Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

Chapter 2: Of Washing Machines, Video Games, and Costumes


            "Yo, Rae we… I need to talk to you.  Wanna go get a bite, or watch me eat tofu?  Just come on down whenever you feel like it…"  "No thanks Beast Boy, go ask Starfire if she wants something to do…"

            "Rave, I need another pair of hands to work on the T-Car.  You up for some work?"   "Sorry Cyborg, I'm busy right now but Beast Boy isn't, maybe he can help you…"

            "Hey, Raven, you up for a sparring match?  Or I can reset and activate the obstacle course for you…"  "I'm feeling a bit tired Robin, ask Cyborg if he's up for it…"

            "Friend Raven, do you wish to meditate together?  Maybe we could execute more braiding maneuvers on our hair?"  "Not right now Starfire, and my hair isn't having its finest moment right now anyways…"

           

            The punching dummy was shaped like a man- that is, if you fed a man until he was so fat that his features half disappeared in folds of flesh, then mounted on a flexible rod in the Tower's gymnasium.  Robin shook his head; he certainly wouldn't want to be treated that way.  Nor would he want to suffer the damage he was inflicting on the dummy.  He started with a double feint with both hands then brought his right leg around in a round house kick that bent the dummy's arm at an unnatural angle.  Following through, Robin dealt a left hook, using the kick's momentum to add extra speed to the blow.  It connected with the dummy's face, crunching something inside there.

Unfortunately, just like his constant hunt for Slade, the dummy was already popping back into shape, unharmed and untouched.  He knew that Slade would recover from whatever damages the Titans inflicted, that they would likely be locked in this struggle for the rest of their lives.  And this filled him with hatred, anger, and frustration at Slade, just for the simple fact that it would likely consume the lives of his friends in their power struggle.  And his friends deserved better then that life style.

"Are you angry at the dummy?  Or is this an angry thought style, friend Robin?" asked Starfire quietly.  Robin glanced over at her.  She was wrapped in a bathrobe and her hair was fluffed and disorderly in some places, patchy with moisture in others, clear signs of a recent shower and inadequate drying.  Some people in this universe could tell a lie, and not think twice about it…  "Just about how we have to stop Slade, how we are likely to remain fighting him for the rest of our lives.  Yanno, stuff like that…"  Robin wasn't one of those people.

"Robin, you must let go of these feelings.  It crawl's inside you like a Bolr'Nok and lashes you with your failure, whisper's threats and ill advice that you take to your soul.  You think we can't see it, but everyone on the team worries about it.  All that admit to worry, that is."

"Call it my motivation Star, I need it to focus and beat Slade on-"  "You are proving my point right now Robin.  It's sits inside you for days, weeks.  Then it tries to eat its way back out, and the results have been disastrous every time.  When you went after Slade as Red X or when you tried to stop Cinderblock yourself where when it controlled your thoughts.  I wish I could vaporize it."

There was such bitterness in Starfire's sweet, melodious voice that Robin had to stop and wonder if she was right.  Every time I lost, I sank lower and tried harder to beat Slade.  I thought I was playing by my own rules, but I really was playing the same way he was.  And if he hadn't gotten tired of waiting, in time I would have betrayed everything I stood for including the team.  He wouldn't have needed to force me to work for him; I would have gone to him on my knees, begging to be taught.

Starfire's voice brought him out of his thoughts.  "Robin, come.  Staying here, punishing yourself and a dummy is foolishness, and when your injuries haven't healed yet is even more foolish."  Robin saw the small trickle of blood leaking out of his bandaged left hand.

"Yanno Star, your right like you always are.  Maybe taking a break could be a smart thing to do."

"No friend Robin, you must take a break.  And I shall show you how…"

This has to be the most ridiculous, stupid, and ill thought of thing I've ever seen, despite the fact that I live in the same building as Beast Boy.  Raven shuddered as she thought of the green skinned weirdo; he had done some pretty idiotic things…  Sighing, Raven turned back to her new outfit.  Now, contrary to popular Teen Titan opinion, Raven did know that her regular outfit was rather revealing.  However tonight, she wanted to blend in with the other side; so wearing only a spandex swimsuit and a cloak was out of the option.  So instead she had scrounged around the Tower for some older, ragged, and discarded clothes.  Now that I think about it there probably was a reason they were discarded.  She had managed to find a pair of ratty old jeans, a leather belt to cinch the too wide jeans, a long sleeved crimson shirt, and a pair of purple knee high boots.  She had acquired the jeans in Cyborg's laundry, the belt from Beast Boy, the shirt she had looted from Robin's room, and the boots she had found outside Starfire's bedroom door.  The things she had added to the ensemble where her cloak and her spare charka.  Her cloak was to add some much needed familiarity to the otherwise foreign clothing.  It also held her Titan beacon in case she needed help.   That's when Raven made an unfortunate discovery; her old charka had been held in place with her magic.

And now that's its gone, I can't so much as hold a small pendant in place.  She smiled bitterly, and then started hunting for a replacement to her magic …

            Three dodged popcorn bowls, two angry team mates, and one small silver chain later, Raven paused as she slid out of her room.  Normally she would have locked her door with her magi-...  Raven paused, then broke a rare grin as she heard soothing, yet oddly discordant sounds wash over her.  Tiptoeing quietly down a couple of floors, she peeked around a corner to look upon a familiar and welcome site.

Beast Boy and Cyborg were sitting in the living room of the Tower, waving controllers around in the air as they tried out gaming each other.  They also wore gaming headsets on both ears, despite being designed to be worn on only one ear.  She knew that they were settling in for an all night gaming fest, the half a dozen full popcorn bowls and half a dozen six packs of root beer and tofu cola giving evidence for that.  Still no one went into her room; then she broke into a wide 'Slap me!!!' smile, which was entirely against the grain of her character.  Cyborg and Beast Boy would be busy well after she had returned from her little jaunt, and she knew exactly where Starfire and Robin would be all night.  Star better be careful with Robin; that split lip of his is going to hurt when they kiss.  I still don't know why I'm doing this; oh that's right, I'm trying to figure out if there's anything to me besides my magic.  Also seeing how the other side lives will be interested.  Still with a smiling face, Raven slipped quietly and easily down the stairs and out the door into the cool breeze of night life…

"You aren't going to beat me!!" yelled Cyborg as his car weaved in and out of traffic, barely dodging several simulated opponents.

"Yes I am, and I'm going to do it with style!"  Beast Boy's green Viper pulled a smooth, screeching 180 turn on a dime.

"Ha, you may have passed me, but this time I've got you beat!"  Cyborg's convertible raced around the corner, taking it too fast and wide before slamming right into Beast Boy's accelerating sports car.  Fake flames sprouted from both cars before their respective drivers slammed on the gas, causing the death trap wrecks to hurtle down the highway.  And the two wacko's both grinned even bigger and harder, as they pulled into a tie.

"Yanno BB, I wonder where Rob is… he's usually down here egging one of us on, while Starfire sits there pulling googly eyes at him?"

"Yah, and Rae is usually reading her book, muttering about our stupid games, and we have to open our big, fat mouths and she proceeds to shove our foots down them."

"You mean she does that to you."

"No, she does that to both of us."

"Yah, whatever lil man, just keep on dreaming."

"Oh just shut up, I dreamt how to beat you and look what happened."  At this comment, Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at his fellow gamer.  Cyborg evidently found this a little personal, as he promptly dropped his controller in favor of putting the green shape changer into a headlock.  They wrestled around for a bit, tossing popcorn bowls around the room, before Cyborg abruptly pulled away laughing his guts out.

"Yo, Cy what's so funny?  You bust a circuit or something?"  Beast Boy stared on with open concern at his teammate, who finally stopped laughing then wiped away a tear of mirth.

"No, I just figured out that you have a crush on Raven.  You always mention her doing things, and you get this lo-"

"I do not like her!"

"Yes, you do"

"NO, I don't!"

"Yes, you do"

"No, I don't!"

"No you don't."

"Yes, I DO!"  After this Beast Boy clamped his hands over his mouth, while Cyborg broke out in even louder laughter.

            "Starfire, I still don't understand why we're in a laundry room…"

            "It is to relax Robin, now please sit on the drying machine or I shall take away your gadget-toys."

            "Yanno Star, you can be real tyrant once in a while."

            "Yes indeed friend Robin, now sit!"

            Sighing, Robin sat on the industrial strength dryer.  Well at least my gear isn't going to be melted down into small statues depicting the rest of the team.  When Starfire sat right next to him and put her hand on his leg, Robin noticed several important things.  Like the fact that the already small room had grown even smaller, and that Starfire was an extremely attractive girl.  Like the fact that they had an incredible view of the harbor, Jump City, and the stars and where totally alone.  Like the fact that the only thing Star was wearing was her bathrobe, and that they were both looking into each other's eyes.  Facing each other, both with apprehension and hope in their eyes, they slowly, as if magnetically drawn, kissed…

            Slade, criminal mastermind and arch enemy of the Teen Titans, was bored.  He knew he should have been plotting the destruction of the city, the annihilation of the Titans, or even just recovering the combat data and efficiency of his newest destroyed creation.  But instead he was just sitting there in his chair, sipping his tea reverently.  That's the problem with this new home of mine he thought bitterly, continuing to sip his tea.  It doesn't encourage creativity with the clicking of gears and grinding of axles, all it does is hum.  And it was true his new hideout had miles of cables and mountains of computers, so that the entire wall he was looking at was a giant monitor.  Which was currently blacked out, reflecting Slade's pissed off mood.  Finishing his tea Slade had started to get out of his throne, when a section of the wall turned on, a map of the city being displayed.  A small T icon was steadily moving across the harbor into the heart of the city before coming to a slow stop.  Odd it appears one of the Titan's has left their tower, might as well send Cinderblock to instigate and investigate the person.  Even if it was his former apprentice Slade had no doubts as to whether Cinderblock would smash them into a paste.  Inputting the coordinates in a small handheld wrist computer, Slade walked slowly down a hallway to Cinderblock's room.

            Cinderblock was twiddling his thumbs, sitting on crate from Slade's old hideout.  I really must talk to him more about no wrecking the parts.  Slade ideally gave the handheld computer to Cinderblock, along with the instructions.

            "There is a Titan outside of their tower; the direction of their location is recorded on that.  To ensure that if this is a trap I'll send some of my constructs to draw the Titan's out at another location.  Once you find the individual dispose of them in any way possible."  Cinderblock palmed the small piece of technology easily before standing up and starting in a dead run, crashing through the wall instead of using the nearby door.  I really do need to talk to him more about not destroying our current home…


Author's Note:  Wow, I thought this chapter would end up smaller then the first, yet it's bigger.  Eh, that's fic writing in a nutshell… they just keep getting bigger without much author input.

Braveheart:  Wow, original and well written. *gasps* Thanks for the encouragement, and well written/spelled review.

RangerH:  Thanks for the helpful words, and so far what I've sorta planned is a very long, very involved storyline.

Red Moon Kree:  You like my writing style.  *gasps again* Most people think I over descript things and make them too long.

DarkAngel666:  Don't worry; I plan to keep this thing alive for a long while to come.

Sanity-Stealing-Lawn-Gnome:  Here's another chapter to read, and I plan to keep them coming.

Raven A. Star:  I keep writing and you keep reviewing. Hopefully that'll work out…

Le Chat:  Grah, *palmsface* your right; Star did have those burns.  But now that I think about it Robin would have had a worse time, think about breaking those fingers and toes even more.  Thanks for the intelligent review on something I missed.  I like Season 2, but I'm too impatient to wait for it to end; thusly this fic is before Season 1 but is including stuff from 2 and my own idea thingys.  *peers*  I haven't read the comics, so I don't know to much about the Judas Contract except it's the basis for Season 2.