…..

Thanks for the review, fav, and follow.

Nightraethingzz: Thank you :). I will try.

Everyone: Stay safe and be healthy. Enjoy. :)

Caught up in Feelings

"So, when am I going to meet her?"

Cyborg sledded from under the car to look at Raven. Her uniform was stained with grease and other oily substances. They were trying to convert an old T Car into an electric car.

It had become a tradition, since the time his car was stolen, for Raven and him to work together on any of his vehicles. It was a tradition that they resumed when the team had reformed.

Over the years, they had modified, upgraded and created several vehicles such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, and spaceships. He was certain that Raven could fix, or maybe even build, most any mode of transportation on Earth. Heck, he had even let her fix a T Car by herself, of course, with his supervision.

"You mean Willow?" He sat up while facing her.

"Yeah," she answered, handing him his water bottle before leaning against the work bench. They were done for today. "Nightwing and Changeling had already met her. I want to meet her, too."

"Wait. When did Changeling meet her?" He watched her shrugged. "Nosey, green shifter."

"The worst kind." They grinned at each other.

"If you want to meet her, I can introduce you to her. We can have lunch or something together."

"Or, we can have game night at the Tower with everyone. We haven't had one since Starfire left." Raven suggested.

"Woah, who are you, and what have you done with Raven?" He got up and walked up to her with his scanner activated. "My scanner says, you aren't sick? So, who are you?"

She leaned back against the bench. "What do you mean? I'm me."

"No, you have been acting differently for the last month and a half. You have been smiling more, laughing more. You just suggested game night at the Tower."

"What? I can't suggest to hang out with my friends?"

"No." He leaned beside her on the work bench. "That's not your style."

"Fine. I admit that Changeling got me curious about Willow. I want to meet this girl that Changeling said you're crazy about. He had been sending me updated about you two."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "You two have been talking a lot lately."

She signed, annoyed. "He has been messaging me. He has been sending me 'his' Titan exclusive news, for some reason."

He chuckled. "What news?"

"Mostly, it's an update about his life, but…" She smirked. "…he also sent me updates about you."

He groaned. "He told you about the horse riding."

She laughed. "Oh, he did."

He studied her. He had never seen her laugh so freely. "Who's the guy?"

She stopped laughing and shifted her weight. "Why do people assume when a girl is happy, it's because of a guy?"

He held up his hands. "You're right. Guys are not needed to be happy. So, there's no guy, right?"

"There's no guy." Beep.

Their eyes traveled down to Cyborg's arm. He looked at her with big grin on his face after reading the message. "My scanner determined that was a lie. So, who's the guy? Is he coming to game night?"

"How many scanners do you have in your system?" She questioned, annoyed

"I can't tell you," he said cheekily. "It's a trade secret. So, tell big brother Cy about him."

She sighed and looked down, becoming interested in her shoe. He couldn't see her expression due to the cowl, but he could tell that she was troubled. Since he knew that Raven was a private person and usually kept her relationships a secret, minus the one with Goth -who she broke up with for some reason-, he wasn't going to push her. He was going to change the subject when she spoke.

"It's a new relationship. We haven't been dating that long. But it's also a complicated one."

"Complicated? He's married?" Her head shot up. He was positive that she was glaring at him.

"Does it look like I'm the type of person to share?"

He shrugged. "Love makes you do crazy things sometimes."

"Have you ever dated a married person?"

He let out a frustrated air from his chest. "Once, that I know of. I didn't know in the beginning, and once, I found out…"He shrugged. "…she was already under my skin and in my heart." It had taken him three months to end it and two more month to cut off all contact. "That's in the past now. Plus, we are talking about you."

She sighed and looked back down. "Are you married?" He said as a joke.

"Do you want me to kick your butt?" She was looking at him again. "No one is married in this situation. I'm positive."

"That's good to know. I would've hated to miss your wedding. I already had a speech prepared."

"Sorry, but you wrote a speech for nothing. I'm not getting marry."

He didn't know how he felt about her words. Sure, there were plenty of girls that didn't want to get marry for reasons that were their own. However, he always sensed that Raven had wanted to. Sure, she wasn't like Starfire or Retra, who dreamed about it, but he had sensed her longing for a family of her own. Her statement made him wonder what Willow thought about the subject.

"You don't want to get marry, or he doesn't?"

"He's the marrying type. But does he want to get marry to me? That is another question; that I can't answer."

He nodded. He knew a few guys who dated women that they didn't plan to marry. Some women knew it and others didn't. "And you? Do you want to?"

"Sometimes want doesn't make up for capability." She floated up and sat on the work bench. Her feet dangled as she watched them. The red claw of her outfit dug into the bench. She resembled a scared, little child.

"Does he know?" She shook her head. "Then, what are you doing? Casually dating?"

"I don't know." She said softly. "It was unexpected for me. I thought that we were only good friends, that we could only be friends."

"But you and this guy are dating now?" She nodded. "You don't think that he's sincere?" If the answer was 'no', he would hunt down him and kick his butt to next week.

"He said that he is….he tells me that he loves me…often."

"Does he show it?" She nodded. "What's the problem?"

She licked her lips nervously. "How can he be so sure? When he doesn't...," She stopped talking and bit her lips. "When he doesn't know about the complications, what makes him sure?" She looked at him, wanting him to answer a question that he didn't have the answer to. But he did know that she was running scared.

"Do you love him?"

"Yes, even if I can't say it."

He nodded, understanding. It had taken him a month to say it to Sarah once he realized it. "Then, that's all that matter."

Her head went down again. "But what about…I can't exactly have a normal relationship."

He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up. Cyborg didn't know all the ends and outs of being a half-demon, especially for one who had to suppress their emotions. "If you love each other, you guys will figure it out one day at a time."

She smiled. "You sound just like him."

"I like him already. So, when do I get to meet him? I promised, I won't do a background check on him."

"Hey! I was looking for you." Raven stiffened at the sound of Nightwing's voice. He doubted that she wanted Nightwing to know about their conversation. After all, Raven was a private person.

"Who are you looking for? Me or Raven?" Cyborg asked Nightwing, who was coming towards them.

Nightwing's masked eyes looked and lingered on Raven before he looked at him and answered. "You, but I want to talk with Raven later." From the corner of his eyes, he saw Raven nodding.

"What's up?" Cyborg asked.

"I got the information that you wanted. I thought you would want it as soon as possible." He handed him the file. He and Willow came up against a wall of secure information that they couldn't break down. The only other wall that was similar to that, which he had encountered, was Batman's. He had asked Nightwing to handle tackling the wall for him.

"Thanks." He glanced through the file, not pleased with what he saw. "I've got to go. Thanks for the information."

"No problem."

Cyborg pushed off the work bench and walked to the elevator, looking at the file. He only looked up once he was in the elevator. And that nagging feeling came back to him at the site of Nightwing and Raven standing close together.

But he was just tripping, right? There was no way, not when Raven had someone that she loved.

Everything hurt.

But, he was fortunate to be alive. His encounter with the siblings didn't go according to plan.

"Thanks to him, our mission has been set back again. Slade is completely useless." He heard Black Widow said.

"I agree. I say, we leave him to die." He recognized the voice, but it hurt to match her name and face with it. It, also, hurt to open his eyes to see.

"Regardless of the setback, he's still useful. He's able to do things that Black Willow is not capable of doing. That's why his service is needed. Furthermore, it would be a stain on my honor if I didn't uphold my end of the agreement." The leader spoke.

Black Willow snorted. "He's not worth the trouble. "

"That's for me to determine. Besides, if you were in his predicament, you would want me to show you the same gratitude that I am offering him "

"That's because I am carrying my weight. "

"As is he." He said with intent. "A minor setback won't affect the plan."

"Not all of us have all the time in the world."

He chuckled. "This is true. Nevertheless, I'm the captain of this ship. Without me, the ship will be disintegrated. Now, let us leave him so that he can recover. Our little assassin is probably tired of us talking."

"You should probably go to therapy before you say or do something that you shouldn't. Friends' advice is not always good substance for a doctor with a degree."

Garfield and Willow were sitting on the floor of the racquetball court. They had been spending more time together since Retra had been away. She had been traveling more frequently since that night. Usually, he would spend his time with Victor or playing video games with Amy. However, they were occupied with work lately.

"I know." He told Willow. "But your advice is sooooooo good."

She rolled her eyes. "Because I'm giving you all the advice that my therapy gave me."

"Good. This is like free, professional advice then." It wasn't that he had hang ups about going a therapy. In fact, he would love nothing more than to pay someone to listen to him talk about all his problems. And he had a lot of problems.

Nevertheless, the issue with telling someone about the real problems that he was having was that more people would know. If more people knew, then there was a higher chance for the secret to get out. If the secret got out, then he would be in a place that he didn't want to be in.

So, he was fine with settling for second-handed advice, which may or may not applicable with his situation. Willow's advice, for the most part, seem to be helping. It was better than the recordings that his parents had left for him. Due to the simple fact, he could have an interactive conversation with Willow.

"You're ridiculous." They stood and went back on the court to play the third game.

Willow went to the serving zone and bounce the ball on the floor before hitting it on the wall. It bounced back, passing the receiving line, where Gar hit it after it bounce on the floor.

"Why don't you just ask her?" Willow asked with her eyes on the ball as they played.

"It's harder than you think."

"Best case scenario is that you found that it was all in your head and you feel like a jerk."

"The worst-case scenario is that she says that she's cheating." And I end up killing her. Garfield thought the last part while avoiding the ball so that Willow could hit it.

"If she is, you can work it out or move on."

"You make it sounds so easy."

"Once you do it, you'll find out that it wasn't hard in the first place."

"Is that how you felt after you broke up with your last boyfriend?"

She groaned and looked toward the ceiling as he headed to the serving zone. "I wish that you could forget about it. Do you know how it felt to admit that in front of your boyfriend's best friend?"

During their yoga session last week, they had to open up about the source of their aggression. Garfield had lied, of course, while Willow, on the other hand, told about the complex relationship with her ex-boyfriend.

Her story had resonated with him. So, after the yoga session, he spilled his heart out about Retra and the affair that she maybe having over health drinks. He explained to her that was the reason why he took so many hikes in the woods.

"Don't worry; I won't tell if you don't tell." He served the ball. "The fact that I know you is a secret anyways."

"I still don't understand why you won't tell him. It's going to be awkward at game night."

He sighed, waiting for the ball. "It's something that Vic has to tell you, if he does." He felt her watching him as he hit the ball.

"Okay," she said, striking the ball back. "I won't push the subject."

The story was a short one, filled with plenty of emotion. He blamed himself for causing the end of Sarah and Victor relationship; even though, Vic said it hadn't been his fault. Since then, he never got too close to any of his friends' girlfriends, with the exception of Kory, and now Willow. The only reason for his closeness to Willow was because he knew her before Vic even met her.

"Thanks," he said, catching the ball in his hand. He had won this round as well as the whole game. "Also, I need a favor from you."

"Sure, what is it?" They walked back to the corner where they took their water break and grabbed a towel.

"Can you be my wingman and see if there is any sign that Retra is cheating on me during Game Night."

"Nope, no way." Willow grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "That's too messy."

"Come on, please." He begged while following her.

"Nope."

"Please, please, please. I'll buy you ice cream."

They exited the building unaware of the camera following and listening to them.

"What are you smiling at?" Dick looked from his phone to Matt. "You've been smiling a lot lately. It's the bar owner, isn't it?"

It was Rachael who he was messaging. She was telling him that she was planning to kill Gar if he sent her another message. She had asked him to help her hide the body, which he decline. But he had promised to be the one to arrest her and lock her up in his house if the cops ever found the body. She had sent back a message with a wink. He wasn't exactly sure how to take it.

Dating Rachael was a constant mystery. One minute, she was cold and distance as if she was trying to push him away. The next minute, she was open and friendly, expressing herself in a way he never seen before.

She was the perfect example of hot and cold. He would have been completely lost on how to handle their relationship if it wasn't for their bond as well as their kisses. His intimate moments with her were always intriguing and intoxicating. He wanted to go beyond kissing and touching with her, but she always shied away from it, only allowing him to cuddle in bed with her.

"Why are you curious?" He questioned, putting his phone away. He had almost forgotten that Matt and two other officers were walking with him. They were heading to lunch together, which was a rare occasion. "Did you and your girlfriend break up? Do you need some advice?"

Matt snorted. "Not from you. You had to get shot and placed on medical leave to get the bar owner to go out with you. I don't need pity to get a girl's attention."

"Getting a woman's attention isn't your problem, Matt. It's keeping her. It could be, I don't know, your personality." Dick offered him some friendly advice.

"My personality is fine. I never heard one of my dates complain."

Dick looked him up and down. "So, then, it's the other problem. Who would have guess?" The other officers, who were quietly listening to them, snickered. "No wonder why your dates only last one night."

"You know what-"

"Grayson!" They turned to see Commissioner Payne walking toward them. "Heading to lunch." Immediately, the other officers and Matt left Dick's side, leaving him alone with Payne. He didn't blame them. He would have left too if he hadn't been singled out.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's go together. I know a great burger place." He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that crept Dick out.

"Um, sure."

….

Spending your lunchtime with your boss was never a relaxing experience. It felt like overtime instead of an actual break.

"How have you been? Does it feel good to be back in the field?"

"It feels great." He answered honestly. Being in the field was second nature to him. It gave him energy that he couldn't explained.

"And how's everything with Matt?"

"Great." He lied before chewing his food.

"Good. I was worried when he asked for a new partner."

That was news to him. He wasn't hurt by it. There was no love between the two of them. He was more surprised that Matt completed the steps to ask for a new partner. He never did anything on his own.

"If you are okay with being Matt's partner," he continued, "that's good, because everyone else decline." That wasn't a surprise.

"No, I love having Matt as a partner. I don't know why he would want to change." He lied. He had a hunch that it had something to do with last week incident.

The commissioner nodded. "It's probably just a misunderstanding then." Dick nodded with a smile, knowing that Matt would hate him later on.

"Now, that that is out of the way. I want to talk to you about Rachael."

"What about her?" He asked, not liking where this discussion was heading.

"Don't worry, Dickie. This won't be a long conversation." He was right. Something about Payne changed. "If I were you, I would stay away from the girl. She's not right for you. As a matter of fact, you two don't belong together."

"Excuse me." He looked at Payne, shocked. "But I don't think that your opinion matter. I know that it doesn't. What goes on between Rachael and I is our business and choice."

The man before him chuckled. "I don't think you understand. Everything that Raven does is my business. Every choice that Raven makes must be run by me. Because you are missing one important fact, Dickie: Raven belongs to me."

Commissioner Payne was no longer sitting in front of him. Instead, Slade was. The small mom and pop's restaurant faded away, and the place that Raven was torture appeared.

"Dick!" His eyes snapped to the right. On the wall, chained and bleeding from everywhere, was the love of his life.

"Raven!" He yelled. He tried to reach her but he, too, was chained to the booth, which remained. "Raven!" He struggled against his restrains.

Slade chuckled as he moved from the booth to her with a large knife in his hand. "Another thing, Dickie. I determine when she dies." Slade stabbed Raven in the heart with the knife.

"No!" He yelled, sitting up in his bed. Sweat excluded from his pores and tears streamed from his eyes.

It was just a dream. His dreams weren't as frequent as they were before, but they were still as horrible as ever. He had gotten comfortable with the absent of their presence when he spent the night at Rachael's. There, the dreams would disappear, allowing him to sleep peacefully.

He wanted to go to her side tonight after the dream, but he thought better of it. He didn't want to give her any negative energy by being beside her.

Her headache was worst tonight. Maybe because she was doing something that she shouldn't. But what choice did she have: Mari was grown stronger inside of her.

Something had trigger Mari's anger. It was something other than the message that No Man had pass to them. She was now more desperate to find Slade. Regardless of what method she used.

Thus, after the bar closed, she transported herself to Gotham. It didn't take her long to reach Gotham. A couple of portals here and there. Within fifteen minutes, she was there. However, navigating around Gotham was a different story.

She had to avoid the streets because of the security cameras. She took to the shadows but the shadows weren't truly safe either. Something else she wanted to avoid lived in there. Magic was also limited in the city as she didn't want to inform other mystical beings that she was here. Nonetheless, she still found the person that she was looking for in less than two hours.

Entering into the apartment building, she found a man, who was searching a dead corpse that laid in a pool of fresh blood.

"What happen to him?" The man spun around frightened by his unexpected guest. He visibly relaxed after identifying her. "Oh, it's you, demon." He said the last part in disgust. "What? Hell doesn't want you anymore?"

"Hello to you, too, Finder." Finder was a thirty-year-old Asian male, who liked to wear dark business suits with a chauffeur's hat. He was a meta-human who was very gifted at, well, finding items or people.

"What do you want, demon? I'm busy."

"I can wait." He nodded before hacking the corpse's head open. She observed the room. It was ransacked. Paper and furniture laid on the floor. And, of course, there was the blood and the body, too.

Minutes later, Finder stood up. "Jiv'pixosu." He walked to her holding up a sapphire stone in his hand. "It's said that this stone has the ability to lock any demon inside of it, if the person who is holding it wishes it to. My current employer did a poor job of looking for it at first." He waved his hand to indicate the mess and dead body. "They would be disappointed to learn that it doesn't work." He stared that her for a moment. "What a pity."

She smiled at him. His comment didn't bother her. She knew that he despised her when she was coming to see him.

"It works." She felt the pull of the gem. "Your employee doesn't have to worry unless it is a demon like me."

"As I said, a pity." He stepped away from her, wanting to put distance between them. "What do you want, demon?"

"For you to track down Deathstroke."

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you and Slade were close. Or, were you too foul for even the likes of him?"

"The longer you try to mock me, the longer you will have to deal with my presence."

"True, the less my soul would be tainted. The truth is you probably can find him better than I can."

"He has a spell that won't allow me to find him with my magic."

He smirked. "In exchange for that spell, I will have the information for you in less than two weeks."

She smirked back. "I have to be the one to cast it."

He frowned now. "That isn't going to happen."

She chuckled. "Of course not, but you will have the information for me the next time that I see you. It will take you more than two weeks. Slade has been busy."

He laughed. "What makes you think that I would work for a creature like you?"

She raised an eyebrow and stared deep into his eyes. "Do you know why I like you? Why Slade liked you?"

"The same reason that everyone else likes me: I am the best."

"That was never our reason. You are not like everyone else. You don't scare easily. Even to the point that you are able to make your rude remarks. That's the reason why we like you. The reason why you live is because we know your greatest fear to control you." She let her statement sink in for before she finished. "And you are the best."

He chuckled. "I have no fe—"

"Don't lie to yourself." She cut him off. "It's not healthy."

He narrowed his eyes. "If that was true, you would have used it by now."

She was the one who chuckled this time. "There was never a need to. You are easier to scare than you think." She left him with that thought, disappearing out of the room to head back to Jump City.

Finder knew the demon would be back for the information. The request was something he could do. It wouldn't be easy. Slade was not like other guys, but he could get the job done. However, there was a problem. He had been strictly warned not to track down Slade Wilson for any reason and for no one by the city's dark knight. He was more inclined to follow his directions than the demon's.

However, an important fact dawned on him. Batman never kills.

A/N: I might be planning something. Have a good week.