice was in full force. "Well, anyway, everything will be back to normal soon. Azar knows I'll need my bed after the roasting I'm about to take from our fearless leader."

Cyborg laughed again and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Good luck, girl. I have full faith in you. Don't push it too hard, y'hear?"

"Yes, Dad," droned the empath, with a smile. She tapped his hand gently, and he released her. She placed her glass in the sink and sloped back off down the corridors. As the door swished shut, Cyborg turned and watched the sun coming over the buildings to its full height. The warmth made him feel a little better. He stayed there silently, letting the glow wash over him until it was high in the sky.

Beast Boy felt a cold breeze over him and stirred in his sleep. As his emerald eyes flickered open and focused, he realised that he was in his room. He looked across the bed and noticed that Raven was gone. His initial panic subsided when he remembered that she was feeling better and had probably gone out for a drink or to meditate. He sat up and glanced at the clock. 8am. That was early for him. Granted he woke up earlier than he used to as a teenager, but he would never be a morning person no matter how old he got. Yawning widely, he stretched himself and swung his feet out of the bed. His mind wandered over last night's conversation and he could feel a smile tugging at his lips. He couldn't believe that all those months of panic and fear had finally come to an end; that they had reached the conclusion he now found himself at. He sighed deeply and stood up stretching for a second time.

As he got dressed, he remembered that today was Bee's last day, and thought about his metal friend. Sadness pricked at his chest. It didn't seem right that he could feel so intensely happy and yet his best friend could be feeling so low. Garfield knew that he would need to support him over the coming days, just as Cyborg had supported him following Terra's departure, betrayal and eventual death. It was the least he could do to offer him the same in return. As he fastened his gloves and left his room, he decided to go in search of the cybernetic man to check he was okay.

Reaching ops, he saw Cyborg sitting on the couch watching the sunlight playing off the city. He didn't move as the changeling entered the room, so Beast Boy meandered over casually and sat down on the couch next to him. "Sup?"

"Not much, man," responded Cyborg, giving him a little smile. Garfield could see how tired and drawn his friend was, but he looked remarkably better than he had expected him to. "Just taking in some rays and chillin' for a while."

"Want some breakfast?" asked the shapeshifter, smiling hopefully. He turned his head and gave a wink. "I'll even make you pancakes with real eggs and milk."

Cyborg's eyes widened. He gave a mock gasp. "Do my ears deceive me? I do believe the little vegan has come to his senses at long last!"

Beast Boy laughed and gave his friend a shove. "No, I will still be making myself some tofu ones, dork. I don't care how much you guilt trip me, I'm still not eating anything that comes from something I can turn into."

Cyborg gave a disappointed look and sighed deeply. "Dang. I gotta try moping harder. Alright, I tell you what, man. You make the pancakes, I'll make the coffee."

The changeling's eyes shone, and he gave a beam. "You're on."

Raven had dressed and prepared herself mentally for her training session with some quiet meditation. She'd had to use her powers for a second time to float into her room and find a safe space where she could meditate peacefully for a while. Her bed was dishevelled and covered in shards of glass and dust, but she could levitate above it with relative ease. Noticing her clock read 8am, despite the crack across the screen, she sighed and unfurled herself. Floating back across the floor to the door, she wondered if she might have time for a quick cup of tea before the session started. Robin hadn't been particular about a time. She guessed he was probably still with Starfire, so she might have a little longer than she had done in the past.

The door to ops opened, and a lovely smell wafted across her nose. The cybernetic man and the changeling were preparing breakfast. But there was a very strange thing occurring. There was no arguing. The empath placed her hands on her hips and cleared her throat. The two looked at her and both smiled simultaneously.

"Have I died and gone to heaven? Or is this just another coma?" asked Raven sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. "Breakfast being prepared in silence?"

"Hey little lady! We're makin' pancakes," stated Cy, gleefully. "With real eggs and milk."

"Wow," stated Raven, brushing past them and filling her kettle. She had a small smile on her face, feeling the happiness radiating off them was making her feel content. "A monumental occasion."

"Well, obviously I'm not having any. But I'll happily make them for my pal here!" exclaimed Beast Boy, clapping Cyborg on the back. "Tofu isn't for everyone, right?"

"That confirms it," responded Raven, leaning against the counter as her kettle started to boil. "I'm definitely dead."

The two young men laughed appreciatively at her attempts at humour. Cyborg turned towards her, wiping his hands on a towel. "You want somethin' to eat?"

"Pass," said Raven, putting her hands up but still smiling thankfully. "I've got to train with Robin this morning and I have the feeling that if I eat anything now it will be coming back to visit me before lunch."

"Fair point," nodded Cy, knowingly. "Just stick with the tea for safety then, huh?"

"Exactly," agreed the Azarathian, straining the teabag and clicking the bin open with her foot to dispose of it. "Has the boy wonder shown his face yet?"

"Not that we've seen," replied Garfield, whisking ingredients in a mixing bowl. "I bet he's still with Star."

The two boys exchanged glances and giggled. Raven rolled her eyes and took her tea over to the couch. "Like two school children."

"Oh, come on, Rae!" exclaimed Beast Boy, turning to face her. "Like you weren't thinking it!"

"No comment," said Raven dryly, but she had a little smile on her face. "It suits me either way; it means that we don't have to start at the crack of dawn and therefore I had time for a bit of meditation beforehand."

"Yeah, and we can get breakfast in beforehand," added Cyborg, humming as he flicked the coffee machine on. "What's he gonna get you doing today?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Raven, sipping her hot tea and feeling it soothing her. "He didn't say."

"Well, I hope he takes it a bit easy on ya," continued the cybernetic man, following her to the couch and sitting down. "You've been out of action for a while, it's not like you can leap back to full energy right away. Which reminds me, be right back."

Raven nodded as the half-robot departed the room briskly. She knew Cyborg was right, but she wanted to do something challenging. In honesty, sitting in bed recovering was boring her slightly. Meditation was one thing, but the Azarathian was not a good patient.

The pan started sizzling as Beast Boy began making the promised pancakes for his friend. Raven looked over at his face, filled with concentration and noticed how much he'd grown up recently. She felt her heart thumping a little and tried to avert her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for Cyborg to notice anything was different when he returned. As this thought crossed her mind, the cybernetic man re-entered the room tapping something into his arm. She looked towards him and sussed where he had been. "So, how's my room situation looking?"

"Good guess. Well, I surveyed the damage briefly and I think I can get it fixed up either by today or tomorrow at the latest. The damage looks worse than it is, really. I don't think I can repair that mirror, though. Sorry, girl," stated Cy, sadly. "Think you can manage 'til then?"

"Do I have any choice?" responded Raven, smiling. She continued drinking her warm tea and tried to keep her eyes away from Garfield. She could feel his shifting emotions and it was already impacting on her own.

"Well, I guess Bee's room will be free later on," shrugged Cyborg, his shoulders drooping involuntarily. "You could move in there until it's done."

"Oh, yes, I suppose so," stumbled Raven, not really sure what to say. She could sense the man's discomfort mixing with her own and felt a bit jumbled. In reality, despite missing her own space she'd been enjoying staying in the changeling's room. The realisation of this came as somewhat of a fright to her and she felt lost for words.

Beast Boy swore in the kitchen, having burnt himself on the pan. Raven knew he'd heard what had been said with his sensitive hearing, and that the burn had been due to a lack of concentration. She still forced her eyes to stay on Cy. It would seem from the response and sadness pouring off him that Garfield had also been enjoying their situation.

"How's it lookin', green man?" asked Cyborg loudly, over the sizzle. He appeared oblivious to the nonverbal communication occurring around him. "Smells good."

"Yeah, it's nearly there, dude!"

Raven continued drinking her tea in silence, being with her thoughts quietly and looking out of the window. She could hear the two talking in the background, as the metal man approached the changeling and they discussed pancake toppings. She enjoyed hearing the buzz of their conversation, strangely. It made her feel like she was really home. The ops doors opened once again, revealing Robin.

"Hey guys," greeted the dark-haired man, walking towards them. "Wow, that smells good. Oh no, is it tofu pancakes again?"

"Nope! Made special ones for my main man, Cy," grinned Beast Boy, proudly. "You hungry?"

Robin's eyes turned to Raven as expected. "Sorry guys, I've got plans with our other friend here."

"Morning, Robin," stated the empath, quietly. She drained the rest of her mug and stood up. Walking to the side and placing it down she stood in front of him expectantly. "I'm ready to go."

"So I see," smiled their leader, looking impressed at her enthusiasm. "Save me some pancakes then, guys."

"Unlikely," managed Cy, through forkfuls of syrup and pancake. "But I'll try."

Robin laughed at the two, before gesturing to Raven to follow him. He turned towards the door and she looked back at the other Titans. They gave her an encouraging thumbs-up sign and she raised her eyebrows in response. She smiled briefly. "See you, knuckleheads."

Turning away from her friends, she followed Robin down the corridor, wondering what was in store. Somehow, the empath had the feeling it was going to hurt.

Sweat poured off her brow as Raven panted heavily in the training room. Robin swung his staff round and stood up effortlessly. He barely even looked fazed by their encounter the empath noted, feeling frustrated.

"Impressive," stated Robin, putting his staff away in his pocket and walking over to a mini fridge. He pulled out a couple of water bottles and tossed one to Raven. She caught it in her hand and ripped the top off eagerly, gulping the contents down. The dark-haired man unscrewed the lid gently and took a swig. "You've maintained a lot more strength than I had anticipated. I guess your healing power served more purpose than we initially realised."

"T-thanks," panted Raven, rubbing the back of her hand across her forehead and taking deep breaths. She didn't feel like she was in good shape in that moment, as she poured more cool water down her throat. Her breathing steadied. "I want to get back to full strength though, this didn't feel comfortable."

"I know," replied Robin, looking at her reassuringly. "But, you were out of action for three months, Raven. You can't expect to be at a hundred percent straight away. A few days ago, you could barely speak."

The empath nodded, begrudgingly. She placed her now empty bottle on the side and turned back to Robin. "I haven't tried my powers properly in a while. I meditated this morning, and it felt like my body and soul were out of sync somehow. I want to try training there too; I want to try the simulator."

"You want to try the simulator?" questioned the leader, gingerly. "Raven...I don't want to overload you too much on the first day. Maybe we could leave it until tomorrow-"

"I want to try Robin," responded Raven, a determined look in her eyes. "I can't be in recovery training for weeks and weeks, we don't have the time. You know that."

Robin looked unsure, but he wandered over to the control panel anyway. Placing his water down, he fiddled with the buttons and looked down to see Raven standing in position. Her eyes were closed, two fingers upright vertically across her forehead. They pressed gently on her chakra, and beneath her closed eyes he could make out her mouth repeating her mantra. His gut told him this wasn't going to end well, but he wanted to honour the young woman's wishes. She had been through enough. Her words had made sense; they knew that time was of the essence, especially with the pending threat from Phobia's 'leader'. Sighing, he turned the dial down to the lowest setting and hovered his fingers over the start button.

"Ready, Raven?" he called, uncertainly. Her eyes flickered open and looked at him; steely and firm. She nodded, her face emotionless. Robin gave a thumbs-up and then pressed the button down hard. The machines whizzed into life, with various arms flexing into position.

Suddenly, an arm with a long, boxing gloved arm came flying down towards the empath, ready to strike. She flew out of the way deftly and levitated in the air, whispering her mantra before throwing her hands down purposefully. The glove was encased in black and snapped in half onto the floor. Her ears picked up a whirring to her right and she glanced over her shoulder. A square shape was flying towards her, having been catapulted from the side. Raven turned around, her eyes glowing white.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

The shape halted in mid-air and she lowered it to the ground. Lowering herself too, she landed softly and looked around herself for the next obstacle. That was when it happened. It hit her like a ton of bricks and she felt white light coursing through her head. She screamed and clutched her temples in pain. Robin's eyes widened at the sight and he ran towards her at full speed. A nasty looking device with sharp edges was headed towards her, and the Azarathian wasn't moving out of the way. She appeared frozen, clutching at her head in pain as Robin leapt towards her. He grabbed her in his arms and rolled out of the way of the machine. They landed outside of the arena, and he reached up hitting an emergency stop button located on the wall. Everything slowed and then screeched to a halt. There was smoke and steam in the air, as he looked at his teammate.

"Raven, are you okay?" asked the leader, looking concerned. He pulled her hood down so he could see her face and noticed that her nose was bleeding. Reaching into his utility belt he pulled out some bandages and wiped away the blood from her face. She had her eyes closed and wasn't responding, but her frown indicated she was having some kind of vision. He shook her shoulder and called to her loudly. "Raven, wake up!"

The lilac eyes shot open, and she took a gasping inhalation of breath as she clutched at the boy wonders cape in fear. He looked at her panicked eyes and began to sooth her. "Calm down, you're okay. I stopped the machine. What the hell happened down there?"

Raven was panting, her brow line beaded with sweat. She looked into Robin's face, her lilac orbs full of fright. "I saw something. A vision of the future."