Needless to say, Robin and Raven spent more time together after their meeting on the lake. And they enjoyed the time they shared.
Now they lay on the couch in the living room. She was on her side, watching a broadcast on TV that she wasn't really paying attention to. Her attention was on Robin, who was lying beside her and playing with the fabric of her leotard. She felt him kiss her ribs tenderly.
"You know that the others are going to have a field day when they find out about us," she told him, reaching over to muss his hair playfully. He retaliated by tickling her. She laughed and rolled over to face him. More seriously, she said, "I don't want them to talk about us, Dick. It'd be weird." She had grown quiet comfortable using his real name.
"I don't see why they can't," he said, running a finger along the line of her jaw. "So they find out about us and talk about us. So what? I don't care if they do." He leaned in to kiss her.
Raven was reluctant to end it. "You know they'll give us a hard time," she protested.
"Let them. It doesn't matter. In fact, I'll show you a way to ignore them." And he leaned in again.
"I like your methods of persuasion," she said in her best sultry voice. "But I think I'll need a bit longer before I'm convinced." She pulled him into a deeper kiss.
When they parted, she pushed him away lightly and said, "Get going, you." She tapped him on the nose and then ran her fingernail against his mask. "You're on patrol tonight, remember?"
"I'd rather be here."
"I'd rather you be here, too. But you have a responsibility, Boy Wonder. Now get that cute butt of yours moving before someone comes in here and ruins the moment."
"As you command," he quipped, getting up with a flourish of his cape. Raven giggled at his theatrics.
When he left, she took a look around the room. So…empty, she noted. Didn't know being attached would make me miss him all the time. I mean, he's just going to be out for a few hours. Still, I can't help but miss him.
Raven decided to while the early hours of the evening in study. Normally, she'd perform a few mental exercises, just to keep her powers at their peak. Since she couldn't use her magic, she found that her free time was better spent on perfecting other fields of expertise.
Funny, she thought, how cavalierly I think that—"can't use my magic." Like it doesn't matter anymore. Then again, magic has been my only happiness for a long time. Now I have Dick, whatever he may be to me—or whatever he could become to me.
I should be worried. My magic is what makes me a Teen Titan. I need to get it back. But it can wait. There's been no trouble in the city for weeks. And I like the quiet. It gives me time to spend with Dick. And Dick did say he was trying to find a way to cure me. I trust that he will; he isn't the type who ever accepts failure. Yes, he'll find a way. I'm sure of it.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she ran into Beast Boy, who was on his way into the kitchen to make dinner. "Well, well," he greeted with a knowing smirk. "So I catch half of the Twitterpating Twosome."
Raven wanted to glare daggers at him—anything to keep him from saying anything about her and Robin. "Twitterpating?" she repeated. "I didn't know you were watching Bambi. Then again, you're at about the right mental capacity."
"Low blow, Rave," the green-furred Titan said. "I'm just teasing you."
"I don't have a target on my back," she said in all seriousness, "so I don't appreciate taking shots."
"Okay, okay. Jeez! I thought you'd lighten up now that you and Robin are an item." Beast Boy then dropped the carousing attitude and said, "But seriously, Raven, I'm happy for you guys. You got something real precious going here. Best of luck to you both."
Raven was momentarily taken aback by his bout of sensitivity. "I…thanks, Beast Boy. I appreciate that. I'm sure Dick would, too."
"Dick?"
"It's his real name. Dick. Richard."
Beast Boy scratched his head. "I didn't even know he had one," he said, reverting back to his joking personality. Raven just shook her head and continued on her way.
Once Raven reached her room, she shut the door behind her and took a look around. She hadn't spent much time in it over the past few days. She was always doing stuff with Robin. They visited the lake a few times, went on a picnic, and even went to the beach once.
Dick enjoyed that a lot, she thought with amusement, recalling the demure bathing suit she wore—the one she bought weeks ago with Starfire. "Not much skin, but hints at a lot," he said. What a goof. He wouldn't stop ribbing me about it, either. Not that he has any room to talk, what with that costume hanging in the Batcave. "Pixie Boots," heh.
Raven smiled at the memories she was making with Robin. Thus, she seemed more than a bit distracted as she perused her library for something to read. She came across A Study in Scarlet. "Sherlock Holmes," she murmured with a frown. The day she read one of Bruce Wayne's copies of Arthur Conan Doyle was the day her powers started waning. "I don't need to worry about it," she told herself firmly. Everything's been okay so far. Better than okay. I can figure out what to do about my magic later.
She took A Study in Scarlet and flopped onto her bed, cracking open the cover and delving into Doyle's writing. She must have read until she fell asleep, because she woke up to a large form slipping into bed beside her. She woke up groggily, but smiled when she felt warm arms around her.
"Good evening, Dick," she greeted.
"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he corrected.
"Then isn't this the time Prince Charming is supposed to wake me up with a kiss?" When they broke for air, Robin was looking at her with a worried expression. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
"While I was on patrol, I asked a few people in the know about what to do about your powers," he answered. "But I noticed that you haven't been too concerned about it."
She reached down to rub his thigh comfortingly. "That's because you're filling in the void that used to be my magic. And I'm not going to be concerned because I know you're doing your best to help me. I'm sure you'll find out something. You always do." She kissed him on the cheek. "My greatest detective. Am I right?"
He grinned. "Always." Then he extricated himself from her embrace and slid off the bed. "You're tired. I'm tired. I'm going to go to sleep."
Raven smiled suggestively and walked her fingers up his leg. "You can sleep here if you want." She almost laughed aloud at how fast the redness took to his face. He almost matched his vest. "Oh, go take a cold shower, Dick," she said, emphasizing his name with a lewd, catlike grin.
When he left, Raven went to bed with the grin still on her face.
A cold shower. It helps. Robin scrubbed himself down. He did need it, sweaty as he was from the evening's patrol. But Raven's parting comment had a great deal to do with it, too.
He toweled off and threw on his costume. Though he really did want to hit the sack, he had to write up a report on the patrol. First rule of being a detective, Batman had told him countless times, always have good organization skills. So Robin went into the living room to write up the tedious report on the computer. He found Cyborg teaching Starfire how to play a video game.
"Hey there, Casanova," Cyborg said, grinning wildly. "Walking around alone? What's the deal there—you get put in the dog house or something?"
"Nah. She went to bed already. I just need to finish this up here and I'll be catching forty winks myself." After the talk at the lake, Robin found it easier to deal with the good-natured teasing of his friends when they brought up his relationship with Raven. It's because we finally admitted to each other that we want something more out of our friendship, he knew. Funny how everything just works out.
"I'm very happy for you both," Starfire said with infinite cheer. "I must now recite the verses of Anlat Helsakari for the blessing of the gods upon your relationship—all six hundred and forty-three of them!"
Robin blanched. "Um, there's no need to do that, Starfire. Raven and I are just fine. The thought's appreciated, though." He walked over to the computer. "Look, I really need to get this done. So I'm just going to do it and take off, okay?"
"Do what you got to do, Casanova," Cyborg said.
"Uh-huh." Robin went to work with a yawn.
He was halfway through the report when the crime alarm started blaring. "God damn it," he said through gritted teeth. He was really looking forward to some sleep. "Who the hell would want to attack at three in the morning?" His fingers danced across the keyboard, bringing up a visual of the felon.
"Cinderblock," Robin groaned tiredly. "Cyborg, go wake up Beast Boy and Raven. I'll get the vehicles prepped."
"Shouldn't you be the one waking her up?" the machine man quipped. Robin ignored him and walked to the garage.
He just finished revving up Cyborg's car and two motorcycles when the others came in. "You know the drill, team," he said simply. To Raven, he said, "Raven, since you don't have any powers right now, you'll be on bystander duty. Don't let the fight get to them."
"Understood," she said, quickly falling into her role. She mounted one of the cycles and slipped on a helmet. Robin got on his own bike while the others piled into the car, and then the Teen Titans were off.
Fighting Cinderblock wasn't a challenge. He was just going on a random rampage after breaking out of prison. Luckily, the streets were only lightly populated: just a few night guards, police patrols, and bums were anywhere near the fighting.
Raven stayed on the sidelines, ready to push any bystanders out of the way if the fight got to close to them. But for the most part, she simply stood there, doing nothing. She never realized how…useless…she was without her magic. Don't think like that, she admonished herself. You're not useless.
When Cinderblock was beaten and the Titans returned home, Raven was sagging into the saddle of her bike, her expression glum. Robin noticed and went over to her. "Something wrong?" he asked gently.
"It's nothing," she said without much conviction. She didn't want to worry him, but it didn't work.
"It's your powers, isn't it?" He squeezed her shoulder and then encircled her in his arms. "We'll get your magic back," he promised.
"Do you think I'm useless?" she murmured quietly into his chest.
"Not at all," he said.
"You're lying," she replied sadly. "You're too much a leader, too much a strategist not to think otherwise."
He looked guilty; he had thought that she was useless. It hurt her, even though she expected it. It hurt a lot. He must have seen the pain on her face, because he said, "Raven…what I think about this doesn't matter, understand? You're going to get better and then you'll be back out there, fighting the good fight."
"Thanks, Dick. I needed to hear that."
She left his embrace and retreated to her room. Maybe if she meditated, she could figure out what was wrong with her. And then she saw the mirror on her vanity. I'm such an idiot! she thought. It was the mirror she used to look inside her mind, the one Beast Boy and Cyborg had once entered months ago. Magic is primarily a power of the mind and soul. I can use this mirror to see inside myself. Maybe then I can find the problem.
She took the mirror in hand. Though she had no magic, she knew that the mirror would react to anyone who touched it—otherwise, Beast Boy and Cyborg would never have been able to use it. There was a flash along the silvered surface of the mirror. When Raven opened her eyes, she stood within her mind.
But it was radically different.
"Everything's…falling apart," she murmured in horror. "What could have done this? My mind is clearer than its ever been—what ailment do I have? What could have destroyed everything?"
She heard whimpering nearby and cautiously went over to it. She saw a huddled mass of tattered cloth. "You're my fear," Raven said. Fear leaped up, looked at her warily, and scurried back. "I'm not going to hurt you," Raven said soothingly. "I just want to ask a few questions."
"I can't help you," Fear said shakily. "The others know—but they're gone, now."
"The others—my emotions. Bravery, Happiness…they're all gone? How?"
Fear shook her head, sending the tattered remnants of her hood swaying. She pointed up to one of the catwalks floating in the starry space above. It was floating in shattered chunks. "When the walkways started breaking, they left. One by one. I stayed because I was afraid. I don't want to know what's out there. It's probably scary."
Raven's eyes narrowed in sudden understanding. "I see. Those catwalks could warp back around themselves and do other things that confuse and foil anyone who'd try to enter my mind—like they did with Beast Boy and Cyborg a while ago. Those walkways are basically my mental defenses. But now they're all broken, leaving me open and vulnerable. That I expected. But what I didn't realize was that those defenses also caged in my emotions. I didn't know I treated my emotions like a pathogen that needed to be quarantined. Now my emotions are free. But that doesn't explain why I lost my magic."
Fear pointed in a direction. "You might want to ask the new guy."
"New guy?"
Fear nodded emphatically. "He appeared out of nowhere right before the catwalks started breaking and the others started leaving. He kept saying that it was time for us to go. But I don't want to go. It's scary out there."
"Then stay here," Raven said simply, already making her way toward this 'new guy.'
Normally, she could simply will the world within her mind to obey her whim, such as by making the distances between two points shrink to practically nothing. But she couldn't do that, anymore. So the walk took her longer than she expected.
She found a crumbling pile of rocks with a small opening within. She entered and found herself within Wayne Manor's library. All of the books on the shelf were stories of Sherlock Holmes. "This is weird," she murmured. "I wouldn't put anything like this in my mind."
"No," said a shadowed figure in the corner, "but it's a place where strong emotions started to build. And so it remains in your mind, and one of the three keys to why you're power is fading."
Raven couldn't see his face, but she wasn't afraid of him. She spoke boldly, "You must be the new guy." He nodded deferentially. "Explain what you mean about these three keys," she demanded.
"Three keys—three places, three events in your life that changed you. You sacrificed a part of yourself, gave of yourself, and as a result, lost a bit of your magic each time." His hands spread out, gesturing at the shelves. "Here, for instance, was where it all began. Now follow me and I'll show you the next key."
He went to a door that should have led to a hallway. Instead, it opened into the balcony of the Crème De La Crème. Raven's stomach lurched; she was beginning to see where this was going. And it frightened her. But her discomfiture went unnoticed by the figure. His arm swept to include everything on the balcony: chairs, tables, and stage. Though it was unoccupied, Raven thought she heard the sound of the band playing.
"Strong emotions were here," he murmured. "And one more part of your powers waned."
He went back through the door and Raven followed. But it didn't lead back to the library. It led to the lake.
"No…" Raven murmured despairingly, her fears fully realized in the dreadful beauty of the moonlight on the water. "No, please, God, no. I'm happy…we're happy. God, please don't take it from me."
The shadowed figure's shoulders seemed to sag, as if under a great weight. She could finally see his face, lit by the moonlight. It was Robin, or the dream-figure of Robin. "I'm afraid that your feelings for Dick are what took away your powers, Raven," he said apologetically.
He pointed to the lake. "The last key. Where you finally let go of all your barriers. This was the moment your defenses broke. When your emotions escaped and came back to the surface. You're happy because you let him into your life—every aspect of it. But you had to lower the walls around your heart to do that. You let your emotions rule you. And you know better than anyone else just how important control over your emotions is to your sorcery."
Raven slid to her knees, numbness creeping into her heart. "I can't…I can't…You can't ask me to give him up! Not for my magic! There has to be another way," she screamed desperately. "Any way—there just has to be a way I can have them both. You can't ask this of me! You can't ask me to give one of them up! It isn't fair, God damn it!"
The dream-figure looked at her with infinite sadness. "I'm sorry, Raven. But you've spent so much time alone that your magic became reliant on your isolation from emotional attachments. Now you have to pay that price. And so will Robin."
Her head drooped. She was crying. "You can't ask this of me," she mumbled through her sobs. "We're so happy."
When she looked up, she was back in her room, alone except for her tears.
Author's Note: And there you have it. We're in the last leg of the story. Expect two more chapters before thisstory'scompleted.