Chapter 7: Swans a Swimming

On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

"Get off!" Raven angrily spat sitting up. Ebony who had been resting among her violet hair was violently dropped onto the bed covers. She nipped at Ravens arm offended and proceeded to rustle her black sleek feathers.

"Sure I save you, now your going to drive me insane." She muttered throwing off the blankets glad for once to have a full nights sleep. No worries, for now.

Absent mindedly she raked a hand through her hair and grabbed the ring sitting on her side table. It slid onto her finger as she went to the closet for her cloak.

Grabbing a fresh cloak she made her way to the bathroom. She didn't think the admirer would bring swans inside, so if she didn't go outside she couldn't get her gift right?

Down the hall a small black box hit her foot, carelessly she kicked it to the side. Another of Beast Boys stupid toys she surmised. Her thoughts immediately began to fall back into her previous train of thought.

Raven had pondered up the crazy idea if she didn't get her gift one day maybe it would mess him up. So all she had to do was not go outside right?

"Raven have you heard?" Starfire giggled madly in her floating spot. She had attacked Raven the minute she had walked out of the bathroom. Towel still in hand and hair dripping she turned to the girl.

"Hear what?"

"Robin says we may all go see the parade!" She smiled pulling at her green bow.

"Damn," Raven muttered more to herself. Robin had said something about that yesterday. It involved going outside. Her fist clenched, today was not her day.

In fact, it had not been her week. It was day seven, she was over halfway there.

"What is this 'damn'? Are there beavers around?" Starfire inquired peering closer to her damp, heated friend.

"Um, it's nothing Star. The parade will be great, you'll love it." She added as an afterthought and started for the stairs. She needed to see if she could bugger herself out of going. Boy that would mess him up.

"Cyborg, where's Robin?" She asked as she passed him down the stairs. The meta-human looked up sidetracked a moment before pointing toward the living room. She nodded noting his strange behavior. Wasn't he supposed to be gaming already?

In the living room Robin was alone typing a bunch of stuff onto the main computer.

"Where's Beast Boy?" She called walking closer. Robin didn't look up typing diligently.

"Um he said something about going out for some tofu, apparently we're fresh out, imagine that." He chuckled to himself, the keys still hitting in a strange rhythm.

Out, was he?

Raven placed that fact carefully into her mind. Clue gathering took a keen eye, but whichever one it was, they were clever.

She played with the idea it couldn't be Beast Boy. Did he really have the brain capacity? Raven had always thought he was more of a tofu, jokester, gamer brain.

"Do you think Beast Boy is more intelligent than he puts out?" She asked almost silently. If anyone Robin was the best to answer something about a team-mate since he so diligently observed people.

His typing hit an off-key in its rhythm, but it was only a millisecond that Raven picked up on. "Certainly, everyone has reserves. Take Beast Boy," He paused and moved a paper over his eyes scanning the page. "He plays the jokester a lot, but if ever needed he really is a smart guy."

Raven stayed silent the words wrapping in her head. They made some twisted sense there she hadn't thought of before.

Want as she might to eliminate someone Beast Boy seemed just as likely a suspect as say...clever Robin.

"Now what did you really find me for?" Robin asked after a stretched moment of her silence.

"I don't want to go to the parade, I have things to do."

Robin continued typing not missing beat. "What's more important than an outing with your friends?"

Raven's mind started overworking. Excuse, she needed another lie. Was it just her, or was she lying more often these days?

"Hey Robin?" Came another voice. Raven sighed, she had been saved.

"Hmm?" Robin mumbled not turning to greet Cyborg who had just arrived.

"I can't go to the parade." He paused next to Raven to look at their leaders back.

Robins fingers paused above the keys and he slowly turned around. "You too huh? Any reason you both might be wanting to stay behind?"

The words worked their meaning into Ravens head. He was insinuating, her and-

Huffing she glared at her leader. "I have things to do."

"Yea I've lost some stuff recently I wanted to look around for." Cyborg added, a weak defense.

"More stuff?" Raven turned slightly so she could read his expression.

"Yea, its a mini system cooler, small black box kind of thing."

Raven paused. Hadn't she seen something like that recently? Images and memories blinked through her head rewinding the day. "I seen something like that in the hall." She added hopefully, she didn't need anyone else staying home if she was going to.

"Oh thanks!" Cyborg turned to head for the hall. Robin then turned his attention to the girl.

"Your going, it's an order I think the rest of the team would agree with me on. You can afford one day of luxury." Robin turned back to the keyboard giving off the indication the conversation was over.

Raven bit her lip to keep down a string of nasty words. She did not need this when she had so much else going on.

"Fine," Raven muttered. It was almost impossible to win a conversation against Robin anyway.

She turned around and stomped her way to her room. The entire way there she prayed her door would not be hosting seven swans.

"Ooh what is that?" Starfire excitedly pointed to one of the giant floats. It was glittering in holiday spirit. Beast Boy had oh so sneakily prodded Robin so he was closest to Starfire. The rest of them had inched away so as not to be victims of her innumerable questions.

"It's a float," Robin responded boredly for nearing the twentieth time. He had already given up glaring at the other three, they weren't going to be saving him anytime soon.

"Can we go now?" Raven asked the two boys next to her pulling her cape more around herself against the winters air. Over the blasting chorus of music (which was to her horror, The Twelve Days of Christmas) the two didn't seen to hear her. Frustrated she took the time to examine them.

Both were humming along with the song, which didn't help her eliminate anything. Every once in a while a worthy float would pass by and the two would yell for beads or candy their way. So far Cyborg was the only one with any bounty as far as beads.

That of course was due to his foot height on the rest of them.

Neither of them had really paid any extra attention to her. The only clue was that Beast Boy had been out of the tower and Cyborg had been sidetracked all morning.

Robin had been typing, but she hadn't asked what he had been doing. It would be a little too obvious for her taste.

Some of Ravens emotions kept pointing out that she should really think about her situation. That she should really think about how she felt about the three male titans. Her common sense would have none of it. She would keep putting off the inevitable headache until probably the eleventh or twelfth day.

Raven moved away from Beast Boy a little and tried to pay attention to the parade. The flashy lights and pounding band gave her a migraine. She could hear Starfire asking Robin about another Earthly wonder and Robin gritting his teeth in response.

Realizing everyone was sufficiently distracted Raven got an idea. When a giant bead throwing float came by she shifted out of the crowd. None of the other titans saw her get away.

Breathing more evenly and clearing a headache she walked away from the parade commotion. She pulled out her communicator real quick and recorded a message. Raven then sent it to each of the titans communicators so if they decided to check on her the message would appear.

No mess or fuss.

Smirking triumphantly she headed back to the tower. She had to find some way to prevent her presents arrival.

Raven touched down on the damp bank of the island. The snow had melted earlier leaving more of a slush everywhere.

Her boots splashed over the land as she made for the front door. When her hand touched the door knob she heard a sound.

Preparing to lash out she spun in place scanning the area. Slushy ground, plants, beach sand, water. Nothing to have made the noise. Shaking her head dismissing it all-together she turned back around and gripped the knob.

And heard the sound.

She spun again. Still when her fury of robes settled there was nothing there.

Raven stayed watching like a hawk, she never heard things twice unless they actually happened.

After a minute the water near the shore stirred. A long white neck rose out followed by a swans body. It made the annoying quack preening its silk white feathers.

Raven let out a long string of enraged curses. Her powers flipped a few moments tearing up the landscape. Trees overturned, dirt was flung about and a new natural pool was made before her powers were harnessed.

"Damn swans," Raven closed her eyes a second searching for a control. Her lips smoothed over her familiar chant. The familiarity calmed her senses.

When she was in control she started toward the water. The swan swam in the small circles near the shore making the unnerving noise every once in a while. When she got to the waters edge she summoned some energy to hover just about the frigid liquid.

"Come here you stupid bird," She tried cooing in the most un-amicable way. The swan paused and looked at Raven.

It turned and made another noise.

Raven moved forward quickly lunging midair for the blue bow about its neck. Alarmed it tried flying, scooping its large wings.

But she had grabbed it too quickly. With a vengeance she undid the bow and slipped the paper she knew to be there out.

The swan revolved its head. Raven turned to see what it was looking at.

There were six more swans swimming closer. That made seven, seven swans a swimming. One was full ground and the other five looked nearly newborn.

Groaning she unfolded the note.

Raven,

Are we having fun my dear Raven?

-An Admirer

She crumbled the paper in her palm. Another gift, another day and she still did not have a clue.

She looked down at the blue ribbon. Was blue a clue, or a red-herring meant to screw her up further?

There sure was a lot of clues pointing at Cyborg. That left the possibilities that it could be Cyborg, being really obvious to throw her off or it wasn't Cyborg and he was messing with her.

Throwing an angry glance at the group of swans she floated toward the tower. She needed yet another lie for leaving the parade.

Raven wondered how long before the others caught on. Sure Starfire could be naive sometimes, but she wasn't dumb. Two of the boys would be genuinely curious of what was going on, the other would probably go along as not to look suspicious.

Fun?

Raven slammed the tower door, in a distant building all the glass windows shattered.

When they finished with the parade the titans headed home. By then they had gotten her message left on the communicators.

He grinned spotting his swans on the way inside. The others failed to notice the extra set of gander on their island.

Inside Raven was still a flaming time bomb. He couldn't help but relish in the satisfaction of making her that way. As beautiful as she was in her facade of serenity, a fury of emotions set her in new bounds all together.

The other Titans had picked up on something bothering the young girl. Her anger, however vile was usually only shone for a few moments. Here it was almost daily.

He wondered which of them would be the first to dare and ask her what was wrong. Which would be the first to accuse Raven of strange behavior.

Maybe he would, just to screw up whatever plan her brilliant mind was concocting.

Um some bad news. I am grounded until Xmas I think? I'm going to try and continue updates every other day and see how it works. So if I miss a day or so don't panic too much, I shall figure something out...hopefully. -

Thanks TONS to all my reviewers, you guys completely flood my mail, I feel so honored!

Anyone notice there's a LOT of bird gifts?

I keep hearing this song played everywhere I go now-a-days, I am so brainwashed. Review on your way out!

-Dragonslayer527