Author's not-so-final Note:

And this is the last chapter. It's the longest one yet but that's because I couldn't figure out a place to end it. A few of you have mentioned that you noticed my writing mature as the story progressed. I not only attribute that to me being a whole another year older, but also from my reviewers. Your helpful insights and encouragement have made the story what it is. So thank you so, so incredibly much. The only way I can thank you all properly for all your help is to write a sequel and I feel like even that is not enough. Also, I'm thinking of rating the sequel 'M'. Give me your feedback on that please. Speaking of ratings, at the end of this chapter there is a somewhat hot and heavy scene but nothing you wouldn't see on regular television so I didn't feel the need to up the rating. Also I must confess something: Raven almost died so many times because I was a little lost as to how the story would end up. So I'm sorry if you were aggravated with her many "near-death" situations. I was a little aggravated when I re-read them haha. I'm kinda sad the story is over now. It was like my first baby and now it's going off to University of Complete Stories. Anyways, I really hoped you guys enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Much love always,

BBS

….

"No, no, no," Raven fell to her knees as she stared at her reflection. Her fingers carefully traced the searing, branded mark on the skin right below her breast. It was unmistakably in the shape of the sun. The size of a child's palm, it was surrounded by jagged lines that made up its rays. However, it wasn't the size of the mark or the intense burn that distressed her. It was the symbol in the center of the sun; the symbol of her father, the mark of Scath.

"Come on. Heal. Please," she begged her naked reflection. The mark continued to burn and sizzle. The smell of her burnt flesh made her nauseous but she couldn't tear herself from her mirror. Raven closed her eyes, "It's a nightmare. It's not real. You're fine." She began to feel a sinking feeling, a slight pull in the back of her head summoning her. The pull became a rough jerk and she was yanked away from her world. The cool air conditioning of her room was replaced with a still heat. It no longer smelled like books and vanilla, but instead like brimstone and dirt. She knew where she was.

Raven opened her eyes her see her mind's landscape where her father roamed. It was completely flat except for one twisted and mangled tree, bare of leaves and life. The ground's dirt was parched and cracked. She starved this part of the land, where her father's influence was strong and Rage was kept locked away. In the far distance on the left, she could see a hooded red cloak pacing back and forth like a caged animal. Relieved to find that she was now wearing her cloak, she pulled up her hood and walked to the edge of the Drop-Off.

The Drop-Off was where her father stayed in her mind. Unequal with the rest of her mindscape, it dropped off into a never-ending pit of darkness. It was the place Trigon visited her; the darkness of the hole made up of his own hatred and evil. It was when it spilled up and over the edge that she became possessed by her demonic side. Rage was the manifestation of that spilled over power and when she became too powerful she would break her cage and become unleashed in the outside world.

Dirt fell over the edge where the toes of her boots touched. She watched it disappear into black pit before speaking,

"You called?"

Four human-sized red eyes appeared in the darkness ahead of her. It always disturbed her more when he was in his human form, the same one he had seduced her mother with the night they created her. However, in this form he could hold a conversation and she would just have to suffer through it.

"Hello, daughter. It's been a long time."

Despite his human size, his voice traveled across the vast landscape, a reminder of the strength of his influence.

"Not long enough. Get the Mark off of me,"

His laugh shook the earth free and it toppled into the pit, "I did not put it there. You did, by killing the angel. You have impressed me with your power, Raven. You have finally given into your instincts. What you were born…"

"I was not born to do anything. I create my own destiny and I can assure you, you have nothing to do with my future, father," she spat, "I did not kill the angel because I felt some rivalry with it. I killed it because it wanted to murder my friends."

"It does not matter why you did it. It matters how you felt while killing it. You loved the feeling of tearing its flesh and the blood on your fingers. You loved ripping it apart and driving the metal through its heart. You cannot deny that, daughter."

Raven felt the knot in her stomach tighten. She knew he was right. It felt so right, so incredibly natural to rip the angel apart. The demonic girl felt sick.

"You've been feeling your loss of control because your demonic side was being provoked by the presence of the Seraph. It called to the demon blood inside you. That blood is what saved your life. Don't say I've never done anything for you."

She was surprised and felt a flash of hope. Ignoring the last part of his statement, she continued, "You mean, it was forcing me to lose control? My darker powers were unleashed because of the Seraph and my…natural instinct to kill it?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, Rage appeared next to Raven, four red eyes glowing beneath the shadows of her hood. Raven did not pay her counterpart any attention as she held onto her small sliver of hope.

"I see. And the Mark…"

"It is one of the highest honors a demon can receive. You cannot get rid of it and you cannot heal it. It branded on your soul. You have finally done something to make me proud of you. Like father, like daughter." A human hand reached from the darkness towards Raven and her Rage. The latter stepped forward and reached towards the hand and grasped it as it stepped off the edge of the Drop-Off. Its red eyes appeared by her father's in the darkness.

"We can't wait to see you again, Raven. We enjoy our family reunions."

"Go fuck yourself," Raven replied as she turned away from the Drop Off. She closed her eyes and only reopened them when she felt the air conditioning of her room.

…

After giving her Mark one last disgusted glance, she changed into pajamas and climbed back into her bed. Raven stared at the ceiling, thinking.

Okay, bad news: I have a lovely scar that marks me as an "angel killer" thus highlighting and encouraging my demon heritage and it will never ever go away ever. Awesome. Good news: the reason my powers were so out of control was because of angelic presence and not because I'm becoming permanently controlled by my demonic side.

Finally, the girl closed her eyes, accepting that it could be worse and fell into a dreamless sleep.

…

Raven woke up with her cheek pressed into her pillow. Her violet eyes finally focused enough to see her clock. It's probably still early. I'm so fucking tired.

1:00pm

Her eyes widened and she sat up in bed immediately. Get up, get up, get up. You have a job. You are a Titan. You should be training, meditating, anything besides lying in bed all day.

She phased into the living room and looked around wildly until she heard a laugh. She turned around and saw Beast Boy sitting on the couch staring at her with amusement.

"Where's the fire, Raven?"

She rolled her eyes and her shoulders relaxed as walked to the cabinets and began making her tea. She opened a granola bar as her water boiled and asked,

"Where's the rest of the team?"

"Well Cyborg is in the garage probably making out with his car. Star is…"

"Right here! You are finally awake! I was beginning to think you were going to sleep through the all of today!" Starfire flew into the room and over to the fridge where she took out a bottle of mustard and Chinese takeout.

Raven sighed as she poured her tea into a mug, "I honestly probably could've. I can't believe slept in so late."

Beast Boy snorted, "Yeah Robin was freaking out wanting to go in and wake you up and check on you and Cyborg agreed but I kept them from bothering you. I'm the best. You're welcome."

The violet haired girl ignored him and sat at the table. She picked up a newspaper Robin must have left and caught up on all Jump City had to offer her.

"There she is."

Robin was still breathless from his work out and sweat trickled down his forehead and onto his mask. Sweat made his plain gray t-shirt cling to his toned body in all the right places. Raven caught herself staring and blushed which caused a boyish grin to appear on the Boy Wonder's face. Embarrassed, the girl cleared her throat before she spoke,

"Y-yeah, I was…uh… pretty tired."

The smile stayed on Robin's face, his cheery demeanor caused simply by her presence. He opened the fridge and brought out a water bottle, taking a long drink before speaking again,

"You needed a good rest. I noticed your door was closed when I walked by this morning…"

"God Rob, you can be such a creeper," Beast Boy interrupted and was rewarded with a glare.

"Like I was staying, it was closed and I was just worried."

Alright, she thought, I will tell them about the Mark but I have to go about it delicately.

"I fell asleep in my leotard and I woke up in the middle of the night and changed."

Robin nodded, accepting her answer. As he took another gulp of his water, Cyborg walked in and smiled at Raven.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty!"

Raven snorted at his greeting and nervously played with her empty mug. The gang's all here, might as well tell them now.

Suddenly, Beast Boy began to sniff the air and then scrunched his nose. "Something stinks," he said.

"Friend Robin just finished training Beast Boy," Starfire said while rolling her beautiful green eyes.

"It's not him…" The shape-shifter changed into a bloodhound and followed the unknown scent. The demonic girl's stomach tightened when he stopped at her feet.

He shifted back, "Why do you smell like sulfur?" He sniffed her again, "And why do you smell burnt?"

She inwardly squirmed as she felt all eyes on her. How could she lighten the situation? After all, it was a relatively "friendly" visit with her father and she's not in any danger. Raven sunk lower in her chair,

"My dad visited last night."

Beast Boy and Starfire eyes widened and the water bottle in Robin's hand fell to the ground. Cyborg's mouth was hung open and Raven cringed at their reactions but continued,

"Okay, I know what that sounds like, but it's not…"

Robin's face twisted in anger and Raven could feel it stinging her empathy.

"It's not what, Raven? It's not a big deal? Your father, Trigon the Terrible, contacted you last night and we're not supposed to be worried or upset or angry? We just got you back…"

Raven said her mantra once in her head before interrupting him. She kept her monotone as she spoke,

"Would you let me finish? First off, he pulled me into my mind to speak with him. So I wasn't in any danger, especially with the meditation I had done before that. It was more of a representation of him that I spoke to. Secondly, he had answers to questions that no one on this Earth, no one in this dimension, could answer."

She paused as she felt his anger dissipate and his curiosity begin to roll in. Raven continued and told them about how the angel "called" to her demonic side and how it affected her control over her powers. Beast Boy's eyes widened with understanding as he related it to his animal instincts,

"I get it. You just can't help it. It feels natural, like you're supposed to be doing it."

Raven grimaced, "Right. Killing the angel felt all too natural because it was what I'm supposed to do as a demon. It called to my personal "Beast Within"." She offered a small smile to the green shape shifter.

Robin crossed his arms, "I have a hard time believing that he visited with you just to reassure you."

Raven narrowed her eyes and struggled to keep her voice even, "That's because he also wanted to congratulate me for giving into my instincts, for doing what he would've done. He couldn't be more proud that his daughter received her Mark."

The Boy Wonder dropped his defensive pose and sat himself next to her, "Rae, I didn't think you were lying. It's him I don't trust, not you. What is a Mark?"

She looked at each of their faces before locking her eyes on Robin, "Maybe I should just show you."

Careful not to reveal any more than intended, Raven showed them the branded scar. The Titans stared at her charred skin. They saw the shape of the sun and the mark of Scath within its center. The rays still seemed to be sizzling. Starfire gasped and Beast Bot let out an appropriate "What the hell?"

"Jesus Christ, Raven. Cyborg, get me a cold, wet towel," Robin didn't look way from the girl's scar as he grabbed the wet rag from the robotic man. Raven flinched as he carefully dabbed it on her burned skin. His anger flared again as he asked, "He did this to you?"

"No...ow...I did it to myself."

His head shot up at her words. She sighed,

"By killing an angel, a demon receives its Mark. It's one of the highest honor I…they can receive. I woke up in the middle of the night with it and no, it won't heal. It's there forever."

"Raven…"

"It's fine. I'm over it," she looked away from his eyes and pulled her shirt back down, "it's something that cannot be fixed and it's not a danger to me or to you guys so I can deal with it." She meant every word of it. It felt nice not having to lie.

The masked boy stared at her a second longer before asking,

"Promise?"

"Promise."

…

After letting Cyborg do his best to soothe her searing skin, Raven went back to her room, showered, and changed. She walked over to her bookcase and grabbed a book before settling into her big, comfy arm chair. Less than 2 hours later she heard a knock at her door and knowing who it would be, she answered it.

"Hey big bird," she said with a small smile.

"Hey little bird," he replied with a handsome smile, "Can I come in?"

Raven looked behind her and then looked back with an apologetic smile, "Eh, I don't know. I have company…"

Robin's smile grew bigger as he gently nudged past her and into her room, "Oh wow, you're right. It's crowded in here." He sat down on her bed, turned her way, and saw the girl with her hip to one side and her arms crossed.

"Can I help you Boy Blunder?"

She noticed how his cocky, playful smile became softer and more sincere. She felt her own Joy leap as the familiar, beautiful feeling of the boy's love fill the room. She walked over and sat next to him, looking into his mask.

"I missed you," he said, "I felt…lost without you."

Raven found herself wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tight.

"I missed you too, Robin" she replied. His arms wrapped around her and held her. She felt a whirlwind of his emotions and she pulled away from his hold to look at him with concern.

"Are you okay?"

He laughed nervously, "You're asking me if I'm okay? I'm the one who should be asking you. Especially after all you've been through…"

"I've been asked that enough these past two days to last me a lifetime. I'll be fine. I know there are risks to being a hero and I experienced a couple of them. It's my duty to move on. You know that. You've done it yourself."

Robin nodded, agreeing with her, but continued, "Yes I know but…Raven I watched the weapon I use to protect people, to protect you, go through your heart. I almost lost you, forever, and I'm not ready to get over that. I keep seeing it over and over and my head. Right now I just need to see that you're actually here and that you're safe and alive and I really also need to do this."

He pulled her close and crashed his lips on top of hers. Raven ignored all the voices that determined her actions "right" or "wrong" and just kissed the boy back fervently. She found herself pulling him on top of her and landing her head on her pillows. Robin used his knee to separate her legs so he could get closer to her, feel all of her, even if clothes got in the way. Raven was acutely aware of the mere two layers of clothes that separated her pale skin from the Boy Wonder but she didn't recoil or draw back. This was a boy she loved and trusted. His touch was one that she had craved for a long time and after almost dying, Raven wasn't about to deny herself the simple pleasures in life such as the intimate embrace of another human being.

His soft lips kissed her hungrily as his hands explored the girl's soft curves. Raven loved the feeling of his body on top of hers, his weight holding her down. He nipped her lower lip and trailed his tongue across it, wanting entrance. Raven felt deliciously drunk on the combination of their emotions and allowed his tongue to run across her own. She surprised him by tugging his lower lip with her teeth. His pleasure began to feel like her own and her skin electrified when an audible groan escaped the masked boy's lip. Robin kissed her lips one last time before beginning to trail them along her jawline. Raven closed her eyes, relishing his delicate kisses on her skin. His lips stopped at her ear and whispered,

"I want to show you something."

The sheets rippled with her emotions and she sounded breathless when she simply answered,

"Okay."

He sat up away from her on his knees. Her violet eyes searched his face for any answers that would explain the sobering feelings of excitement beneath his intoxicating feelings of want. However, it was what his hands did that gave her the reasoning. They rested on either side of his mask, ready to pull it off and reveal his hidden eyes.

She began, "Robin you don't…"

But he interrupted, "Raven, I want you to see me. You already know my identity, but I've never showed you my eyes. I don't want us to hide anything from each other anymore." With that, he pulled off his mask and Raven's violet eyes met two blue ones.

She stared into his sincere gaze and she couldn't help but think that they contrasted beautifully with his dark, raven hair. That's such a girl thing to think. Raven found it amusing that they were the color of a robin's egg, but she also knew that they were the type of eyes that would change to a stormy gray-blue, when corrupted by moments of danger or anger. She realized how long she had been silently staring when his mouth curved into a smile and a boyish dimple appeared on his cheek. Azar, he is so handsome.

Raven lifted herself off the bed, decreasing the space between them. Her own smile appeared on her face as she reached up and ran her thumb over his brow,

"They suit you, Boy Wonder."

His smile grew wider and Raven appreciated the fact that she could see it reach his eyes. He tossed his mask aside and met her lips with his own again. Raven grabbed his head between her hands to deepen the kiss and to plunge herself back into the warm, exciting feeling of wanting and being wanted by Robin. She felt his hands linger at the bottom of her shirt, the skin where his fingertips grazed becoming heated. Wanting access to more of her silvery, ethereal skin, Robin removed her shirt and then his own. Raven decided she would never tire of his body or the way he looked at her now. Robin paused, drinking in the view of the beautiful girl in front of him with swollen lips and tousled hair. He laid her back down gently and lowered his lips to her Mark, right beneath the wire of her bra. His kiss was so gentle, careful not to hurt the tender skin. He reached back with his left hand, grabbed the back of her thigh and ran his hand along it. His mouth began its ascent higher on her chest and her breath caught in anticipation. When the Boy Wonder's teeth grazed the tender flesh just above the lace of her bra, she moaned quietly. Encouraged by her reaction, his mouth continued its exploration of the exposed parts of her breasts, sucking and biting in all the right places to make her writhe under him. Raven knew the affects the subtle moves of her body and the small moans had on him and couldn't help but feel a little proud. She also knew that he really liked the way her hands ran across his chest and abs and back as he tasted her. He kissed his way back up to her neck where his tongue favored the small pulse there. Raven's voice was husky when she whispered,

"My turn."

He laughed as she flipped him on his back and rolled on top of him. She gave him a sly smile before letting her lips and mouth explore and taste the Boy Wonder, creating her own trail of heat. Their lips met again, both dazed and wanting more after their taste. Robin's hand ran down her back, grabbed the waistband of her shorts and pulled down. Raven took over and completely removed the offending item and tossed it aside. Robin began working on his belt when the alarm went off.

He groaned and covered his face with his hands, "You've got to be kidding me."

Raven couldn't help but laugh at their situation. Her outburst caused a few books to fly around. She used her powers to pick up his mask and drop it on his naked chest. The re-masked boy sat up and pulled out his communicator, "It's Doctor Light."

Annoyed by the mention of the mediocre villain's name, Raven mumbled, "If he thinks he's afraid of the dark now, he should wait until I get there. Wasting my time with his bullshit…"

Robin laughed and walked to the door.

"All villains will cower under your sexual frustration."

His comment was rewarded with a pillow to the back of the head,

"Shut up."

He opened the door to run out but then stopped and turned towards her.

"To be continued?"

Her raised hood couldn't shadow the smile on her face,

"To be continued."

THE END.

…