A/N: I realize there is no lake at Wayne Manor.

''thoughts

""spoken words

The Next Morning...

Sunlight of the rising sun streamed though the French doors of Ravens balcony. A ray fell on the sleeping Goths face and she cautiously opened an eye. Morning already? She lifted her head slightly and saw the radiance of the sunrise. She reached up to run her hand through her hand only to be reminded it was back in a loose bun. As quietly as she could, Raven slipped out of the bed, the sheets reluctantly slipping off her body. She unlocked the doors and slid them open...

Robin stepped onto his balcony, a bit ticked that the sun had so rudely awakened him. After he'd woken up he was unable to go back to sleep, so he'd pulled on a pair of baggy jeans and a Three Days Grace concert shirt. His ears caught a sound next to him and he curled his hand into a fist as he turned, ready to defending himself. The fist uncurled as he came to the realization that it was only Raven.

'What is she doing up so early?' he asked himself...

Raven sat on the railing of the balcony, unknowing that Robin's balcony was right next to hers. She swung her feet over the edge and let them dangle in the morning breeze.

'One day,' she thought to herself 'I'm going to share a sunrise just like this with the man I love...whoever he is.' She took a deep breath of the dew-scented air.

"Hey." Said a voice behind her. Raven jumped, lost her balance and fell onto the hard marble behind her. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." Raven looked over to the direction of the voice. Robin was looking at her, eyebrow raised and an amused grin on his face. The wind blew some loose strands of hair into her face and she pushed them back as she rubbed the back of her head.

"It's fine," she replied. "So, do you always scare people this early? Should I be expecting this?"

"Nah, this is just a one time thing." He flashed a smile.

Raven smiled back. "Better be.' Raven got a devilish look on her face. "So, will we be having this rendezvous alone?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Rendezvous?"

Raven pushed herself up off the floor and turned to the French doors. "What else do people do early in the morning on balconies?" she asked as she re-entered her room. The door slid shut behind her.

"Who knows?" he whispered to himself and turned his attention back to the sunrise.

Raven was surprised at herself. She wasn't really one to flirt, but Robin just made it easy. She searched through her suitcase and pulled out a pair of jeans with red stitching, and a cream-colored sleeveless top. After she had changed, she turned to the door and saw a dress hanging from it. 'What the...' She threw open the French doors again and looked to see if Robin was still outside. He was.

"Hey Robin?" she asked. Robin turned to the empath.

'Man she's cute. Wait, don't say that! She could be reading your mind!' "Yeah?" he asked.

"What's up with the dress in my room?"

"What? You didn't think you'd stay here and not participate in the social events did you?" he replied.

Ravens jaw dropped. "Social events?"

"You know, banquets and parties and stuff like that. Like the one tonight."

"And who exactly will be hosting these "social events"?"

"We will. Or possibly some of Bruce's friends."

"Uh-huh...and I'm...obligated to go?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'll be there."

"Be still my beating heart." Raven said sarcastically. Robin chuckled.

The evening had started with Raven had been late, not knowing when it started and been rushed when Robin surprised her at her door in a black tux, asking when she'd finally come down.

"Judging by what you wearing, I guess you aren't even ready yet," he said nodding to her jeans and top. "Don't worry, I'll wait for you. Just...hurry. Okay?" Raven quickly shut the door.

The loud bangs coming from inside Raven's room were all he needed to hear to know she was going as fast as she could. He winced to a loud crash.

"Do I want to know!?" he called through the door.

"I don't think so," she called back. She looked into the mirror to see how she looked. The black dress was perfect and accentuated her features. It was missing something. A pair of her favorite chandelier earrings caught her eye and she out them on. 'Perfect.' Raven opened the door. "Ready," she said, smiling.

The two made their way down the grand staircase of the ballroom. When they reached the bottom, a waiter walked by with a tray of champagne. Robin reached out, grabbed two glasses and handed one to Raven.

"We should find Bruce and let him know we're here," stated Robin. Raven nodded and the two went into search mode.

"There he is." Raven said, and pointed across the room. She and Robin made their way across the enormous ballroom.

"Hey Bruce," said Robin. "Just wanted to let you know we're here now." The Bat turned and smiled.

"That's great." He eyed the champagne in Robin's hand and gave him a disapproving frown. "I see you found the champagne easily enough." Robin gave a nervous chuckle and Bruce sweat-dropped. "I'll see you two later."

"Okay," replied Robin as Bruce walked off.

"Hello Richard!" said a voice behind them. Robin gulped.

"Oh no..." he whispered and bit his lip. He and Raven turned to see a fair brunette in a white dress smiling deviously at them.

"What have you been up to lately?" the girl asked.

"Not much. Have you met Raven?" he shot back.

"No, I haven't."

"Raven," Robin turned to the empath. "This is Catherine."

"Hi." Catherine said coldly. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Raven replied in an equally cold tone.

Catherine turned to Robin. "So Richard, what are you doing this summer?"

"Don't know yet. Frankly, I don't really care. Probably staying with some friends. Raven will probably be going too," he answered.

"Oh," she said disapprovingly. "Well, I'll be going now." She walked past Robin intentionally brushing his shoulder. "Bye."

Robin gulped down his drink in a single gulp, placed it on a tray, and grabbed a new one. "God I needed that."

Raven laughed openly. "You're hilarious," she said in a monotone voice. "So, who was that anyway?"

"My ex-girlfriend. I met her before the Titans were formed. Ever since we broke up she's been hounding me like crazy."

"I can tell."

Robin saw Bruce waving him over out of the corner of his eye. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time." Raven felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Speedy smiling at her.

"Hey Raven," he said.

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"Robin's not the only one with connections," he explained. Raven gave him a questioning look. "Green Arrow's a friend of Batman." (A/N: Speedy is the sidekick of Green Arrow who is a member of Justice League Unlimited...don't ask how I know that.)

"Oh. Is he here too?"

"Yeah. So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm staying with 'Richard' for the holidays."

"I knew you two liked each other," he teased.

"It's not like that," Raven said, defensively.

"Ha! Riiiiight," Speedy replied. "Speaking of him, where is he?"

"Behind you," Raven said. Speedy turned. Robin gave him a smirk and they ceremoniously preformed a quirky hand shake that only guys could come up with. Raven decided not to ask.

"Roy! How've you been?" Robin asked. Raven raised an eyebrow. Speedy's real name was Roy?

"Not much. Just giving Raven a hard time about her staying with you. Have you noticed that SHE doesn't have to use an alias, but we do?" Raven rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. Oh well, can't change it now I guess." Robin replied. A man with blonde hair walked up behind Speedy.

"Ready to go?" he asked, placing a hand on Speedy's shoulder. Speedy nodded.

"See ya." He said and followed the Green Arrow out the door, but not before giving Raven a quick wink.

Robin turned his attention back to Raven. "You wanna get out of here?"

"I thought we were obligated to go." Raven said, questioningly.

"We're obligated to go, but I never said anything about saying." Robin said with a sly look on his face. "Besides, Catherine will be watching me like a hawk now."

Robin grabbed Raven's and pulled her though the crowd of people. Raven blushed at his touch. He led her to the back of the room and pushed her though a door. Raven looked out across a lake as Robin closed the door behind her.

"Like it?" he asked. Raven nodded. The moon had fully risen by now and was reflected by the surface of the lake. A slight breeze was blowing and she closed her eyes as the wind played with her hair and caressed her face.

Robin watched her. She acted differently when she was away from Titans Tower. She seemed calmer, and he could feel himself begin to fall in love with her. He smiled at himself. 'Well, let's see where this goes.'

Raven vigorously rubbed her arms trying to warm them. Gotham was colder that Jump City in the winter and snow was expected to fall by the end of the week. The empath felt something wrap around her shoulders. She opened her eyes and saw Robin's tuxedo jacket covering her arms. She slipped her arms in the sleeves and turned to Robin.

"Thanks," she said quietly and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Welcome."

Raven slowly turned her gaze back to the lake.

Robin took a deep breath and put an arm around her shoulders. To his surprise Raven laid her head on his chest. He smiled to himself. 'Life is good.'

After the lake they'd taken a walk to nowhere in particular, talking about random things. By midnight, Raven had dozed off sitting under a tree in mid-sentence. Robin carried her up to her room and put a quilt over her, deciding to get his jacket back in the morning. Maybe, just maybe, a romance would bloom before their return to the tower...
Whew. That was a long one. Hope y'all enjoyed it! XOXO-way2beme-XOXO