The entire limo ride was cold, with the air between Raven and Spiderman thicker than three day old pea soup. Despite the increasingly apparent fact that Raven enjoyed Spiderman's attention, she was absolutely furious with him. She had actually trusted him, she had no idea why she had done so as quickly as she had, but she had trusted him. After all that he had done, all that she had felt, he hadn't trusted her with his secret.
Every so often Raven caught herself looking at Spiderman with softer eyes, but she quickly remembered his transgressions and returned to looking out the window.
It hadn't let up since the Titans got into the limo, his spider sense. Spiderman didn't need to think too hard about it, the low buzzing in the back of his head had a very obvious cause, Raven's anger towards him. While Cyborg, BB, Star, and Robin chatted away Spiderman sighed. He knew he had screwed up royally with Raven and he had no idea what to do, many times he tried to say something to her but he stopped each time, noticing that Raven started muttering.
As they arrived at Wayne manor, amidst the glitz and glamour of gotham's upper crust, the Titans were greeted with cheering and hand shakes. They finally made it inside and were split up almost immediately by the crowd. Spiderman had spotted Robin speaking to Bruce Wayne and decide to walk over.
"Well I have to thank you for all your hard work Robin." Bruce shook Robin's hand.
"It's nothing Mr. Wayne. We're just doing our duty."
"Ahh and you must be the newest Titan . . . Spiderman right?" Bruce Wayne extended his hand and managed a warm smile.
"Uhh yea . . . that's . . . me." Spiderman shook the hand somewhat nervously. "Mr. Wayne I'm . . . not really used to being celebrated like this." Bruce Wayne simply laughed.
"I understand, yes more often than not heroes like you aren't regarded for the saviors they really are." Robin smiled and made to speak to Bruce again when he was suddenly yanked onto the dance floor by an unusually excited Starfire.
"Come Robin! Let us dance together!" Bruce Wayne and Spiderman watched, looked at each other, and laughed until a gaggle of cooing debutants attempted to wrangle Bruce into a dance. Using this time Spiderman slunk away to the refreshment table and while he was momentarily tempted to sample the fine wine uncorked for the event, he opted to play it safe and grabbed a bottle of coke. In a quiet corner of the room Spiderman sipped his pop and watched the other party goers, paying specific attention to his new friends. Cyborg and Beast Boy had gotten into a mild argument after both had been flexing for the same group of young female partiers, culminating with BB turning into a mongoose, snatching Cyborg's bow tie, and leading him on a merry chase around the dance floor. Spiderman eventually locked onto Robin and Starfire and smiled, taking another sip. Starfire's head rested comfortably on Robin's shoulder with a truly content smile. Robin ran his fingers through her hair and sighed absentmindedly.
"Well that clinches it . . . they're in love" Spiderman whispered to, he thought, himself.
"Very good Sherlock . . . took you that long to figure it out?" Raven's familiar voice had invaded Spiderman's thoughts and he just now realized she had been standing a few feet away.
"Well now I can't exactly read minds like some people can I?" Raven sighed and shook her head.
"You don't need to be able to read minds, it's obvious." Spiderman nodded and quickly faced Raven.
"Raven I know I screwed up and I know I hurt you and I'm terribly sorry . . . please forgive me?" Spiderman looked into her eyes pleadingly.
"You're not a bad person." Raven said after a long silence.
"Well . . . would you like . . . to dance?" Spiderman gulped and extended his hand in invitation. Raven looked at Spiderman and then down at his hand and after a few moments simply sighed and turned around, walking through the crowd of people until Spiderman couldn't see her anymore.
It had taken a lot to walk away from him like that, she found that out as soon as her back was to him, but Raven was still hurt. She disliked thinking about it but Spiderman needed to earn her trust again. AS she thought she realized it also annoyed her to know that another person could have such an effect on her emotions.
"Grrrr . . . I need to meditate." With that Raven made a portal to the roof and she hovered in a standing up position chanting and losing herself in her meditation.
Spiderman couldn't really explain how he felt as she walked away. It was as if something was pulled away from him, a piece of him was lost. He stood there with his hand out for a good few minutes before it slowly drifted back to his side. The next few hours were a blur and when it was almost time to leave Spiderman went off for the still MIA Raven. After exploring much of the house he crawled out a window and onto the roof to check for her there. Sure enough he spotted her in her dress hovering a few feet above the roof. He was about to talk to her and she was about to tell him to leave immediately when glass shattering and screams were heard coming from the party room. Raven's eyes opened and without a word she teleported them back into the room to see Robin Lying motionless on the ground with a syringe sticking out of his arm. The Spider person Spike was hovering over him ready to impale him with his legs when Spiderman swung into action, literally. He swung over to the scene and kicked Spike directly into the wall.
"Hey now . . . you're going to vie us other spider people a bad name if you keep that up."
"Who the hell are you . . . freak?" Spike lunged and Spiderman easily avoided the strike.
"Excuse me but isn't that the pot calling the kettle black Mr. human body hanging from my neck spider?"
Spike didn't find Spiderman's comment funny at all and shot two legs at Spiderman in an attempt to skewer him. Leaping to the side Spiderman used his web shooters to tie up Spike's legs bringing him crashing down to the floor. Spike struggled and actually broke free, now charging Spiderman who leapt high into the hair and came down kicking Spike's face into the marble floor, knocking Spike out cold.
Kitten who had been slapping around a cocooned Starfire, seeing her boyfriend in trouble, leapt onto Spiderman's back and began scratching and clawing. She wasn't there for very long however, because the words Azerath Metrion Zinthos were uttered and there was Raven manipulating her power to pull Kitten off and bind her in the corner with energy shackles.
"I found Beast Boy and Cyborg over there" Raven jerked her head behind her. "They were hit with Spike's poison and won't be able to move for a few hours." Spiderman nodded
"Thanks Raven." Spiderman went over to Robin and removed the syringe carefully and checking on his friend. "Pulse is faint . . . We need to get him to Titan Tower and fast."
The Cops had arrived rather quickly and were leading a furious Kitten and a groggy Spike away while an ambulance was being loaded up with a few people who were slightly injured when the pair crashed the party. Spiderman and Raven were helping there friends into the limo, Starfire who had been freed was crouched over Robin in the back seat of the limo. Before Spiderman entered the limo his shoulder was tapped and Wayne's butler Alfred handed Spiderman a small vile of liquid.
"Mr. Wayne sends his thanks and that this shall help the young master recover very quickly." Alfred said in a hushed tone and resumed tending to the frightened guests.
Back in Titan Tower Spiderman went directly to Robin's room and found that Starfire was refusing to leave his bedside.
"Star . . ." he approached slowly especially when she jumped, startled by his entrance.
"Oh . . . Spiderman" Starfire's eyes were welling up with tears. "That harlot Kitten stabbed Robin with a needle . . . and . . . and . . ." Spiderman moved to her and as she buried her face in her hands he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
"It'll be ok star . . . I got this medicine from Mr. Wayne." He produced the vial and showed it to her. "He said this will help him heal faster."
"Oh Spiderman . . . you are a great friend." Starfire managed a smile and hugged him.
"Thanks Star . . . you too." Starfire was regaining her usual cheer.
As Spiderman administered the medicine Robin shook for a few moments but his face immediately became less flushed and his breathing became more regular. Spiderman sighed happily and walked slowly to his room. In front of his mirror he took off his tuxedo and looked at himself in his costume. All he could see was a scared kid in a funky pair of tights who should have been there for his friends.
"You know . . . for being so smart you really are stupid some times."
"Don't you people knock here?" Spiderman was slightly annoyed by Raven's interruption but he turned to her and removed his mask.
"Did I really need to?" Raven, now in her normal outfit, stepped towards him and for a moment Spiderman saw softness in her expression.
"No . . . heh I guess not . . . so do you mind explaining what you mean?" Raven sat Spiderman down on the foot of his bed and she hovered in front of him in her meditative position.
"You may be scared but don't be so stupid as to think that you haven't been there for all of us." Raven was looking directly into Spiderman's eyes. "You've helped us since you first met us and tonight you saved Robin's life . . . not me, not star . . .you did." Surprising both of them Raven touched Spiderman's hand reassuringly. "You made a mistake . . . we all have . . . move on."
"Yea you're right." Smiling warmly he took her hand in his. "Now . . . may I have this dance?" They both stood up slowly and after a long moment she put a single finger up in front of his face and very sternly told him.
"One, you get one dance." Spiderman smiled and gently put his hands on her hips, Raven putting her arms around his neck. As they swayed and moved in the beautiful silence of the moment they started to lose themselves in each other's eyes. The minutes passed and passed when Spiderman's door opened and Starfire bounded in.
"GLORIOUS GLORIOUSNESS FOR ROBIN IS . . . . well . . . ." Starfire paused and after a brief moment realized the gravity of what she was now seeing. At that moment Raven's face became a fierce Crimson and she quickly stepped away from a confused Spiderman. All the while Starfire's eyes were glowing, filled with giddy energy anew, and her mouth had consumed her face in a gigantic smile. Not saying a thing Starfire bounded out of the room leaving Raven muttering.
"Well uhhhh." Raven started to leave. "Thanks for the . . . nice dance . . ." She was still blushing and quickly ran to her room.
"Uhh yea . . . you're . . . welcome." It took him a while to come to his senses but when he did Spiderman realized he was grinning like an idiot.
