Teen Titans: Wild, Wild West

Chapter Seven


Kori Anders: Sorry that you don't like my pairing, but I'm still glad that you complimented my story. It really puts my panties in a bunch when I get all these people who say they absolutely detest my story just because they don't like my character pairings. That means a lot to me, thank you for giving me a decent review, even though you didn't care for my pairings.

Tyla: AU equals Alternate Universe... Well, at least that's what I've made it out to be. twobirdslover: Haha. I'll tell you how I could do that: I just wrote it! Mwahaahaha hack cough hairball sorry, I think I need to cut down on the cackling and evil laughter. I did way too much of it last night. ;-)

Seishi Sairensuno: Of course I had to end it there! I just LOVE cliffhangers, they are way too much fun! Hope you like my new chap!

Techna: Lol. Yeah I'm hoping she gets it back soon too, but wait! Maybe she already did and I just forgot! You'll have to read on to find out!

Lain the Fluff-Master: Yay! I love you! And I SO need one of your stories to read right about now, it would just send me off the deep end! Also, on a wonderfully devious note: I was talking to a newfound friend of mine that I discovered on the Raven and Robin LJ community and she happened to tell me about something that might be going down concerning some Rae/Rob fanfic. If you're interested, let me know and e-mail or something! And don't look now, but my updating this weekend has totally surpassed anything either you or I have accomplished so far! It's ca-razy! Hope you like this chappie, it's merely a little filler before all the good stuff! ;-) Enjoy!

Just me and myself: Look, I updated! Now you; Review ASAP:)j/k

DarkAngelOllie: Yeah Slade is cruel and unusual isn't he? Glad you like!

Jadeflower82: Wow, did I just convert somebody into the Rae/Rob pairing with my story? I feel so, so, so ...yeah! Wow, and I'm even more ecstatic to find out that mine is the first story you've really gotten into. That's extremely exciting! Well, I hope you like my newest chapter; and if you ever start getting into the Rae/Rob pairing, you should check out some of Lain's stories up there. Some other incredible authors too are: Xaphrin, Bloody Incubus, Mike13, Ellyrianna, Dragonslayer527, Post, SinFire99, and Darkmoon Knight... just to name a few!


Now, On with the Story!

Raven cried atop the bed all night, sprawled out at a strange angle, no longer caring what happened to her or to the town. Terra had tried to come and talk to her but she had also starting crying the second Raven told her the news; Wilson had then come in and shooed her, telling her to get back downstairs and man the bar like a good little girl. Wilson had said the wedding would be in two hours and she better start getting ready or else he would kill Terra too, just for kicks.

About an hour before the dreaded ceremony, Raven had finally gotten up, not wanting to risk the only friend she had left. The dress Wilson made her put on was simple and rather inappropriate and it made her want to throw up. She put it on and looked in the mirror, her tear stained face and red-rimmed eyes went along wonderfully with her broken heart and spirit.

The dress wasn't your normal white color, but instead it was a cream color; when Wilson had come in he sneered at her and said that as much as he wanted his bride to wear white, it was not the proper color for a weak, worthless slut like herself. The dress was a halter top that went way too far down and showed way too much cleavage; the bottom was covered in lace and billowed out, hiding her sandal-covered feet, making a cloud of dust behind her when she walked. Her long lavender hair was twisted up tightly into a french twist with a few curls cascading down here and there.

She still had thirty minutes before someone would come and fetch her and bring her downstairs, so she just went and stood out on her balcony and watched the busy scene below her. The tears fell yet again and she did nothing to stop them, not caring if they messed up her makeup or anything. As far as she was concerned, her entire life was already ruined and there was nothing anyone could do to make her happy again.

Raven closed her eyes for a moment and a brief scene flashed in her head:


A dark and stormy night, rain was just pouring down but that didn't matter to her. She liked the rain. She didn't even bother to cover herself or put her hood up. She looked down and saw her leotard was completely soaked, along with her cloak, and her hair was matted to her head, but she didn't care. A loud noise behind her signaled someone else had come up there with her... someone who was very nervous and very sad.

It was him, she knew it without even turning around; she could always tell when he was in the room, her skin tingled and her heart raced just with him being nearby. She was in love. That much she knew, even if she didn't quite understand the concept of her being able to love, it was there regardless and she was going to hold onto it as long as she could.

"Hey," was all he said, coming up alongside of her and staring over the dark waters. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah," she said, finally turning to face his masked visage. "I need to tell you something."

He only nodded and waited for her to speak.

"I know that this isn't my normal M.O," she sighed, trying to find her courage. "But I have to get this off of my chest..." A pause. "I don't really know how, but all of a sudden I find myself feeling something for someone;I feel something very strong for someone and, normally I would ignore it because of my powers, but this time nothing has happened so far, so I think I need to take advantage of this. Robin...?"

Robin squirmed a bit and she could have sworn he looked away, but with that damn mask on, she could never be really sure. "Yes?"

"Robin, I think...no, I know that I... I love you," she stammered out, boring her eyes into his.

"What?" was all he could say, his voice choked and sounding strained.

She took a deep breath and answered back. "I love you Robin. I have since the day I first met you, but it's taken me this long to finally recognize it and tell you."

"But-but how?" he asked, looking back down at his feet. "I thought you couldn't feel anything?"

"I don't know," she replied, wavering a bit. "I don't understand it that much myself, but I just know that's what I feel. I didn't think I could feel anything, and yet, here I am..."

"Maybe you don't really feel anything," he said, after a moment's hesitation. "Maybe this is just something your brain cooked up to make you feel better. Maybe, just maybe, you don't really love me."

"What?" she gasped as his harsh words hit her. "What do you mean? Of course I feel something; I might be emotionless sometimes, but I'm not completely oblivious to things like this! I know that I love you, that I am so far in love with you that I don't know what's up or down anymore, everything is just so confused and topsy-turvy! I am in love with you, Robin!"

Robin looked down at the ground and began to walk away and she felt a sharp pain in her heart, making it feel as though it were being ripped to shred by millions of tiny birds. He stopped a few feet from the door and turned around, but he didn't look at her in the face.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But you can't love me."

"Why not!" she screamed at him, her tears mixing in with the rain around her and her magic going haywire along with the raging storm around her. "Why can't I love you? Why aren't I allowed to feel something so wonderful? Tell me!"

He moved to open the door and gave one last look at her. "Because I can't love you ... I'm sorry Raven."

The door slammed shut and Raven crumpled to the ground in a puddle of emotions. She broke down and sobbed for the first time in her life as her heart felt on fire and she felt as though her life could end at that moment and she wouldn't care. Death would be a sweet escape and she would welcome it with open arms. The only person she had ever truly loved didn't love her; the only person she was ever allowed to have feelings for and he didn't give a damn about her.


Raven's eyes flew open as the scene ended and her own heart felt as though it was in excruciating pain as she doubled over against the railing and threw up over the side into the alleyway below her. She had no clue as to what she had just seen, but it felt so real to her and she moved to go and sit down on her bed.

"What just happened there?" she asked herself, her breathing still a little erratic. "It was almost as if that really happened, as if I was really there... but that's impossible isn't it? I didn't recognize anything; not me, or that guy Robin, or the place or anything! It felt familiar, but I don't know how!"

Before she could think about it any further, her door slammed open and Wilson's bodyguard entered, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at the petite girl.

"It's time," he grunted, glaring at her with such disdain. "Grab your stuff and get ready. Sheriff wants to get started early."


WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW


As the sun rose above the desert, the smoky ruins of the Inn lay smoldering, a few people coming out to see the extent of the damage. They didn't get too close, though, as the owners of the Inn and their friends stood there by the side and stared at the burnt building. They had managed to escape from underneath the charred remains courtesy of a freeze disk and one of Roy's cooling arrows to keep them cool and safe from the flames around them. Only one wasn't standing by the Inn; Richard simply sat on a nearby rock, reliving his last moments with his Raven and thinking of having to return without her.

"Hey Dick," Victor said, coming over to sit down next to him. "How ya feeling?"

"What do you think?" he mumbled, bringing his face out of his hands to look at his old friend whom he had missed greatly over the years. "After all this time, I finally get the chance to make it up to Raven and look what's happened! She can't get her memory back, which is probably caused by me; I left her and I hurt her so bad that this life is a stroll in the park compared to what I left her with! She must hate me more than anything, including her father..."

Victor chuckled and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Raven doesn't hate you, that much I do know. She has never hated you as much as she's hated herself. Now, I know that wasn't something you really wanted to hear, but it's the truth. And I won't lie and say that we were all kinda on Raven's side on this one; Personally, I think it was kinda cowardly for you to leave like you did. That just made it worse, ya know."

"I know, I know," Dick sighed. "But I couldn't think of anything else to do. I have always loved her Vic, and I thought I was doing right by her by not telling her that. All of my life I have put the people I cared for in danger and she was just one I wasn't willing to risk. I thought that by leaving I was keeping her safe and not letting anyone know how much I cared for her. Obviously Slade saw past my little charade and still knew how to get to me through her."

"Ya know, I think that she might have understood that if you had just told her," he mused. "But either way, I think she might have known that was the reason you left, deep down inside. But, you know Dick, I think you would have done better by the both of you if you had just stayed and told her how you really felt. I think this whole reunion thing might be why she is so reluctant to remember her past."

"I know Vic," he replied. "And I knew that any reunion between Raven and myself would be bittersweet, but I was hoping you guys might have been able to talk her out of everything, ya know? Help her at least sit down and listen to me, I mean, you guys live with her, she still trusts all of you."

Vic shifted and rubbed the back of his head. "Listen, man, I'm sure she still trusts us and all, but we don't live with Raven anymore..."

"What?" Dick cried, turning to glare at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"Raven doesn't live at the Tower anymore," he said calmly, but with a twinge of sadness. "She left about eight months or so ago; she said she couldn't stay there anymore, too many bad memories or something like that. She hasn't been a Titan for almost a year now; she just stayed with us because we begged her to. I guess she just got tired of staying somewhere she felt she didn't belong anymore."

"How in the world could you have let her go?" Dick asked, frustrated. "How could she just up and leave like that? She's been alone all this time and I felt somewhat justified in my decision to leave because I figured she would always have you guys... wait a minute, does this mean— ?"

Victor just nodded. "Yeah Dick, that means she wasn't with us when Slade decided to pull this little stunt. He went after her on his own and kidnaped her wherever it was she was living. So you can see why, if anything happens here, Raven might take it a little hard. To think that you left to keep her safe when she was in more danger without you being there to care for and protect her."

Dick just sat there dumbfounded, completely tossed asunder at this new revelation. Raven hadn't been a Titan for over a year now, and she wasn't even living with them. She was all by herself and she had to deal with Slade without anyone, without the other Titans, without him.

Dick slammed his fist onto the stone and stood up, looking more fierce than anyone had ever seen him before. "That's it," he growled. "We need to find Slade and take him down, permanently. He's gone too far this time around and I'll be damned if he thinks he can mess with my Raven and get away with it. Vic, get all the other Titans together; we need to come up with a good battle plan."

"We're gonna pick a fight with Wilson and his cronies?" he asked, standing up to go and find their friends.

"Nope," Dick answered, the anger evident in his low voice. "We've got a wedding to crash."


A/N: Well, how did I do? I know I have been updating and posting like crazy, but I figure of I can get enough out at one time, it will give me a little bit longer in case something else comes up. Yeah... I know it is prolly kind of short, but if I went as far as I wanted to, then this would have taken me twice as long and this would have been the last chapter. And I am just not ready for that to happen yet! So, let me know what you think and hopefully, if everything goes smooth for awhile, I'll start the next chapter and get that out to you guys really soon! L8R Daze...


Next Chapter: Raven is being forced to marry Slade because she thinks all of her friends are dead. The Titans, though, are rushing to find her and stop this dreaded ceremony and get their old friend back. Will they get there in time, or will they be too late to interrupt this unlawful event?