Author Note

I wrote this chapter yesterday after work and it's shorter than I expected, but I will have another one up by the end of the day to make for it.

DC Gothic – Red-X

Part 11

Not Dating

Coffee Shop - Jump City

I walked into café, this was the same café that I had met Raven in before, only now it was night time and some guy who wore ruffles were reading gothic poems to a load of emo girls. If Edger Allen Poe could have seen this he would have turned over in his grave.

"Oh great it's depressing night" I muttered.

I couldn't believe that I'd risked coming all the way back to Jump City just to be forced to endure an evening of poetry. This was worse than prison, but not as bad as being Slade's bitch so that was something.

"You're here early" said Raven in a monotone voice which showed no feeling at all.

The Titan rose up from her chair like some sort of supernatural creature, which she very well could be, and moved to stand next to me.

"I don't like to be kept waiting and figured you wouldn't either" I replied "and the traffic wasn't too bad".

Since I was in civilian dress I driven here, in a stolen car, but that was parked a few blocks away and I intended to steal another to get back out of town. That or I'd grab my flying motorcycle.

I didn't know exactly where I was going just yet so I'd decided to move around a little until I figured something out, or until circumstances changed.

Raven nodded her head before slowly before walking over to a table in a dark corner of the room, which was every corner really. Why she wanted to hide I didn't know as there were only a few patrons, all of which seemed to ignore Raven. I assumed that they were used to her being here.

"They're used to me coming in" the emo girl with strange powers needlessly explained "They pretty much just ignore me now and get on with things"

A waitress came over and we each made an order and then the girl went off. It was the most thrilling thing going on in the entire place since people rhyming was so dull.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I questioned.

She had sent an email to my user name on the website we both spent a little too much time on. Mostly my interest these days was on what all the Teen Titans fans thought about Red-X, overall opinions were mixed.

Darkbird01 had asked me to me here at this time, and while I wasn't worried about the Titans setting a trap for me I was worried since Slade either access to the account or he was at least monitoring it. Hopefully he had bigger things to deal with, like say the League of Shadows.

Raven seemed to be thinking things it over. I didn't know if this was suppose to be a date or not, and since I didn't want to ask directly I didn't have anything else to say.

"Where are you from?" Raven asked.

That I didn't want to answer, and really couldn't answer truthfully without sounding crazy. I was from another dimension, a reality were this entire world was just comic books, and other forms of entertainment. I couldn't exactly come out and say that. It was totally crazy.

"Britain originally" I said, and it wasn't a lie it just wasn't the Europe of this world "I was born in Wales if you were wondering".

She simply nodded before trying to decide on what her next question should be.

"How long have you been in Jump City?"

This was either her attempt at a date or a rather pleasant interrogation.

"A little more than a year" I said.

Light on details but again it was true.

"What made you leave home?" she asked next.

She seemed to think I'd left because I wanted to, but I hadn't. I'd been brought here against my will.

Our order arrived so I took a sip before answering.

"I got lost".

Which was more or less true. I'd hadn't know where I was when I got here and didn't know how I'd gotten there.

"Where did you learn how to fight?" Raven asked me next

I really didn't want to lie to her, as that wouldn't get me anywhere but also I didn't want to tell the truth about Slade. Then I realised I didn't have to. She knew I knew Jinx so she would know about the H.I.V.E.

"A special school" I told her "I was living rough when I first got to Jump City and the academy took me in. I learned a lot from them".

Well not everything I knew I'd gotten from the school. Slade had taught me much more impressive things, and I intended to carry on my eduction.

"What kind of people did you hang out with?" was the latest in what felt to be a very long line of questioning.

She was keeping it cool, but I was guessing that she was actually trying to find out about me and Jinx, or maybe just more about H.I.V.E it was hard to tell because she was good at hiding her feelings.

"No one really" I said "I kept to myself and just studied".

That she seemed to relate to that, which made sense as she didn't seem like the kind of girl who partied.

"When I got my chance to show off what I could do I started hanging with Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo".

I had guessed right, she twitched just a little when I mentioned Jinx, who wasn't my girlfriend any more as she wasn't happy about me leaving town. I'm sure she'd forgive me if I came back, as I was running away from assassins, but until then she was going to stay mad at me.

"Oh no" Raven moaned.

I sensed a presence behind but I didn't have to turn around to know it was.

"Uh hi, Ray" a voice I knew well said "Is that your secret boyfriend or something?"

She didn't answer Beast Boy's question, instead, she summoned up what I could only call a moving shadow and let it envelope her before it disappeared into the floor, taking her along with it.

(Line Break)

Titan Tower – Jump City

"Hey guys, guess what I just saw!" Beast Boy said with a wide grin plastered all over his green face.

Raven was now twitching. If anyone had bothered to look at her, they'd have noticed that she was suddenly holding her book a little too tightly. At the rate things were going it would snap in half.

She'd gotten back before him however BB could turn into a bird and fly so it hadn't taken him that long to catch up.

"What is it, Friend Beast Boy?" the orange skinned alien girl known as Starfire asked "Have you discovered something wonderful?"

Well he'd discovered something that was for sure.

"Ravens got a boyfriend! Ravens got a boyfriend! Ravens got a …" the metahuman chanted.

The book didn't break into two until it meant Beast Boy head and it only broke then because Raven used her powers to make the impact hurt more.

"He is not my boyfriend!" she snapped angrily "We just met for coffee".

No one believed that for a second, but also no one was foolish enough to argue that point. Well aside from Starfire.

"So you had the Date" the alien princess realised "How was the Date, Friend Raven".

"It was fine, to start with" Raven said with a sigh, there was something about Starfire that made people want to open up "We had coffee and then Beast Boy ruined it for me".

In attempt to save his own skin BB transformed into a sad looking dog and gave Raven a pitiful expression. Which did at least prevent him from being hit with more books.

"So who did you have coffee with?" Robin asked, now mildly curious

"A guy" was Raven's answer "I met him at the coffee shop before".

The truth would only upset Robin so she didn't admit to which coffee shop or which guy she'd been with.

"What did he look like?" Cyborg then asked Beast Boy.

The meta-human gave a description and as he did Raven tried to slink out of the room as Robin was getting upset.

"Red-X!" he roared "You went on a date with Red-X!".

Yes he was upset.

"Oh so that's Red-X" Beast Boy remarked before remembering New Years "Hey you went and got him, just like I said you should".

At this point Robin had gone beyond merely upset, he was absolutely livid.

"He is a dashing rogue" Starfire said, with rather bad timing.

Starfire found it hard to like someone who had saved Robin's life.

"RED-X!" Robin screamed.

It would have gotten worse but that was when Blackfire turned up. She had escaped from prison and was out for revenge.

(Line Break)

Freeway - Jump City

I parked the motorcycle, the one I'd spent so much time upgrading with alien tech, at the side of the Freeway so I could watch two powerful alien babes try to kill each other. The overall effect was rather cool, the night's sky was being lit up by energy blasts

"Why are you doing this again Sister? Did the Centari Prison really teach you nothing at all?" Starfire questioned of the alien she was fighting.

"Sister" I whispered.

So Starfire had a sister, and she was evil I guessed since this sister was trying to kill her sibling.

"Why? Why am I doing this?".

No one watching the fight found out why just yet as Starfire's sister once more attempted to kill the Teen Titan with more energy bolts.

""THIS ISN'T ABOUT THAT PRISON, PRINCESS!" The black haired girl roared This is about you always getting your way, you always had everything! YOU RUINED MY LIFE!"

Sibling rivalry was such an ugly thing. Also Starfire was a princess, I'd heard that before, and this also meant the other girl was a princess a sexy alien princess who had super powers, she was a science fiction fan's dream girl.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW BAD IT IS IN A CENTARI PRISON?!" the evil princess was now screaming.

Sadly unless she dropped into my lap it was highly unlikely that I'd ever get a girl like that. Not that I really wanted that sort of thing as I was trying to avoid dangerous people not attract them.

The traffic had come to a stop, but I was on a bike so I could fit between the cars and I really did need to leave the state so I got moving and as soon as I did there was a huge boom like thunder. I stopped the bike and the bad alien princess came crashing down. However she was able to stop her fall and she actually landed on my lap, or at least close enough.

"Hey, big boy" she greeted "You leaving town?"

I just nodded, my helmet hid my face and muffled my voice so that was the only way to reply.

"Good I'm coming with you" the alien princess decided "I need to lay low for a while. I'll make it worth your while".

Given the look she was giving me and how hot she was I decided that it was worth helping her escape.

"Okay hold on" I said as the bike got moving once more.

"You might want to go faster" the princess suggested "My sister looks like she waking up and her little friends won't be far behind".

I could now see a cool car and a modern looking bike heading my way. The Teen Titans were after this ebony haired hottie.

"Now you'll really want to hold on" I advised.

With remarkable agility the alien babe managed to get behind me and soon had her arms wrapped around my waist. Which allowed me to see more of where I was going. The road ahead was clear and Robin was closing in on me.

"Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast" I said to Robin.

I doubted he could hear me but it was too funny not to say. I then flicked a switch that activated the anti-gravs, then the one which extended a small pair of wings, and then another which switched on the rocket engines.

Combined they made the bike fly. Which was just so cool, even if I really didn't care much for heights. But what really mattered was that it took everyone by surprise and that gave me a chance to run away.