Raven woke the next morning, still laying on Bruce's chest. The older hero was still sound asleep, a PDA balancing on the arm of the couch. Not really wanting to move, but knowing she would need to get home before they noticed she was gone, Raven began to get up. The movement woke Bruce, who instinctively wrapped his arms around the girl, the PDA falling in the floor.

Realizing what was going on, Bruce let go. "Sorry." He said.

"It's okay." Raven smiled, getting up off the couch. She looked out the window, it was still slightly dark outside. "I need to get home soon, before everyone wakes up."
"I'll take you, wait here a minute." Bruce vanished into the bedroom again, coming out a few minutes later in his Batman uniform, carrying a bundle of clothes, which he gave to her. "Alfred made these for you. He made them to look exactly like the ones we found you in. The only difference is, this is a more durable material and will last longer and protect you better."
Raven unfolded the uniform, and looked it over. It was amazing that such a small difference made the uniform so much better. She herself found it odd she would want to keep the very outfit she was forced to wear everyday since she disappeared, but she found strange comfort in the clothing. It was something she couldn't explain, but it was almost like it was the one thing Jacobs never cared too much about. The only reason he had chosen the uniform for her, was because he thought it looked cool, especially while she was floating in that damn tube. After a little while, he couldn't have cared less about her clothes and never bothered to give her any more.

Raven ran to the bedroom, and put the new uniform on. Spinning around and looking at herself in the full length mirror on the bathroom door, Raven smile brightly. She loved it. She let the illusion drop, showing her tattoos off. She did like them, to an extent. Why did he have to put the on her face? Nodding to herself, she walked back into the other room, where Batman was waiting for her to return. He looked up when she entered, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Shall we go?" He asked, presenting her with his arm.

"We shall." Dreamscape hooked her arm through his, and walked to the batmobil, hiding not far from the house. "What about the motorcycle?" She asked when they were settled in, heading for Gotham.

"I'll drop it back off in the alley before night fall." Batman said. "And if you need anything, call me directly with this phone." Batman hands Dreamscape a black smart phone. "My number is already programmed into it."
"Thanks Batman. I appreciate it." Dreamscape said. "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me."

"It's no problem. I just wish I had found you sooner." Batman said.

"It's okay Batman. At least you found me when you did." The rest of the ride was quiet. When they arrived in the alley, Dreamscape got out, made herself invisible and snuck back into the house after telling Batman bye.

Batman drove back to the batcave and parked the batmobil. Alfred was waiting for him when he got to the upper floors. "A pleasant night of sleeping Sir?" He asked.

"Yeah. Raven was scared so I slept with her on the couch." Batman said as he changed into civilian's clothes. "She's so strong, and yet so small. I don't know how she's doing it. I don't think I could have done the same thing if I were her." Bruce turned his his long time friend.

"Don't sell yourself short Master Bruce, I'm sure you would have pulled through just the same if you were in her situation." Alfred said.

Bruce smiled at the older man and went to the top floors of the manor. He had a few things he needed to do before he went to the office for a few hours. He may have been Batman, but he had to make people believe that Bruce Wayne was not, and that meant going to work sometimes. He had a meeting in a few hours, and then some other things to take care of, things he really didn't want to pass off to someone else.

Raven dispelled her clone, and changed into her clothes for the day. She put on something colorful, mostly to please her family. They remembered how much she loved it, and thought she must need it after so long with Jacobs. A pair of light blue capris, and a pink thank top would suffice. It wasn't too bad, she had worse things in her closet. She was going to have to get used to the color again. This was the day she would be going to the mall with her friends. They had begged her to go with them, and her parents thought it would be a good idea.

Raven walked out of the house, the man her father hired to watch over her following closely. If only her parents knew that if anyone tried to kidnap her again, this man probably wouldn't be able to do anything to help her because it would probably be a supervillian or one of their hentchmen.

A limo was waiting for her at the door, her friends were in the back, talking animatedly about some boys at school. The hired gun got into the front seat with the driver just as soon as he was sure that Raven was in the car. Raven smiled at her friends, and they all started telling her more about what she had missed while she was gone.

Once they got to the mall, they went clothes shopping. Raven took the opportunity to buy some clothes with less color and colors that were not as bright. The longer she spent with the girl, the more Raven realized she didn't want to be with them at all. She found herself wanted to be with Batman.

About an hour and a half into the shopping spree, Raven was getting a little fed up with the girls. They wouldn't shut up about the people at school. About who was dating whom, about who was still at school, who had left, an who was new there, it was tiring. She turned to Amy, the one she had considered herself closest to when they were in school. "Amy, I hate to cut this short, but I'm not feeling too good, can you take me home?" she said just loud enough for Amy to hear.

"Of course Raven, but you know, if you didn't want to come, all you had to do was say so." Amy said, smiling at the other teen. "I still know you even after all this time. I could tell from the beginning that you weren't really ready for an outing, but you were so set on pleasing your parents."

"I know Amy, they just thought it was such a good idea for me to spend time with you guy, and I did enjoy myself, but I'm just really tired and I'm not feeling well." Raven said.

"Okay, I'll take you home, wait right here for a minute." Amy walked over to the other girls and they talked for a minute before Amy walked back to Raven. "They said they're going to stay longer, so I'm going to take you home and head home myself. Diana said she would call her dad and have him send a car for her and the others."

"Ok, thanks Amy." Raven said, walked beside her friend, remembering why she was friends with her in the first place, though not quiet remembering why she had been friends with some of the other girls in the group.

The car ride was better this time, Amy told her about things she didn't mind hearing about, and when they got to Raven's house, Amy hugged her tight. "If you need anything, let me know, I'll always be here for you, no matter what." Amy left and Raven took her bags to her room after greeting her parents. She told them that she had a great time, and enjoyed seeing her friends again.

That night at dinner, Raven picked at her plate. The kitchen staff had made sure to make everything she liked everday since she had gotten back. It was almost like they had thought that Jacobs' hadn't fed her at all. He was a crazy and sadistic man, but he did take care of her. Raven knew it was simply to benefit himself, but Raven found she couldn't hate him completely.

"What's wrong Raven, honey? Are you not feeling well?" Maggie asked her daughter.

"Not really, may I be excused please?" Raven asked, laying her fork down.

"Of course sweetheart." Raven flinched, and pushed her chair back softly. She managed a smile, kissed her mother, hugged her father and brother, and went up to her room. She sat on her bed, tears swimming in her eyes. It was becoming so hard for her to stay sane. She found herself looking forward to starting school again. She would probably be put in 11th grade instead of 12th like her friends, but she was just happy to finally be able to leave the house and stop pretending for her family.

Raven laid on her bed for a long time, staring up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. She could hear people bustling about the upper level of the house, mostly housekeepers finishing up their chores. As she lay there, Raven heard her father and mother talking.

"I just don't know what to do anymore Theo, I don't know how to help her. It's like she doesn't want our help." Maggie said. They must be in Theo's study right across the hall.

"I'm sure that's not the case Maggie. She's been through a lot, it'll take some getting used to being back after being with that lunatic for so long." Theo answered his wife. As if they knew anything about what happened to her.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea to let her go back to school. With the way she's been acting and all she's been through, I think maybe we should just hire a tutor or something." Maggie said.

They were talking about her. Angry, Raven got out of her bed, ran across the hall, and burst through the door. "Excuse me!" She screamed. "I can hear every word you say. Do you think I've gone deaf or something? I'm not a baby, I don't need you to coddle me. I don't need you to keep me home and away from people. I'm not fragile, not a little flower on the verge of breaking because of where I've been. Yes, I was in the hands of a crazy man, but I'm stronger for it, not broken."

"Raven, sweetheart,..." Theo started.

Raven flinched, "Don't call me that. And don't start. I'm fine."

"No you're not. You've been with a very crazy man for a long time, you've been through a lot, we're trying to make it easier for you." Maggie said, taking a step forward.

Raven took step back, causing Maggie to stop. "I don't want you to make it easier for me. I don't need you to. I can handle it on my own, I have been. I've been handling it just fine. The only problem is trying to hide how fine I am from you. You want so bad to believe I'm broken that it hasn't even acured to you that I might be stronger than before. I can't do it anymore, I can't pretend anymore." Raven was too mad to even cry. "I can't stay here anymore either."

Before Maggie and Theo could even think it stop her, Raven was out the door, down the stairs and out the front door, leaving her parents in a state of shock. After they recovered, they rushed after her, but it was too late, Raven was gone. Maggie ran to the phone and call Commissioner Gordon.

"Commissioner Gordon." He answered.

"Gordon, Raven's gone. She heard Theo and I talking about hiring a tutor for her until she was more adjusted to being home and she got mad and left. I don't know where she went."

"Okay, I'll look for her, you two wait there in case she comes back." Gordon hung up the phone and went to the roof. He flipped open the bad signal and waited.

A few minutes later Batman landed behind the older man. "What is it Commissioner?" He asked.

"Maggie and Theo Thorne's daughter, Raven ran away from home today. Maggie just called me, worried out of her mind. Do you think you can find her?"

"I'll find her." Batman took off, knowing exactly were she was.