Did you ever have a chapter that just wouldn't work and a week (or month) that just left you wanting to shoot and/or strangle whatever came in range? That's what delayed this.

I would dedicate the chapter to all the people who left such lovely reviews, but I think everyone who has put up with a more-neurotic-than-usual science major deserve it a little more. (Especially Kay, who wrote through the scene at the end several times and only occasionally reminded me that I'm crazy.)

Chapter Seventeen
Prudence bit her lip as she looked around the ruined library deep inside Nevermore. Sometimes, being responsible wasn't any fun at all.

She had promised that she would do it, though, and she would. Prudence would salvage the wreck of memories until everything was in order. When Raven had brought Angela into Nevermore, the emotions had known that things would finally change. Prudence knew it was for the better. She wished the transition could have been a touch smoother, but there was still time to get everyone working together.

She would start with the oldest sections of the library. Organizing things and cleaning out the old shelves should be Intellect's job, but Intellect was in self-imposed isolation deep in the area Anger had claimed. Cleaning things up and trying to reorganize was Prudence's job, now. She had been the nice (crazy) emotion who volunteered to help set things straight.

Prudence remembered when things had changed, if not exactly why. All of the emotions remembered. Trigon had decided that Raven should be able to fend for herself, and that was the end of his protection. They all had known that Raven needed more strength, and no one had been able to figure out what to do.

She had been Wisdom then, she knew. She wished she could figure out what the distinction was, but that would come soon enough. The day before Raven was in danger, everything changed.

She remembered the years afterward, but not in detail. The best analogy she had found was that it had all been like a dream. Prudence scowled at one particularly battered shelf. She wouldn't have time for better comparisons for days at the least.

Raven had needed to start planning ahead. Not Intellect's facts and fast decisions, not Anger's store of power, and not Pride's quick judgments on how best to maintain a reputation. Raven had needed a way to think about how choices would matter later, and that's when Prudence had found herself standing in Nevermore.

Courage had found her first, thank goodness, and explained what she knew. Intellect was keeping control very tightly, and Anger and Pride's minds would not be easily changed. Luck and a little bit of planning had given Prudence the chance to start helping Raven.

Timid had been out a little longer than Pru had, but not from any special need on Raven's part. Courage had promised to look after Timid, years ago, and she had. Prudence had helped Courage keep Timid hidden. It probably hadn't done anything for Timid's confidence, but that couldn't be helped. Discovery by Intellect would have been much, much worse. Now, Intellect wasn't an overt threat. Not when Raven was beginning to understand.

Raven had brought Angela to Nevermore. Courage had been the first of them to greet Angela, just as expected. Prudence had waited until introductions were done before she answered the question Angela would ask.

From there, it had been easy. Happiness and Affection were back, finally, and there to stay.

Pru's smile faded a little when she remembered Intellect's self-exile. Instead of facing Raven's disapproval, Intellect had left. All of the emotions were finally there, but they still couldn't work together.

Before Prudence could figure out how to bring Intellect back to the group, she had to figure out just what Intellect had done when Nevermore changed. To figure that out, she had to organize the many files. She could search through the piles, she supposed, but she didn't understand Intelligence's labeling system, or Intellect's piles of books. It had to be done someday, and Prudence always had worked best with a deadline in mind.

"Hey, Pru. Want some help with this?"

Prudence beamed. "Affection, I think I love you."

"Isn't that my line?" She stepped over a book that looked dangerous. "From what Angela said, we have all of six days before Trigon comes back and makes a mess of things." Affection looked around the wrecked library. "Just what has been happening, Prudence?"

"It's a long story."

Affection set her cloak aside. Lavender and grime didn't go well together. "We're going to be here for a while, aren't we? You might as well start with what you remember."

.-..-..-.

Angela inched her bedroom door closed. Raven was a light sleeper, at least in her memory, and a phone call in the same room might wake her.

She didn't have a landline, and didn't need one. As far as Angela could tell, it was common for someone her age to only have a cell phone. It would be more convenient, with a few trips she planned to make. She wouldn't be staying in Jump City for much longer, if everything went according to plan.

"Hello, this is Angela. May I please speak to Starfire, Beast Boy?

"Oh, I see. There's no need to bother her if she's training.

"Yes, actually, it is about Raven. She's staying over a little longer than she might have told Starfire. We did quite a bit of work this morning.

"What kind? Magic," Angela said vaguely. Really, Raven had made several drastic alterations to Nevermore.

Angela and Raven had gone through the mirror. The plan was for Angela to go over what Azar had said about the mirror and about meditation. When Angela had met the emotions, however, she couldn't help but notice that she saw six, not eight. Prudence had mentioned Happiness and Affection.

That had started a long chain of events that ended with Raven fast asleep on Angela's pullout couch in the living room.

"No," Angela said, amused, "I won't translate for the magically challenged.

"It's Raven's business, that's why, and there's no use in asking." Angela was pleased that he would ask, but some things were better kept quiet.

"Yes, she'll be fine." Better than fine, actually. Angela would stop smiling eventually.

"Back for dinner?" She glanced at the clock. "Four hours? Yes, I would think so. I worked her through some very challenging spells, so she might still be asleep.

"Yes, asleep. I would imagine magic is something like all the fighting you and your teammates do, but every bit of expended energy comes from the mind.

"Thank you, Beast Boy. Goodbye." She set the phone down gently before opening her door. Raven was still asleep, but Angela didn't have to be loud. Her parents were alive, and had written an article in the local newspaper almost twelve years before.

Angela, we love you. You will always have a home in Gotham.

Maybe she wouldn't make her home back in New York, but she could at least look into the price of a ticket or two.

.-..-..-.

Tanis leaned back in her chair and smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

It had taken a solid week, but she knew. Six private investigators, each more expensive than the last, one corrupt cop, several bums on the street that wouldn't ask questions about a free drink, and one waiter- all worth the money she spent. After all, the only portion of the cult's money that she needed was resting safely in a numbered account. Any other baubles she took on her way out of the crumbling headquarters were a bonus.

She would hand Raven to Trigon, the rest of the cult be damned. The spellbooks used had been altered, just slightly. She always had the Eastern point of a casting circle, and had added a few words and new changes to the diagram. When Trigon rose, she would be the dominant point. The man holding North would be surprised, but that was the way things worked when you worked for a demon. Trigon always thought backstabbing an entertainment.

The private investigators had given her Angela's address within a block. The bums had given the correct apartment building, and one enterprising fellow had even been able to figure out which floor. He had even pointed out the likely window, which was all Tanis needed.

The employee from some greasy restaurant, however, had given her the best piece of information. The Titans had dined with a fifth. For a pittance to the cult's accounts, they knew for a fact that Trigon's errant daughter was staying with the Teen Titans.

Tanis couldn't help but smile. In six days, their spelled portal would open. They could have rushed, she knew, but she preferred to take time with the older spell that would work just as well. There was no need to oblige Trigon overly much, and it might have taken three weeks to find Raven.

Everything would be perfect. The slight changes in the spell had already passed unnoticed, which meant that she was the victor in a subtle duel. She would become the to-be-defunct cult's Spellmistress, with all of the trappings and none of the traps.

She knew better than Trigon in some matters. Trigon still thought his daughter would go back to him, but it was too late for that. Far too late.

He never had taken disappointment well, Tanis knew. When it came to disputes between Trigon and anything mortal, Trigon walked away without a scratch. Raven might be strong, and she might have a few unexpected abilities, but she only had two choices. She would take orders from Trigon, or she would die.

Tanis wasn't the betting type, but she could guess how that would end. After a taste of freedom—Raven wouldn't go back. Within a week, Trigon would be out of a portal. With the cult disbanded, and all power in her clenched hands, he would have no way to find himself a new bride. Tanis had planned everything too carefully for that to be a possibility.

She would become the Spellmistress, and take all the associated stores of magic. Trigon didn't want too much turnover at the top, after all. Not just anyone could take that position, no matter how tempting it might be. The current head of the organization had been in power for over two decades. It was time for Blood to step aside, and leave power to someone with a better purpose than taking orders.

She would not continue the long quest to appease Trigon. What was there to be gained? Trigon's wrath was to be feared, it was true—but Trigon would be in a different dimension, and his bridge would be burned. She would have the cult's power, but even those interested in reforming the group would have to find her first.

It was past time that she had the power. She had done everything, and she had barely any of the credit. She had been hardly older than Angela when the entire ordeal started. She had been Tala, then, but names didn't matter. She could find a new one to fit her fancy every few years, to keep any pursuers left alive off of her track.

She had been the one to recruit and initiate Angela. After several failures, she had guessed they needed a girl with magic in her family. She had guided the entire elaborate portal needed for Trigon to come to their dimension with a human form, and had made sure everything had gone just right for the siring of his portal-child. When all had gone wrong and a pregnant Angela had fled, Tanis had tracked her clear to Azarath.

That had been surprisingly easy. If Angela and the monks had been so worried, there should have been a guard in the hall. They should at least have taught the little girl to be afraid. The three-year-old demon's child had willingly followed Tanis. It had only taken some quick lying, and not a hint of magic.

Tanis had paid her dues, and more. It was about time she had a little compensation, even if she had to take it herself.

She looked up when she heard quiet tapping on her door. "What is it, Lauren?"

"Status report," Lauren said, setting it on the desk without hesitation. "More detail on the third bullet point is coming, and should be here within the hour."

"Thank you."

Tanis watched Lauren go. Bright little thing, occasionally, but she didn't quite realize what she was in for. She almost thought—no, that wouldn't work. If Lauren survived the fight that was to come, more power to her. She would be smart enough to get out of the life. If not, she would be one more girl lost to the spells and intrigue and magical politics.

Sad, yes, but not a tragedy. Losing one young life was a tragedy. Losing uncounted young fools was a fact of life. Tanis read through the report, taking in only the necessary details. In six days, she would finally be on her own.

.-..-..-.

Raven didn't open her eyes when she heard the door to the roof open. One Titan climbed those stairs regularly, as far as she had seen, and his emotions were distinctive. "Good evening, Beast Boy."

"Uh, evening, Rae. How are you?" He shivered. It would be nice to turn into something with fur, even if it was the Beast.

"Good, thank you. And you?" She did not understand why the exchange was so common, but she did know what to say in return.

"Cold," he complained. "Very, very cold. Mind if I turn into something furry?"

"What kind of furry?"

"You know, the really big kind with fangs and claws that needs someone to watch him." He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. She had never said no, but there was a first time for everything. She usually looked at him, or half-turned. This time—he'd called her Rae, and she hadn't corrected him. Weird.

"I think he would be fine without supervision, but I will be here for some time longer."

That was the closest he'd get to 'yes.'

He yelped when his bare foot touched the roof. It made more sense to just take everything off, instead of ruining something else. It didn't make the roof any warmer beneath his bare foot. She left her trance, or whatever it had been, but didn't look away from the water.

"Thanks." He gritted his teeth. The cold lasted a few more seconds, and then Beast took over.

Beast hunched his shoulders against the wind and growled unhappily. The wind was too fast for it to be warm. It should not be cold until closer to the white-fall. He looked over at the dark female and grunted. She had dark-skin over her arms and legs, and her long-fabric, but still looked cold.

She made a polite word-sound. He moved closer, away from the shelter by the gate to the big-den. He rumbled disapproval. His fur was not long for cold so early in the year. The wind went through his short fur.

He would have stayed by her side, but she was too small-fleshed to stay in the full wind. If he moved, he could keep the wind away from her.

She part-smiled at him, and put her hand on his arm. "Thank you," she said, nice word-sounds.

He lowered his head so he could butt against her shoulder. It was better than being very careful with finger-claws. He rumbled low in his chest when she didn't pull away. She finally knew that she was part of his pack.

"Would you like to meet all of the Titans?" she asked. "Not today, but another time. They were confused, before." She was polite with her word-sounds, and waited while he unknotted them. The Titans-pack, he could meet them not-today.

He stepped back and bared his teeth. He would not meet the Titans-pack until they would have a suitable contest to decide the lead male.

She shook her head at him. "They are your other half's pack. If you want them to accept you, you need to accept them."

She did not care that he was large, or that he had shown his teeth just feet away from her. She just made the word-sounds.

He growled when he understood her words, and moved his head in a killing shake. The small-form had a pack that was out of balance, with a leader that had not been tested and no second chosen.

She put her dark-covered arms over her chest. "Save it, Beast. If you want to have a chance of helping in fights, you need to get along with all three of your teammates."

Beast dug his claws into the not-stone, leaving scrape marks, but did not growl at the dark female. She did not understand. He wanted the pack to be the best. Without balance, the pack was not the best. She was a part of his pack, now, but did not know.

"Then you cannot fight with them." She would not change her mind. Her expression made small-moves when she looked at him. "I won't be around forever, Beast."

He stared at her. She was going to leave the pack? Forever?

"I will visit, but why would I stay in one place? I was here because I had nowhere else to go. I'm staying for at least a week because this city is going to need me. After that, I'll travel with my mother."

He whimpered, and didn't care that she heard. She was pack, now. She was not supposed to leave.

She frowned, confused-not-sad. "It's okay," her word-sounds said, but she did not sound certain. "I'll visit, I promise."

Her hand was on his shoulder, but he could hardly notice. Pack did not separate, but the dark female spoke of leaving.

"That's another reason to meet everyone else. They're not what you think."

He shook his head, and didn't think to growl.

"Would you-" Her voice was almost a growl, but quiet.

Her hand was small, he thought when she tucked it under his chin. She pressed gently until she could look him in the eyes.

"I will be here for at least a week, and then I want to spend some time with my mother."

He huffed when she moved back. Her dam was her old pack, but she should not leave her new one forever.

"Beast Boy doesn't understand you, and I don't think you're helping him."

Beast snorted. It was not his fault that the small-form did not want to know why Beast could not work with the Titan-pack. The small-form feared him.

The dark female shook her head. "You could help if you wanted to. He will feel much better when you've met with his team."

He bared his teeth at the idea.

"What's wrong with them? Do you have a specific reason?"

The lead male was not right. Beast remembered the lead male angry and yelling, voice loud, with the metal stick and flat balls that exploded. The small-form had been upset with the lead male. The lead male could not be trusted.

She looked at him, like she knew. "Do you have a problem with Starfire?"

The glowing female had been reluctant to fight. He shook his head.

"Cyborg?"

The small-form liked the metal male, even with the smells of oil and grease and metal. Beast shook his head again.

"Robin."

He snarled. He did not like the lead male.

"Would you be willing to meet Robin outside of a fight?"

His ears pressed back against his head as his hackles raised. He growled .

"If your reaction to Robin is this violent, then Beast Boy will only be more careful. You won't get as much time to be out, and can't help in a fight. Even if Beast Boy was in trouble, he couldn't risk you hurting his teammate."

He took many heartbeats to find what her words meant. He rumbled and looked away. It would be wrong to make trouble for the small-form, if there was a battle where the small-form and pack were in danger.

"This is why he's wary, when it comes to you."

'Wary' was a word-sound like scared, he thought, but he didn't know. He liked it when the dark female used new word-sounds, but needed a few times to understand them.

He snorted. The small-form did not have to be scared-wary. He and small-form were the same, but different. Small-form did not like leader male much either, but pretended that everything was okay. Small-form did not want to break the pack.

"Would it help if I talked to Beast Boy?"

He moved his shoulders, which meant that he was not sure. The small-form avoided him. Raven could tell small-form that he did not have to be tight-wary.

She looked at him for long heart-beats, then let air out quietly. "If you change back, we can both get out of the cold."

Beast grunted and closed his eyes. Sleep was better than the cold. Small-form could not block the wind from the dark female, but he could go inside the den.

Raven had expected Beast to move before changing back, not stand right in front of her. She had known that clothes didn't survive the transformation, but somehow hadn't remembered.

"It's freaking cold!" Beast Boy yelled.

Raven had never heard Timid yelp. How could a sound be piercing if it was in her mind?

Maybe it wasn't as cold as she thought. Her cheeks were warm.

Beast Boy didn't feel any better until he was dressed. "Why oh why does it have to be cold? It's August!" he grumbled. "Just because we live on the ocean and we get the wind coming off the water, it's cold?" He looked up. Raven was staring at the horizon, and- no. No way, not Raven.

Beast Boy shook his head. He was cold enough that he was seeing things. Raven didn't blush.

He rubbed his arms. "Want to go inside? I've had enough of the weather."

"I wouldn't mind."

He supposed that was the polite way for saying that she'd just spent however long out in the cold babysitting a giant furry Beast who selectively disliked people.

Beast Boy held the door open for her, even if it meant a couple more seconds out in the cold. It was only fair, when she had helped him.

He relaxed when the door shut behind them. "Jump City usually isn't so cold, this time of year," he said. "Freak cold snap."

"How much colder does it get?"

"In winter, that would be warm," he said. "We get snow sometimes, though. That's fun."

"Remind me to avoid that. It's cold enough outside."

He grinned. "Aw, you'll love the snow. Nothing's better than a good snow fight. You pick the snow up with your hands, make it into balls, and then throw the snowballs at people."

"Frozen water coming out of the sky? That doesn't sound like my idea of a good time," she said.

"It's not that bad," he said. "It's really kind of beautiful, especially from the inside. You have a better idea?"

"A week and a half ago, the news forecasts warned people to stay inside because of the heat wave. That is my kind of weather."

Beast Boy shook his head. She'd been wearing her cloak the entire time, too. "Why do I have the feeling you would like deserts or something?"

"They are very hot, and there aren't very many people," Raven said.

"There are plenty of places that are very hot and do have people. Lots of people."

"I'll start with Gotham, for lots of people."

"You wouldn't like Batman," he said. "He's kind of…" Beast Boy wasn't sure there was a word that would do the hero justice. "Well, he's obsessive."

"I'm not going to Gotham to visit Batman," Raven said.

"No, I'd guess you wouldn't, but he'd probably visit you anyways. He taught Rob, and Rob's… you know. Robin can be pretty intense, Batman's worse."

She listened, and didn't say a word until he trailed off. "Is there a specific reason you and Robin do not get along?"

He almost choked. "Uh- I- it's kind of complicated."

"You might want to work on that. Beast has a very similar problem," Raven said.

"What do you mean?" Didn't it just figure? Beast didn't like Robin. Robin didn't like Beast. Beast Boy was in the middle of everything.

"Beast will be fine with Starfire and Cyborg, but he snarls at the mention of Robin. Whatever your personal problems are, they're carrying over to Beast," she explained patiently.

"It's not a problem, exactly," he tried. She wasn't buying it. "It's just a personality conflict."

"If you cannot fix that, you are going to have a problem with Beast when it comes to your team."

"We're working through it," Beast Boy said defensively. Robin had talked to him about Beast, and about Robin's reactions to Beast. It had helped a little. "It just takes time."

She wasn't going to just drop it. Distraction, there has to be something- Gotham. "So, um, you're thinking about traveling to Gotham?" Why did the idea of that sound so weird?

"My mother is planning a trip to Gotham," she said. "So far, the plan is to leave in two weeks."

"You're going with her?" Beast Boy told whatever part of him was upset at the idea to shut up and go away. It was probably Beast.

"Yes," Raven said.

He couldn't tell what she was thinking, which was weird. Usually he could get a hint from her expression.

"Her parents live there," Raven continued. "She hasn't called them yet, and doesn't know if she will call before she visits them."

"Want to know about Gotham? It's weirder than Jump City, I think."

"I have a few other things on my mind," Raven said.

It was a polite way to turn him down, and she was good at being polite. Angela would probably do a better job at describing Gotham, anyway, and it wasn't like he was that great at talking to people and- oh. She was talking to him.

"Have you been to Gotham?"

"Once," he said. "I was really little, about six." His parents had been receiving some award or other. Probably the grant that let them do their research in Africa, now that he thought about it. He didn't like thinking about it.

She changed the subject. "Beast has no problems with Starfire. She could watch him for you."

"Star is more than strong enough, if Beast decides to be a pain." That would work. "Maybe she could start helping you watch him, before you leave? I don't think he'd like a sudden change."

"I would have suggested that, yes. I have mentioned to Beast that I will be leaving." She frowned. "He didn't take the idea well. I have not fought him, as your teammates have, and he might associate me with regularly being able to move around."

"That, or-" Beast Boy stopped talking. No way. "Or he likes you," he said slowly.

"I believe that he associates me with such frequent changes," Raven said politely.

She didn't want to talk about it. She was the empath. He probably had it all wrong. "That might be it," he agreed. "Starfire has Robin, and eventually Robin will want to spend time with her."

"That will not make him any more fond of Robin."

"Exactly my point," Beast Boy said. "I'd have to explain things to Rob, and then Rob would be upset but wouldn't want to show it, and then he'd just be more anal than usual."

"Beast could probably have helped in some of the fights Starfire has mentioned. He just needs to know who would be in charge of the team."

"Beast would want to fight Robin for it, probably. That wouldn't go well." The common room was much, much warmer than the roof. "Hey, want to play GameStation?" He knew the answer, but it was worth a shot.

"No, thank you."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself." He watched from the corner of his eye when she moved to the part of the room farthest away from the television. He turned down the volume, just so he could be polite. Whatever magic she had been doing that morning, he thought it had worked. This time, when she closed her eyes and all the small changes in body language said she was relaxed—she was smiling, just a little.