In the Beginning There was Darkness

Chapter Five

August 6, 2004

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Raven paced for a moment outside the kitchen, peering through the doorway every so often to look at the back of Cyborg. He stood near the sink, trying desperately not to scream as he washed the mountains of dishes left behind by the team members.

"I don't know why we just don't get a dishwasher…" he grumbled angrily as he set a bowl on the drying rack. "It'd be a hell of a lot easier…" He paused for a moment, as if he sensed something, then sighed irritably as he reached for another dish. "I know you're there, Raven. What do you want?" He asked shortly, without even bothering to turn around for her.

Raven suddenly felt slight color rise to her cheeks and the plate in Cyborg's hand exploded suddenly. He whipped around in a flash and glared at the dark girl for a few long moments. He stood there, just waiting for her to say something snide and resentful. She just looked away, feeling both shame and anger boil up inside her. When did he receive the right to judge her because of a dish?

"Um, sorry about that," Raven said, levitating the shards of Corelle into a trash receptacle. "I… I just wanted to know if you wanted some help…" She shifted her weight uncomfortably before turning to look back at the mechanical Titan. He watched her carefully as his expression melted into one of confusion, then suspicion.

"Why?" He asked coldly, expecting her to do or say something that would offend him, or endanger the team.

Raven sighed exasperatedly and took a few steps into the kitchen. Robin had better thank her for this, it was his idea anyway. If it were up to her, she'd have long since left the tower. "Look, Cyborg… I don't want us to be on bad terms with each other. We have far better quarrels to fight than those amongst ourselves." She looked at him with sincerity and watched as doubt and a hint of guilt fluttered across his face.

Cyborg handed her a towel, and watched her for several moments longer. "Here, you can help me dry."

Raven accepted the piece of cloth as a truce, then walked over to the sink and started drying the tiny hill of clean dishes. The two of them worked in an awkward silence for a few moments before Cyborg turned back to her.

"Thanks," he said carefully, "For helping me."

Raven smiled slightly, feeling the tension ease immediately. "Sure…"

There was another moment of silence as Cyborg searched for a neutral topic to converse upon. It was very strange to be standing here, not saying anything, and washing dishes with a very pretty, dark, girl. Besides, he wasn't really known to be a man of few words.

"Ahh… so I hear your room is almost done," He asked, finally settling on the news of her new room. That was neutral enough.

"Oh, yeah…" Raven said, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice. "Robin and I just finished painting the trim." She put several plates away and turned back to the mechanical Titan.

"I can see that…" Cyborg smiled jokingly at her. "You still have a little paint on your cheek."

"Huh?" Raven pulled up a knife and looked at her reflection in the shiny metal blade. Sure enough, there was a small black streak across her left cheek. She rubbed it off with her thumb and looked back up at Cyborg. "Thanks."

"Not a problem…" There was another awkward pause, as Cyborg searched for another neutral topic. Since when was conversation such an issue with him? "So, ah… Robin tells me you like to read." He handed her another few dishes, and Raven nodded as she accepted the wet Corelle-ware.

"Uh-huh… earth's literature is very different from that of my home planet." She levitated some dishes to the top shelf of the cabinet and accepted new dishes from her companion.

"Oh?" Cyborg seemed generally interested in this topic, and pressed Raven for more information. Perhaps he could learn more about where she was from, and what it was like. All of that information was shrouded in mystery for the rest of the team, except for Starfire… who seemed to know everything bad about Azarath. "How so?"

"Oh… well, books here are meant to be read for enjoyment and leisure. All the books on my home planet were educational, besides, few people could read anyway…" There was a slight pause, and Raven turned to the mechanical Titan feeling a little uneasy. "I don't really like to talk about Azarath… um, if you don't mind."

Cyborg looked mildly surprised and nodded in acceptance. "I respect that," He said calmly, deciding it was in his best interests to press the subject. He did not want to be on the wrong side of her powers… he had seen what could happen, and it was scary.

"So, um… Robin tells me you're into cars?" Raven asked, hoping to redirect the conversation away from her. She didn't like to talk about Azarath in any way. It brought up painful memories, and she hadn't exactly fled the planet so she could remember it. Besides, Cyborg looked happy about the new topic.

"Oh, yeah," he said, his one human eye glinting with excitement as the conversation was directed toward something he was knowledgeable on. "I'm working on some plans for a team car. It's gonna be so sweet, a V8 engine with…"

Raven let him drag on about all the specs of the car. Frankly, she couldn't care less about the car he had planed for the team, but she let him talk about it, as long as the topic was kept away from her and her past. After a moment of silence, Raven assumed that Cyborg was done droning on about his car and she returned her mind to the present.

"So, you're building all of this then?" She questioned with mild surprise, while putting a few more dishes away.

"Yep, I'll be making the frame and all!" Cyborg boasted, grinning broadly.

Raven allowed a small, lopsided smile to curve her lips. Cyborg was unlike anyone she had ever met before. His boastfulness and gaiety made her laugh…

…on the inside.

And only on the inside.

"So, I'm supposing you're a whiz with power-tools then?" She asked calmly, putting a few more dishes away.

Cyborg laughed lightly at her as he handed her the last dish. "I am a power-tool, in case you didn't notice."

Raven smiled, but was secretly taken aback by his comments. How was he able to joke about his situation like that? Like the traumatizing disfiguration of his human body was nothing, just another joke to be had. Raven's situation was far from laughable, no matter how hard she tried, and it confused her greatly to see some one like Cyborg make light of his situation.

"Thanks for helping me," Cyborg said as Raven hung her towel up, and they both headed for the door. He looked over at the cloaked girl and smiled his trademark smile, as a new and surprising thought came to him. "You know what, Raven?" He asked casually.

"What?" She asked flatly, half expecting a rude comment from him. It wasn't that she didn't trust him after their conversation… but it was only one conversation. How could one conversation change his views of her?

"You're all right," He said brightly, putting a hand on her shoulder, "and I think you'll make a great Titan." Cyborg patted her shoulder in acceptance, then turned down the hall and headed to the garage.

Raven felt color rise to her cheeks instantly as she watched him depart. Cyborg had made friends with her, and said she was 'all right'. No one had ever really been like that, except for maybe Robin. And although Raven continually told her self that she didn't need the other Titans, and the only reason she was in this team was to avoid the police… she was glad to have made friends anyway.

"Wow… you're still alive," A voice said sarcastically from behind her.

Raven whipped around and glared into the dark shadows, recognizing the voice immediately. "You're going to be snide and say 'I told you so', aren't you?" She asked exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

A brightly-colored, cape and mask-clad figure stepped into the dim hallway lights. He smiled cockily at the dark girl and laughed in the same manner. "Well, of course. I told you so, and it worked didn't it? Cyborg thinks you're 'all right'… and you've made another friend, Raven."

Raven felt frustrated as she stared into his smiling face. He made everything seem so easy, and fine. Like she should have done it days ago… no matter how much the other Titans hated her. She stepped forward, determined to beat him at his own word-games, and pressed her face close to his. Raven instead found herself trying to ignore the strange way his scent made her stutter for a moment. What exactly was it about this man that made her go nearly crazy about anything and everything? "

You're insufferable, I'll have you know," She said firmly and finally to his face.

"Well! First, I'm intolerable, and now I'm insufferable… however do I manage that?" Robin asked, laughing at how cute Raven's face was when she got angry with him. Her eyes glinted with sudden infuriation and her cheeks and lips turned a light shade of pink… making them the perfect color for kissing.

'Where did that thought come from!?' Robin cried suddenly in his mind, quickly pulling his gaze from her lips and cheeks. 'She's cute an all… but definitely not dating material! I mean… come on! She's so dark and dreary, there's nothing even remotely romantic about her. I was probably thinking of the word kicking anyway… yes, that's it. I meant kicking…'

"… And you're not listening to a word I say, are you?" Raven asked rolling her eyes at the vacant expression the masked Titan wore as she berated him for his snide comments.

Robin grinned, glad to be pulled from his thoughts. He wasn't sure how much longer he could go without doting on her. "Nope."

Raven seethed angrily, but said nothing more on the subject. It was pointless to even try to talk some sense into him when he kept tuning her out anyway. "Is there a reason you tracked me down?" She asked irritably, "Besides to spy on my growing relationships with the rest of the team?"

"Actually…" Robin began carefully, hoping she would take the gift. "I was digging around in the storage room for the black curtains and I found this… I thought you might want it." He handed her a leather-bound book with gold leaf on the edge of the pages and stamped on the spine and cover. "Since, it seemed to be your taste and all."

Raven took the offered book and read the cover aloud. "'Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe'." She paused for a moment and looked strangely at Robin. "Who's he?"

"Poe was one of the first people to pioneer the horror story for amusement. He liked to play on people's irrational fear of death…" He shrugged slightly, trying to seem nonchalant about it. But it was hard to be nonchalant when Raven's eyes suddenly sparkled with interest… her eyes were very beautiful… no mater what his common sense told him. "Or so my only English teacher told me," He said quickly, looking away.

'Uh-oh… I'm doting…' Robin thought worriedly.

"Wow…" She looked at the book in her hands and smiled slightly at the masked Titan. "It's okay for me to keep this?" Raven asked carefully, hoping she wasn't taking anyone else's copy of the book. "No one else wants it?

"Of course not!" Robin laughed, "Few people in this tower actually read, Raven." He waved his hand carelessly, as if it was no big deal. Inside his mind though, he was desperately trying to ignore the elated feeling he felt suddenly. Raven was excited about his gift, and it made him feel kind of warm inside. Like a tiny fire had erupted in his chest and was spreading heat through out his body… specifically to his face. He was almost sure that his face was now the color of his shirt. "I'm sure we would have thrown it out or donated it anyway. Keep it."

"Thank you… very much, Robin," Raven said, her smile starting to grow a little more. No one had ever given her a gift before, and it made her feel kind of special. She wrapped her arms around the thick book and brought it too her chest. "That's really kind of you."

"It's not really a big deal, Raven… I just found it in storage and thought you might want it." There was a pause, and Robin shifted uncomfortably. Hopefully, she wouldn't figure out the truth behind the book. "Well," He rubbed the back of his head and looked around the empty hallway. "I've got some training to do and I'm sure you want to read your book… so… I'll talk to you later." Smiling one last smile, Robin turned and walked down the hall.

'Wow…' Raven thought as she reentered the kitchen. The living room was far to busy for silent reading, mostly due to Beast Boy having purchased a new video game. 'Robin's been doing a lot for me lately… I really wish there were some way I could return the favors.'

As Raven opened the book as small slip of paper fell from the front few pages. She picked it up and looked at it, suddenly surprised. It was a receipt for this book… and it was dated today.

'Jeez! That cannot be the price of this book!' Raven thought as she studied the slip of paper longer. 'Robin… he…'

As all the facts began to click together after a few moments, the list favors that Raven wanted to repay got a whole lot longer. The story was now perfectly clear: Robin had bought the book for her. He didn't find it randomly in a storage room, he went out a bought it. And paid a hell of a lot of money for it!

'Why?' Raven thought, grabbing her book and the paper slip as she started down the hall. She was going to talk to Robin about this, it wasn't necessary for him to be buying her gifts. 'Why is he being so nice to me? He's helping me with my room, he bought me a book… and he made me a Teen Titan! What is he thinking?'

Raven stormed down the hallway, suddenly infuriated. Robin was doing all these things for her, and she had no way to repay him. She would never be able to repay him for making her a Titan, let alone the room, the book, the protection… all of it was impossible to repay. She was in debt to him…

"Robin!" She called angrily as she threw open the gym door.

He popped up from the bench he was on to look at her in slight surprise and confusion. "Something wrong, Raven? Did Beast Boy put Tabasco sauce in your tea again?" He sighed deeply and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling as that particular scenario. "I thought I told him not to do that! You know, he can be such a kid."

"I found this in my book you just gave me," She forced out, holding up the slip of white paper with blue print.

The masked Titan's face turned instantly red at seeing that little piece of paper. "Oh…" He stuttered, trying to play it cool. It wasn't working very well. "Must be in there from when some one bought it. I told you none of the Titans really read." He grabbed a towel and wiped off his sweat… and that sweat was not coming from his workout.

"It's dated today!" Raven cried, waving the paper in front of his face. She suddenly felt her anger dissipate and be quickly replaced by helplessness. The single feeling she hated most. "Why did you buy me this book? You shouldn't have! I'm not worth it and I don't deserve presents or gifts from anyone! Least of all from the man who gave me my freedom! I…"

Robin suddenly turned angry as Raven stood there, yelling at him. He was being reprimanded for buying her a book!? A book that he thought she'd like, no less. But instead of thanking him, she was standing there yelling at him! For being nice to her!

"SHUT UP!" He cried suddenly and loudly. He took a few steps forward and backed the dark girl against the wall. Raven had silenced immediately, and now watched him with wide eyes, not knowing what to expect next from the masked Titan. She had never seen him truly angry. Frustrated, distraught, upset… but never angry.

"You're yelling at me for getting you a book?" he asked, pressing his face close to hers. "I wanted to get you a gift, Raven. You're lost without companionship, except for the strange…whatever… between us. I wanted to show you that that whatever was really something. You're a team member, and a friend!" He stared firmly at her, watching as her lips trembled softly. There was a pause as another topic came to his mind. "And stop putting yourself down. You're not in debt to me! You're never in debt to a friend! You keep telling me how I shouldn't be doing things for you; how back on Azarath things would be different! You're not on Azarath! You're on Earth and we do things just a bit differently around here."

Robin pressed the book deeper into Raven's arms, then back against her chest. "Keep it," He said shortly and firmly. His face was still close to her own, and the space between them was getting smaller and smaller… as if Robin might kiss her.

"Thank you…" Raven whispered, suddenly slipping out to the side. Robin reeled back in surprise of the movement. He was suddenly very aware of the small distance between them just a few seconds before, and it frightened him. How had he been that close to her and not notice it? And why did he want to be close to her… again?

"Just… just go enjoy your book, Raven, okay?" He asked, forcing a weak smile at her as thoughts rushed through his head like a raging river. "You deserve it…"

Raven nodded solemnly, then quickly turned and exited the room without another word. She was desperately trying to figure out what had happened back in the gym. One moment he'd been yelling at her, the next he had her pinned against the wall and looking to kiss. It was a frightening thought…

…but not an unwelcome one.

- - -

Sorry, I had to cut it at such a weird spot. I wanted to get this chapter out before I had to leave for the weekend. But, don't worry, there'll be much more sexual tension (that's one of my favorite things about writing romances!!) and introspective in the next chapter! And Raven will win over the heart of another team mate. ALSO! For those of you who want some more Raven-Starfire nastines… be prepared, because I will unleash the evils that lurk within my brain….

MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!

Or something like that.

Anyway, just giving you some heads up! Thanks to everyone who supported my holy crusade against stupid people, I love all of you! Especially the ones who have to put up with it! KUDOS FOR YOU!

Lost of Love: Xaph!

PS: Tell me if you hated it, tell me if you loved it… tell me why Terra only paid 36 cents for two pieces of pie in the episode 'Betrayal' (if you watch carefully… she only puts down 36 cents for the bill… which confuses me. Since she bought two pieces of pie!)

PSS: I don't own Teen Titans, otherwise Beast Boy would SO be mine!