For the first part of the afternoon, Raven walked the boundary of the Gunther estate that would be hosting the evening's festivities. Her job was to walk the edge with the purified salt sprinkling it as she went. The idea was to cast a ward on it that would trigger a warning pulse for magic users if undead crossed it. The sorceress was supposed to keep her mind calm, but it kept wandering back to Psycho had seemingly had fled under the threat of the pinkette. She was torn between accepting it as she did not want the girl hurt or being furious at Jinx for driving away her friend.
At present, the hex witch was inside talking to Zatanna about defense layout.
"Penny for your thoughts."
Raven jerked her head out of the stupor that had gripped it and found Bruce Wayne leaning on the fence she had just walked by. She mentally kicked herself for being so distracted.
"Nothing."
"You walked right by and stared through me as if I didn't exist."
Raven's gray cheeks colored. "Sorry."
"What are you thinking about?"
"Psycho. Jinx had a few words with her, and I'm a bit pissed."
"Annabeth needed to be far away from this, and you know it," Bruce said evenly. "It's just us, and we can't bring others into it."
"So, I've been told."
"If Annabeth stays away, she won't be turned into a zombie, and you won't have to put her down."
Well, that thought had not crossed her mind. Raven's mind tried to veer off about what she would do if Robin had been turned.
"Speaking of Robin," Bruce said as if he had read her mind.
"What about him?"
"I know you two decided to start a relationship," he said simply. Raven listened to see if she could hear judgment, but there wasn't.
"I don't see why that's any business of yours," Raven responded. She always felt a thrill of fear around the man which was worse when he was in his costume. But the idea that he was going to stick his nose into their business brought Anger front and center.
"It's not," he responded keeping his tone level and cool. She felt his emotions flair at her challenge but kept it hidden. "Robin knows my opinion of having a personal relationship with anyone on a team. It can cause havoc and put the rest of the team at risk. We try not to, but we put that one we care for above the others."
"For not being any of your business, you got a lot of opinions."
"The point I'm saying, Raven, is that Robin is the leader of the Teen Titans and I'm not going to get involved in that. I've taught him all I can, and he has to make his own decisions, even if I don't agree with them."
Raven remained silent, folding her arms across her chest feeling the need to protect herself.
"Do you know why he went to California?"
"I assumed you had assigned him there."
"I drove him away."
Silence filled the air as every emotion in the sorceress froze wanting to understand why he was telling her.
"What?"
"It was seven years ago, right before he formed your team. He took a bullet in the arm from the Joker. He refused to rest and heal, and I took him off of duty because he refused to listen. We had...strong words...after that, he packed his things, took his cycle and stormed out of Gotham."
"I see."
"I kept track of him for a little bit, but when I found out he had formed his own team and had good friends like you, I was forced to let him go."
"Alfred forced you, didn't he?"
Where those gray eyes were severe, a twinkle came back.
"Yes. The lashing I got from him was much worse than what Robin and I exchanged. He pretty much said that I now had to wait until he came back."
"And Nocturnus..."
"Was an excuse to call him and I feel...we've moved past our disagreement."
"You're...you're not trying to steal him back?" Raven asked concern that her friend and newfound lover would be pulled between his old master and his team.
"No. Those days are gone, and he proved himself against Trigon. I have nothing left to teach him. I...I just want to make sure that when he leaves Gotham, we're on good terms. I'm training a young man to take the mantle of Robin, and I know Richard has considered changing his identity."
"What?"
"Yeah, I'm only telling you because I want you to understand our relationship. He's looking into registering a new identity as Nightwing with the JLA. I hope you will not let him know I told you."
It was a lot to take in. Raven had understood that Bruce had been his father for a long time and that Robin had balked at any thought of returning to Gotham until this year. But to hear all this and to realize that both were moving forward twisted in her stomach. Richard had promised not to leave her and that this was not a fling, but he had never told her about the identity change.
"Raven, I need you to watch over him," Bruce said standing and placing an arm on her shoulder. "He's obsessive like me and gets narrow focused. In my desire to protect the son I loved, I drove him from the team and me. If you seem him risking his team, please stop him. I don't want him to live with the same regret."
Raven could not answer and could only muster a nod. The powerful man strode away towards the estate that doubled as a fortress leaving the girl to continue to walk the path around the estate with so much more to think about.
The afternoon waned into evening, and the first guests to the last fundraiser with Richard Grayson began. Rachel had changed from her afternoon skirt and top to a long evening dress that had a low back and a dip in the front to present more cleavage than she wanted. This time though, when she strode out of the room that she and Jinx used to change, Raven reveled in the site of Robin's mouth falling open and the pointed emotion of lust rumble across their connection. She took his arm, and they made their way down the stairs.
"You're going to let me take that off of you later tonight?" he asked under his breath.
"We'll see if you've earned it."
Immediately his entire personality shifted into that of playboy billionaire's son as the first guests greeted him. Now used to the fact of being ignored by everyone, Rachel allowed herself to be separated from her, and she quietly came up beside Jinx who had changed into a gossamer red dress that covered her front but a long slit up the side that allow her hip and leg to be exposed when she walked.
"Oh, these legs run for miles," Jinx quipped as she saw Raven raise an eyebrow at the dress.
"Anything?"
"No, there were a few tremors, but when my team investigated, they were stupid businessmen wearing charms they don't realize have power. Damn, these people are stupid."
"I never thanked you," Raven said quietly under her breath.
"For?" Jinx asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Helping me protect him," Raven continued nodding towards Richard who was making his way towards the center of the room where Bruce was laughing and shaking hands.
"I'm being paid, honey." Jinx laughed. "I want my paycheck, so I gotta keep bird brain alive."
"Still..."
"No problem, Rae Rae," Jinx nudged the girl. "I'm just glad you to finally just got it over with."
"What?" Raven asked blushing.
"Seriously?" Jinx said with a crinkle to her nose. "Not only you still smell like sex, but I was also at the house and could sense you to knocking boots all the way to the house. I almost jumped Alfred; it made me horny."
The gray of her skin was replaced with a crimson blush. How was it that the people she didn't want to know about it were the ones to find out.
"Just remember," Jinx said giving the girl a nudge. "If you and birdy get a hankering for a threesome, I'm more than happy to throw my name in the hat. I still no a few things that I didn't show you that night at the dock."
"Not gonna happen, Jinx."
"Just saying. I'm a great lay as you know."
Jinx's face went from the perverted joy she was experiencing making Raven squirm under the torment to immediately dangerous.
"What?" Raven asked seeing the change on her face.
"Trouble. Look."
She pointed towards Richard and making a bee-line straight for him, and furious was Natalie! She was flanked by a few guys in hoodies who was undoubtedly her security and the emotions roiling off of her were powerful.
Raven immediately made her way towards the jealous woman while Jinx moved towards security. She had her wrist up to her mouth as she communicated with her team. The dark sorcerer arrived at her boyfriend's side the same time Natalie did.
"Richard."
Her words were simple but to the point. Just her presence caused the people around Richard Grayson to move away creating a three-foot circle.
"Nat," Robin answered quietly. Raven arrived to his side but a little behind his shoulder.
"We need to talk."
"Do we have to do this here?"
"Yes. You left me at the altar, Richard." she hissed at him. "I tried to be understanding of your situation, but since you've come back, you have ignored me."
"Nat, I told you I'm not interested in renewing our relationship except more than friends."
"That's not what you said at the hotel," Nat said her voice going up in pitch, a sound of desperation setting in.
"That was extenuating circumstances beyond my control," Robin responded keeping his voice even.
"Richard, I want you. I need you. I want to pick up where we left off. Please...please don't leave me again." Nat's voice quivered as tears formed in her eyes.
Rachel stepped forward trying to give the woman a bit of comfort as Robin sighed.
"Nat, I'm sorry. There's no going back to where we are. Rachel and I are serious. It's over for good."
The wind blew in the room from the open terrace and the scent of sweat, vanilla, and sanitizer hit Raven in the face. Immediately her eyes grew wide as Natalie hung her head and shook in fury and sorry.
"You were mine." she wailed.
"Robin," Raven said pulling on his sleeve. "It's her."
"What?"
Natalie looked up, her eyes focused directly on both of them.
"Then if I can't have you, nobody can."
It was like a sickening illusion as Natalie's eyes became milky and white like the eyes of a decaying corpse and her skin paled and cracked with black veins running up it. She shook and bent over as if throwing up. Her clothes had taken on a black tint, and it began to wave and move as if pulling her into her own body. Natalie started to float in the air as the people around screamed and tried to pull back.
"You shall pay for what you have done to us!" she shrieked in a two-tone voice. It was as if the fabric engulfed her and turned the woman inside out but in its place, floating menacingly with asked feature in hook was Nocturnus.
"Open fire!" screamed Jinx from the balcony above and a rain of lead descended on the firing creature. A mixture of pink hexes and red bolts from the other magician on her team peppered the creature that floated there with no avail.
A sickish green haze formed around Nocturnus' middle and instantly Raven sensed the shift.
"AZERATH METRION ZINTHOS!" she screamed throwing her hands up in front of her as a blast of necrotic energy exploded in a radius from the undead creature. The brilliant onyx field appeared in front shielding Bruce, Richard, and those in angel but the others immediately changed into what could not be better described as zombies.
"YOU SHHHAAAALLLLLLLL PPPAAAAYYYY!" Nocturnus screech wailed as it floated into the sky.
Grabbing the zipper of her dress, Raven yanked it down and let it fall to the ground showing she had a black unitard underneath and her magician's belt. The only difference was that it was cut low to hide underneath her dress. Raven instantly shot to the right allowing her magic to carry her off her feet. Her eyes grew warm white as she blasted energy bolts at the creature. It shrieked as a few made contact and then dived out of the way. Robin was already sprinting towards Jinx who grabbed him with her magic and yanked him up into the air.
The blast that came from Nocturnus took Raven off her feet and sent her sailing into the buffet shattering the table and china plates in a massive clatter. The sorceress rolled avoiding the second blast and was able to pull up a shield that took the third blast.
Throwing herself forward she laid into the creature causing it to shriek and move out of the way like two planes strafing each other.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Richard and Bruce duck into a room only to emerge in costume and Batman and Robin. Maybe she watched too long but felt the claws of the creature grab hold of her wrist and dig in.
"You shall never take our love away!" Nocturnus shrieked in the voice of both itself and Natalie. It flipped her out of the air and slammed her on the ground into another set of tables knocking the wind out of her. Raven gasped as the creature floated higher in the vaulted ceiling ballroom cackling and seeking Richard.
Raven struggled to breathe at the vicious blow she took. She pulled herself out of the remains of the table trying to think. Her mind was hazy. The creature was eating her blows, and Raven was getting the brunt.
It was the sound of a pulse that attracted her attention and sliding in like a baseball player coming into home was Pink Phantom, in pink dress and mask. Her pulses from her gloves took the zombies off their feet.
"Psycho!" Raven said shocked. "I thought you were gone."
"No!" Pink Phantom laughed jumping up. "I told you I wasn't going to abandon you. I went for the backup you seemed to miss."
"What?"
It was at that point that she heard a growl on her opponent. She looked down to see a green cougar snarling at the zombies and then grin at her. "Hey, Rae, Rae. How's it hanging?"
"Beast Boy?"
An emotion flooded Raven's mind powerful and familiar. The feeling of righteous fury.
From the open skylight, the purple-clad orange form descended, eyes glowing brilliant green and her hands balled in a burning green fire. Her red hair waved about wildly in the wind, but her eyes were focused on Noctrunus.
"Touch my friend again, and I shall tear you from limb to them limb," Starfire hissed in an anger Raven had rarely seen.
"Booyah, you mother fucker!" Cyborg yelled coming from the side door his sonic blasters taking a bunch of zombies off their feet.
"His language degenerated since Robin left," Starfire explained as she lighted beside her sorceress friend.
Pink Phantom draped something over her shoulder, and the warm comfort of her cloak enveloped Raven.
For the first time in half a year, they stood there as one. Robin had joined with bow staff drawn, Batman and Jinx taking up the flanks while Pink Phantom planted herself on the other side of Starfire. A bright smile crossed Raven's face as the invisible tendrils of friendship surrounded her. They were there, they came even after Batman said they shouldn't. Her family stood there.
Looking to Robin, Raven nodded. Robin turned to Noctrunus and her undead army with a look she had missed.
"Titans. GO!"