A/N: Hello all, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season- get ready 'cause this S.A.D. is about to HIT and by that I mean seasonal affective disorder. Pffttt I'm screwed so please send happy thoughts your way bc I can feel it coming.

FF has been a way for me to cope and fortunately it's helped a lot and I really do cherish all of your reviews because it gives me motivation to keep going ya' know? So, thank you readers, because I wouldn't be doing this without you.

-athenadione

Raven breathed in and out, slowly repeating her mantra. With her legs crossed she levitated, hovering up and down slowly with her measured breaths.

She could no longer ignore the nagging in the back of her mind. She hadn't seen Phantom since they had wrangled the H.I.V.E. back into their prison cells a few days ago. Their conversation still weighed heavy in her mind and they hadn't really had an opportunity to come back to it, much to her disappointment. She'd been wondering for days about the admission he was about to tell her. After the battle Phantom had just seemed… off.

His reaction was undoubtedly connected to his past and it was clear that their closeness had alarmed him to the point of distancing himself from her. If that weren't true then he would have accepted Robin's request to move into the tower with them.

It had taken her awhile to recognize the whispers in his aura that called out to her. Though sometimes it ebbed and waned, it was always there.

Hopelessness.

She understood that the decision for distance was a lonely one, and the thought of Phantom patrolling the city at night by himself strengthened her resolve for her next decision.

With more training they could help him fight ghosts and help him with his obsession, even as the possibility of him moving on and leaving earth once they did left a pang in her chest.

She would stand by him, if only to provide a companionable silence, so that he wouldn't feel the way she had when she first came to earth on a hopeless journey to defeat her father.

But she was given a chance, and she succeeded in her task. She found companionship, and hope, and though she preferred being alone she was no longer lonely.

Now she had hope because of Robin, because of her friends.

Phantom could have hope too, if he would be willing to accept it. That she knew for sure.

"Dude it is 7 a.m. It is too early for this."

Raven opened an eye as Beat Boy groaned, hair unkempt from sleep. He rubbed one hand over his face dramatically and Raven lowered one leg to the ground, then the other out of her meditative trance. The others were shuffling into the room close behind him.

"Sorry Beast Boy, but we have to train. This is the only time Phantom is available today to help out." Robin told him dismissively. The tone in his voice was clear and Beat Boy was chagrined to realize that Robin really wasn't that sorry.

Raven watched from the corner of the training room, silent. She had her hood up and had taken a seat on one of the benches. Beside her, Starfire stood stretching out wiry muscles.

"We could have at least eaten breakfast first." Cyborg grumbled under his breath, low enough for no one to hear him as the others walked to get the equipment ready, but Raven was listening closely. She hid her smirk underneath her hood.

"What can I do against ghosts anyway? I always just go right through them!" Beast Boy continued his protests, throwing his hands wildly up in the air.

"We train as a team and we'll learn how to better defend against them together." Robin told him, patience so clearly wearing thin, and Beast Boy snapped his jaw shut, thoroughly chastised.

"Yeah and who knows BB? Phantom said he's gonna bring some gear, maybe he has something for you." Cyborg told him, though Beast Boy didn't look convinced. He shrugged and sulked over to the weights, starting the warmup that Robin assigned him.

Raven raised a brow. Cyborg alluded that Phantom had ghost weaponry and though it was logical that they existed she didn't understand why Phantom would have them, or where he could have possibly gotten them from.

"Friends, where is Phantom? He should be here by now yes?" Starfire asked, pulling Raven from her musings. Starfire had made her way towards the middle of the training room where Robin also stood, presumably to warm up with him. Raven learned that Starfire enjoyed hand to hand combat with their leader, not that she could blame her.

Robin looked down briefly as his communicator with a furrowed brow.

A sudden chill filled the room before Raven fully sensed him, and Phantom flew through the door of the training room looking very much in a frenzy. Raven raised both her brows this time when he nearly bumped into the punching bag, regardless of the fact that he had the ability to turn intangible.

"Sorry, sorry!" He yelled as he then tripped over an abandoned bo-staff, "Catherine was busy and then she kept asking me what flavors you all liked and I had no idea so I ended up getting a little bit of everything."

Raven then noticed the bags looped through his arms and the two stacks of drink trays in his hands with cups filled to the brim with coffee.

"Phantom, you didn't have to do that." Robin told him, face unreadable. Phantom gave a sheepish grin.

"I know, but I feel bad you all have to be up so early because of me," He walked over to the counter beside where they kept the fridge filled with water bottles, "And Beast Boy doesn't usually get up until noon."

Everyone was silent and stared at him for a moment.

Raven's eyes softened when Phantom met hers almost shyly. It seemed that Phantom was… friendlier than usual. Perhaps her conversations with him about relying on teammates had a bigger impact than she originally thought. Maybe there was a part of him that yearned to be close with them, maybe with her.

A small smile graced her features.

"I have cream, sugar, milk, and… flavorings." Phantom told them with a shrug, his hand went to the back of his neck, a sign of his uncomfort. It made sense that he wouldn't know much about how to make coffee, considering the time they had bumped into each other at Catherine's he took his black.

"Oh man, now I feel bad." Beast Boy groaned. Phantom gave him a questioning glance, and Robin sent Beast Boy a look that was eerily close to Batman's.

"Don't worry I made sure the coffee was vegan, and I have almond milk." Phantom didn't realize that Beast Boy was referring to his earlier comments, and not to the fact that he was a vegetarian. Beast Boy blinked, then gave him a lop-sided grin.

"Oh, and I have scones and muffins too." Phantom threw a grin Cyborg's way.

Cyborg looked like he was ready to cry. Raven rolled her eyes again. Her teammates were probably the most dramatic meta-humans she had worked with.

"You know the way to my heart Phantom." Cyborg told him and dove to the counter, Beast Boy at his heels. Their movements seemed to break the silence as everyone laughed. Phantom's grin grew wider, especially after Robin settled a gloved-hand on his shoulder in thanks.

Raven stayed where she was, content in the shadows of the corner of the training room. She watched the others customize their coffees, as Phantom recalled the past hour. Apparently Box Ghost had gotten out once again, though that was of no surprise. She was fairly new to the Ghost Zone, but one of the first things she learned was that Box Ghost had a knack for escaping it undetected and was the bane of Phantom's existence.

"Morning Raven. How'd you sleep last night?"

Raven looked up to see that Phantom was now peering down at her with a half-smirk on his face, knowing that he had caught her unawares. She wasn't one for pleasantries at all much less so early in the morning. She gave him a slight frown, then noticed the cup in his hand that was outstretched for her to take. She lifted a delicate brow.

"It's your herbal tea. Chamomile. Catherine made it for you."

Her eyes lit up, "Thank you." She told him, accepting the cup with great care.

It still felt warm in her hands. Phantom nodded and his eyes drifted over to the empty seat beside her, then glanced back up to her inquiring. Raven nodded once and didn't bother to look at him when he sat down beside her. She brought the still steaming cup to her lips and breathed in its scent. She didn't need to tell Phantom that she hadn't brewed her tea yet, he had somehow already known. She was grateful that he had thought of her and a ghost of a smile graced her lips when she sipped from the styrofoam cup.

Phantom didn't say anything further. It was still 7 a.m. after all, and Raven hadn't gone to bed until around 3. In fact, she was on the roof of the tower meditating and had briefly felt Phantom's aura around that time. If he had spent hours chasing around Box Ghost after that then…

"You didn't get any rest last night did you?" Raven asked, shifting her body to face him. Phantom turned to her, giving her a rueful smile.

"Nope. Thank you Catherine for keeping me sane." He toasted her with his own half-empty cup of coffee, before he downed the rest in seconds.

She watched him rest his elbows on his thighs, bending over. He dropped his head into his hands. The muscles in his shoulders were tense, making him tremble slightly. His hair covered his face from her view. Thoughts of their last conversation bubbled to the surface of her mind. Would he tell her now if she asked what he wanted to say to her? Or was the moment now lost forever?

She didn't get a chance to even ask when Robin began to gather everyone to the middle of the training room.

"All right team, let's get started. Phantom, do you want to lead?" Robin called out to him. They stood at the same time when Phantom looked up and nodded. Raven stayed behind when he walked out towards Robin and the middle of the room.

"There's a lot to learn about ghosts, but we can start with the basics," He began and waited as the others gathered closer, "There are some basic forms of power that every ghost has."

Phantom held out his palm, willing some of his power into it, and it began to glow a neon green, almost like fire. Flames licked his hand and flickered upwards toward the ceiling.

"This is ectoplasm, but you already know that. Ghosts are manifestations of thought, and ectoplasm sort of serves as a host for our consciousness."

Raven listened closely, drinking in the information he so rarely offered about himself and other ghosts.

"Our senses become heightened and there a lot of other common powers that most ghosts will have, but we can start with flying, invisibility, intangibility, and ectoblasts."

He quenched his power and walked over to one corner of the room where he pulled up a duffel bag, completely full, and settled in on the counter beside the coffee. Raven hadn't noticed it when he first came in, so distracted by the way Phantom seemed so flustered bringing coffee.

"If you're going to help then you all need appropriate equipment."

He opened the zipper and pulled out something long and sleek, with neon green buttons on the side, ending with a large opening that hummed with an electric buzz. It immediately caught Cyborg's attention, and his eyes widened appreciatively. He shifted, and Raven could tell that he was just itching to get his hands on it. Phantom evidently could as well, because he tossed it to him with a grin.

"A bazooka and ghost portal. It shoots ectoblasts, and it can rip open a portal to the Ghost Zone. Any weaker ghost nearby will get pulled in like a magnet."

"Oh, yeah. I can definitely add this to my suit."

Phantom tossed a staff to Robin who caught it in mid-air. When he extended it, it glowed green. Robin smirked.

"Bo-staff infused with ectoplasm. It can make contact with ghosts, even if they turn intangible."

"Perfect."

Phantom gave him a wry grin and tossed him a few more smaller gadgets, "Any of your other weapons can be infused with ectoplasm."

"I can take care of that." Cyborg said. Phantom nodded, then pulled out a thermos for each of them.

"These are exactly like what I have infused in my own suit. Ghosts have spectral body manipulation, so it doesn't hurt to get pulled into one. Just press this button here," He showed everyone and a shining blue ray of light suddenly shot out of it for a few seconds, "and that one locks it. Once it's locked do not press the release button again."

He passed them out and Raven stared at it in her hands when he handed one to her. It looked like a soup container, but she knew that it was far from that. She could feel the ghostly energy of the ectoplasm thrumming through her fingers.

She briefly saw Phantom fixing some sort of cuffs to Beast Boy's wrists, claiming that it would prevent any ghosts from turning intangible or invisible if he touched one.

"Sweet." Beast Boy said, flexing his hands once Phantom stepped back and looked to her and Starfire.

"Raven, I've realized your power is compatible with ghosts, and I think Starfire's bolts work too but I'm not sure. We'll have to test it."

Phantom scanned the room with a small smile on his face as the others inspected their equipment with a renewed vigor after waking up so early.

"I cannot wait to practice this bazooka." Cyborg said and Beast Boy nodded in agreement.

"Well what're you waiting for? Isn't this what the training room is for, practice?" Phantom spread out his arms with a smirk. Raven noticed the mischief in his gaze.

"You want me to practice on you?" Cyborg asked, incredulous.

Phantom's smirk widened, "Why not? If you can hit me, you can hit any ghost in Jump."

There was a beat of silence at his challenge. Then, Cyborg grinned.

"Oh you're on ghost boy."

The others quickly cleared the room, and together Raven walked with them to the control room where they could watch the training from transparent plexiglass. Everyone was on edge, anxious to see how Cyborg would fare against Phantom. It would be a true indication to how much they really needed to train to defend their city against ghosts. Although Phantom was an anomaly, Raven would be a fool to believe that every ghost out there was like Box Ghost or Technus. There were probably many more that Phantom took care of, and all on his own.

Phantom decided to take to the air, and hovered, one foot slightly bent and ready to take off. He didn't bother bringing any ectoplasm into his hands. He was only serving as target practice.

Cyborg went to the other side of the room, reprogramming the bazooka into his suit. Robin sat in the chair of the control room and maneuvered more targets in random areas for Cyborg to practice with as well.

When Cyborg looked up and nodded his head in Robin's direction to start the training session. He decided to release a practice shot. Cyborg wasn't prepared for the kickback of the bazooka. The first shot threw him back ten feet and he landed against the wall with a loud thud.

Phantom laughed and Cyborg growled in response. When his next shot landed just a foot away from Phantom he jerked back, clearly not expecting the accuracy of his shot to be so spot on. Then they were both off in a flurry of shots and dodges.

It was sort of beautiful, Raven thought, the way that Phantom seemed to dance across the room in a series of movements to dodge Cyborg's blasts. He seemed to flow with the ectoplasmic energy around him, maneuvering and manipulating it. He did it with ease, and seemed to enjoy being up in the air, even if he was being used as target practice. He was in his element, and for all of Cyborg's intentions to hit him with an ectoblast, Phantom was untouchable.

The others didn't fare much better and with each round Phantom consistently stayed out of reach. Only Robin was able to graze him across the cheek with a bo-staff. Had Robin used some of the other gadgets he may have been able to challenge the ghost, but Phantom was obviously more experienced fighting in the air against ectoplasmic weapons. At least they found that Starfire's starbolts worked against ghosts. That was clear when Starfire was able to shatter one of Phantom's ghost shields with her blasts.

Then, it was her turn.

"Ready Raven?" Phantom asked once she stepped into the threshold of the room, an easy-going grin on his lips. She pursed her lips.

Usually during battle she took to the skies to prevent stray objects from hitting civilians, and only went on the offensive when she felt there was no other choice. She preferred it that way, and so did Robin. She was raised to be a pacifist after all. The idea of attacking Phantom with her power was unsettling, but she was curious to see just how compatible her power was with his.

"What if you tried to hit me? Then I could get an idea of how I can act as a defense for myself and others."

He stilled in thought for a moment then looked back at her with a raised brow.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Raven nodded gravely.

Phantom gave her a grin, green eyes lighting up at her challenge. A thrill swept through her as she levitated into the air to meet him, willing her power to her hands. She always loved flying and appreciated the aspect of her power that allowed her to do so.

Truthfully, she wanted to feel his power for herself and get an idea of how powerful he was.

"I'll start the countdown from 5." Robin told them both from the intercom. Raven didn't look up to where the others watched. Instead, she kept hers on Phantom who now had both of his hands balled into fists, flaming with ectoplasmic energy. She heard him start the timer.

5.

Raven closed her eyes and whispered her mantra, "Azarath."

4.

"Metrion."

3.

"Zinthos."

2.

She took a deep breath.

1.

When she heard the final ding to begin she opened her eyes and they glowed white as her soul-self rose behind her, shadowing. She was thankful that she had taken the time to call her mantra because as soon as the bell rang Phantom was eating the distance between them fast.

She only had a second to raise a shield in front of her when Phantom reached her. His fist collided with her shield, shattering it immediately.

Raven grunted with the force of his punch, but raised two more shields along both of her fists, strengthening them.

Phantom responded with a sweep of his feet in mid-air, meant to unbalance her. Raven rose higher and held up her hands when he came back around with a kick to her side. She deflected it with her hand, and then moved to avoid his next punch.

Phantom was fast. He struck hard, and intentionally. He didn't waste time and he didn't waste breath. He orchestrated his next attack with a sequence of punches and kicks that pushed Raven back, closer to the back of the wall. She could already feel the first bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face as she strove to meet each attack. His eyes radiated with power.

As she blocked another punch her shield cracked and Raven realized that she wouldn't last much longer at hand to hand combat. She needed to put some distance between the two of them. She took a breath and allowed herself to be merged within her soul-self. She flew to the other side of the training room with a flap of her wings, before depositing her body back into the air. Her cape flew around her.

She took a moment to breathe as he regarded her silently with narrowed eyes. She wiped her brow with the back of one hand. A shiver involuntarily went up her spine. She hadn't been viewed as an opponent to Phantom before, and now that she was, well, it was intimidating to say the least.

But she was powerful too.

And maybe he had realized that as well, because he then gave her a secret smile, one that told her that he was aware that she had been holding back just as he had.

Then his smile turned into a smirk, and he raised his hand.

Raven only had a moment to prepare for his assailant of ectoblasts, and she threw up the thickest shield that she could muster. She grit her teeth when he upped the ante with a grin.

They came one after another, and each one put a dent into her shield, throwing her back a foot until she felt her back brush against the wall. In the meantime Phantom slowly moved closer with each blast, almost goading her to push back. Well, she could accommodate.

With a yell of her mantra she threw her shield outward, and it changed mid-air, into sharp, obsidian spears. Phantom threw up a shield of his own and held one arm up and across his chest. He caught them in his shield, grunting back. When he turned the shield to the side she saw that they had pierced through, stuck half-way in. Then he released it and both her spikes and his shield dissipated. His eyes met hers, and he smiled slowly.

She was prepared for an ectoblast. She was not prepared when his eyes suddenly changed to a chilling blue. Her eyes widened. Cryokinesis. She was thrown back against the wall when his ice spikes hit her shield, fracturing it into a thousand pieces. She released an involuntary cry, and whatever concentration she had left on her power was gone.

Raven fell quickly towards the ground but she landed on her feet, allowing herself to take a knee as she recovered. She breathed heavily. She hadn't expected a blast that powerful.

"Raven!"

Phantom was in front of her a second later. His eyes scanned her up and down, looking for physical injuries.

"I'm fine." She breathed, though Phantom looked unconvinced. She brushed off his concern with a wave of her hand. Whatever scrapes and bruises she adorned were already healing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Raven raised a brow as he brushed a trembling hand through his hair. He released a shaky breath.

"Why not? It's a part of training, and I'm glad for the experience." She told him and it was true. At least she had an idea of what he was capable of, even if he was holding back, and now she knew what it felt like to get hit with an ectoblast. Now she could contemplate the best strategy to prepare herself against ghosts in battle.

Some of the tension seemed to ease at her admission as he turned back to her, watching closely. Raven bristled,

"I'm a lot stronger than you think I am." She said as she stood, wiping the dust from her cape.

"I have no doubt about that," He told her, expression grave, "No one has been able to pierce through my shield like that in a very long time."

"Good," She allowed herself a small smirk, "I look forward to our next training session." Next time she would be more prepared.

She ignored her teammates when they ran into the training room, asking her if she was alright. Her attention was on Phantom and the quiet smile on his face.

She assumed the skip in her heartbeat was from the training session, and not from the look of his eyes on her.