This is almost the end of this story. There are conclusions in this chapter, but I do feel there will be at least two more chapters before this story is completed, and I move on to writing the sequel. If you are interested in the sequel, when I post it, just go to my profile and find it. x.x I haven't thought of a title just yet to give you all. So here you all are! Please enjoy the rest of the story and leave me reviews! Thanks all!

Chapter 38: Choice

Luthor watched Raven curiously as she stood with her arms and hair hanging limply, as if they did not belong to her body...as if she had n control over her movements. Heavy breathing could be heard coming from her and the men who had encircled Slade were now inching away from the girl. Slade gathered as much strength he had left and pushed himself up, and turned to Raven. The eerie aura he felt from her wasn't the one he knew. The only time he remotely felt this chill was during their brief and few training sessions. This was going to get very dangerous if she couldn't control herself.

"We're not going to stop, Raven. Until you consent to aiding me. If you don't, you will lose your friends, and be forced to obey."

"You pathetic human...I am not something anyone can control."

The pale head jerked up with a sickening popping noise and four vivid red eyes were set upon Lex Luthor. Dark energy radiated off her like fumes as she approached the man. The men Lex had hired were stumbling back and falling upon themselves to clear a way, fearing what would happen if they caught the girl's eye. The heavy footsteps echoed in the silent room, save for the girl's raspy breathing. Beast Boy and Starfire stayed close to the unconscious Cyborg as Robin stayed on the other side of the room, desperately thinking whether or not he should help Raven, or let her get on with what she wanted to do.

Lex was blanched with horror as the half-demon he had been seeking was finally before him in her rawest form. The hired men were too stricken with fear to jump to his rescue and he had nothing to defend himself if she decided to work magic on him. She stopped a few feet from where he stood, glaring at him unfathomable loathing. Every inch of her body quivered with the purest desire to tear this man asunder, until there was nothing left but shredded scraps of meat.

"Raven wishes to hand you over to the human law enforcement...I on the other hand, want your blood. " You don't deserve to be locked in a comfy prison...you deserve to be tortured until your body and mind can not stand it no more. And the many traits of Raven agree with me..."

The menacing voice had Lex shaking and trying to think of a way out of this. Considering this person before him was spawned from Trigon, whom loved destruction, he gave a wry smile and took a step back.

"Raven doesn't seem to let you out much, does she? Your in power at the moment, right? I promise if you work with me, I will let you destroy and rampage until your heart's content. Kill and destroy whatever you want to. Doesn't that sound good?"

The demon fell quiet as it did some thinking. Slade was staring at Lex in horror, wondering if the demon would indeed force Raven to stay confined and begin a long era of destruction. Starfire couldn't stand the silence anymore and in a desperate plea to try and break through to Raven, and perhaps the demon, voiced her opinion.

"Please have mercy, demon of Raven! Please...we have been most gifted to have Raven as a friend and ally..."

The demon rounded on Starfire, staring at her with it's four eyes all glaring down and making Starfire squeak in fear. She grasped tightly to her two friends but continued to stare at Raven's scowling face in hopes the demon would reconsider. Beast Boy tried to find his voice too, finding his throat was very dry and there was a bothersome lump preventing any sound to come out.

"It is true, alien...that you all, friends of Raven...have indeed been there to save her and protect her...thus, protecting myself as well..."

The demon turned and walked crookedly towards Lex. The cape began to ruffle as if an invisible wind was catching on it. The long, violet hair fluttered as a wicked grin spread across Raven's face. Dark, thick tentacles slithered out of from the darkness of the cape and latched onto The men surrounding them all. It pulled them in and the horrifying screams died away as they were dragged into the dimensions of the cape. The tentacles grabbed Lex and began to squeeze him tightly, causing the man to lose his breath.

"You will pay your debts."

Lex was flailing upside down and scowling at the demon for not taking his side. Lex saw Slade beginning to stand up and knowing what he did about the pair, he grinned. A hidden blade was taken from his boot. The demon remained stoic, wondering what the human would try doing.

"If I die now, I'm not going alone."

Lex used all his might and threw the knife. Slade's reflexes were at their worst due to the amount of injuries he received. He looked up at the wrong time as the knife was soaring through the air and had stuck deeply into his chest, one of the few places that were not covered in armor. The single eye were stark wide as hands clasped at the embedded knife. Blood spewed from the chest as he fell to his side. Never in his life did he ever believe he would come out of a battle in this bad of shape.

The demon's four eyes widened in anger and it quickly pulled Lex into the confines of it's cape. It didn't hide the screams of chilling fright this time as Lex experienced his worst fears and unspeakable pains. The demon had it's teeth bared as she floated into the air, and the more they saw her twitch in fury, the more louder and chilling the screams and yells got.

Joker and Harley decided the end was coming soon and they had to get out of room. They sidled towards the door only to feel a batarang with rope swing around their feet and trap them. Robin leapt upon the Joker and tied him up till he couldn't move and done the same to Harley. Tape was wound around their mouths to prevent them from stealing Raven's attention. He hadn't been able to aid Raven earlier before this happened, but now he could at least catch the masterminds who set them up for this.

Lex was expelled from the depths of the dimensions, pale and shivering. His eyes were wide as saucers and unblinking. He was curled in a fetus position, unable to acknowledge anyone or even speak. Starfire and Beast Boy timidly got up to retrieve the man. The other men Lex had brought weren't thrown out and they feared they were trapped within the magical dimensions forever. Raven levitated back to the ground and landed gingerly on the floor. Raven's head rolled a few times and she stumbled dangerously until she fell forward on her knees and hands. The three titans watched as Raven's demon returned to being under control and the Raven they all knew and loved, emerged. Those violet eyes were a huge relief to see and now the tension within the room was lifting...Raven glanced around, noticing Robin with the tied up clowns, Cyborg was not lit up and Starfire and Beast Boy were staring at her as if they had never knew her. Those same eyes now turned to the middle of the room where a severely beaten Slade lie on his back, blood pooled around him. Raven's jaw dropped in utter terror at the state of her lover. A torn and frantic Raven scrambled to Slade's side and began inspecting the wounds. The long, silver handle of the dagger stood straight up. Desperate hands grabbed it and pulled it out, then those same hands covered the spurting wound and a white mist began to infiltrate the man's body.

Slade felt a warmth spread through his body, like the sweet and sensational burn of drinking alcohol. Nerve endings tingled and the clammy feeling began to fade. A hazy and tired eye gazed upon a frantic and crying Raven who was desperate to try and revive him. Bless her heart, he thought, as he laid there tamely and allowed her to heal the numerous wounds.

Robin watched Raven in silence. Her back had been to Starfire and Beast Boy, but he could see her face clearly. Tears were falling down her cheeks and chin as she healed Slade. Those beautiful eyes gave away the truth about her. It was clear to Robin now, why Raven protected Slade and defended him. While she was in his care, she had developed a liking for him. It explained the instances she stuck up for him and the attitude change.

"You silly girl..."

There was a disturbing glaze in her usually sparkling eyes, and Slade's concern rose. A faint smile crossed her lips as she tried to mouth something but no sound came out. Her worn out body collapsed to the floor near him. Long forgotten were the surrounding titans, or the two clowns from Gotham, or the horror stricken Lex Luthor. Slade sat up hurriedly and turned Raven over onto her back. His masked head lowered to her chest and the faint sound of a weak heartbeat could be heard. She was still alive but so weak from the ordeal. The demon had possessed her and taken over, exhausting much of Raven's energy reserves. With her last remaining strength, she called on her healing powers to help him instead of herself...Slade could only gaze down at her and pray she would wake soon. Robin tried to approach them but a sharp glare from Slade froze him in his tracks. Slade didn't want anyone hear her.

A strange buzzing filled the air and in a few flickers of blue light, Cyborg was back. He sat up and rubbed his bald head, and wondering what he had missed. As he surveyed the room, he noticed he woke just at the end of the fight. Blood splattered the floors, three of the criminals were incapacitated, and everyone look battle worn. His eyes rested on the two before him, his friend Raven and to his disbelief, Slade. Slade's outfit was torn and tattered, the fabric glistening in the room's light. It came to Cyborg's attention the consistency of the stains and the peculiar shimmer was blood. Robin was on the other side and next to him were his two dumbstruck teammates. No one knew what to say as they watched Slade tilt his head and stare at Raven. His half gloved hand ran its fingers through her tangled violet hair slowly, and noted was the tenderness in his actions. Robin was finally the one who summoned up enough courage to interrupt the scene.

"Slade...let Raven go. We need to take her back to the tower and let her rest up. It's been too long of a day for her."

"She's not leaving this place with you and your friends, Robin. She will be leaving with me."

Now the four titans hopped up and prepared themselves for another fight but Slade didn't rise to the challenge. He still remained knelt on the ground watching Raven and running his bloodied fingers through the locks of long, purple hair. All four looked to one another, not believing Slade was going to stand and defend himself. Robin stood a few feet from them and after a few minutes, Slade slipped his arms under Raven's legs and back, and lifted her. he was prepared to leave and carry her with him but Starfire and the others wouldn't allow it. Starfire flew in front of Slade while the boys stood at the back and waited.

"Out of my way, girl."

"No...I will not let you pass while you possess friend Raven. We would very much like it if our friend was handed over. We must get her the rest of which will revive her."

A cold eye stared at Starfire and the growing silence only made Starfire feel smaller and weaker. A weak stirring in Slade's arms caused him to look down and see Raven's face twitching and her hands curling into the torn remnants of his clothing. Starfire peered down at her friend and her expression softened...and as Starfire noted, so did Slade's.

"Starfire...it's...ok. Where's Robin...? I need...to tell him something...all of you, something."

The others gathered forward and looked down to Raven who was trying to sit up in Slade's hold. She faced them all with tears in her eyes and knew what she was going to say and do would have a lasting effect. Robin could tell what this meant once he saw her wet eyes and loss of words.

"You're not leaving this team, Raven. Not for him..."

"Robin, you don't understand-"

"Oh, I do. You're with Slade...it became obvious when you healed him and he refused to let me near you...what do you think you're doing?! You really think he loves you?! What if he ends up using you like Terra?"

Slade gave Robin an apprehensive glare before he decided to speak. It caught the boy's attention and now he was focused on himself rather than the exhausted Raven in his arms.

"If I may, Robin. I have taken excellent care of Raven, and treated her with respect. I had a few training sessions with her and instead of calling her weird or moody, I accepted what she was. I protected her and put my life on the line more than once. I have turned on what used to be a friend of mine in order to protect her AND you. You ought to show some gratitude Robin, because I will not do it ever again. If I didn't care what Raven thought, I would have shot you to get Lex."

Raven lowered her head and rested it against Slade's massive chest as she felt fatigue rule over her again. Slade turned his attention back to her and knew he had to get her back to his mansion. Robin stared longingly at his friend and felt a strange tightening in his chest. He was going to lose on of his best friends to his enemy and part of it was his own foolishness. Attacking her and forcing a blood sample from her, doubting her (though he did turn out to be correct in his assumptions), and treating her shabbily when she came back. It was partially his own fault. If he hadn't treated her in such a way, she might have given up Slade and remained on the team with them all. Cyborg stepped forward and looked to Raven. There was nothing he could say but only hoped she'd be happy. Starfire and Beast Boy were clenching their jaws, trying to hide their emotions about this.

"Star...Cy...Beast Boy...please don't be mad at me. I know he'll take care of me. Believe me, ok? I'm happy with him..."

They didn't believe her. Robin was convinced this was an ingenius scheme formed from Slade's mind. He somehow tricked her, and since this was all on her own will, he now labeled Raven just as much as an enemy as Slade.

"Slade!"

All turned to see an older man running towards them. He too was covered in blood and looked quite injured. Slade felt relief sweep through him at the sight of his old friend, Wintergreen. The man stopped to clutch his side, seeing the girl in his arms and immediately became worried. Ignoring the titans around them, wintergreen approached Slade and looked down at her.

"Is she alright?"

"Raven's a strong girl. She will be fine. We must go."

Robin stood in front of them and stopped them again. Raven was becoming annoyed and this started showing with her dimmer attitude and narrowed eyes. She wanted to get to her new home and rest with Slade at her side, like a normal couple does. Slade knew Robin was going to be stubborn about this.

"Raven, you have a last choice. Come with us now, and we'll forget about this...if you don't you will be my enemy and if I ever see you again, I will not be merciful."

It was entirely the wrong thing to tell Raven. Her aura became colder as she gave him a curt stare and said, "Fine." The others were saddened to see their friend leave. She had been with them since the beginning and had been a huge help in many of their tight spots. Slade spoke to Wintergreen and had talked to Cyborg, convincing him to let Wintergreen go with them to collect Raven's belongings. Wintergreen stood to the side and Slade walked out of the room and towards the exit. Raven clutched to him and thought about her friends' faces. She felt her chest fall seeing them on the verge of tears. To feel their dispirited emotions was even harder to take in. She would sorely miss them but...her happiness with Slade was important. He had taken great care of her and showed her what true pleasure and happiness was...what love was.