Nightmares

All Characters © Warner Bros., inc used without permission


"Azarath, Mertrion, Zinthos" Raven sat in her room meditating. "Azarath, Mertrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Mertri—"

"Daughter." A voice that sent chills down her spine rang through her head. With her concentration lost, she landed ungracefully on her posterior.

"Anger!" she sighed. Calmly she resumed her lotus position and started once again to chant her mantra. "Azarath, Mertrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Mertrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Me—"

"Daughter." Once again the voice echoed in her mind. After she recovered from her latest fall, she was just about to resume her meditation, while she slightly fuming that she couldn't keep her concentration, a cloud of vapor rose up in front of her. Slowly, in front of Raven's eyes, it took the shape of someone from her past that she had hoped she would never see again. "Ah, Raven, daughter." The mist said in the same voice Raven had just heard in her head.

"Trigon!" Raven said this name with as much venom as she could.

"Oh come now, is that any way to speak to your father?" Trigon hissed.

"Go back to the corner of hell that you came from!" Raven's turn to hiss

"Oh I plan to. With you of course." As he said that, the mist cloud started to envelop Raven. She started to fire bolts of black energy at the mist, but the shots just passed thru harmlessly. Raven started to panic as she felt the slimy mist slowly encase her skin. Terror ran thru her veins as she felt Trigon start to enter her mind "Rage shall consume you." Raven felt control over her body erode away. She tried to scream but no sound escaped her lips "You are finally mine Raven…Raven…Raven…"

"Ahhhhhhh!" Raven let out a blood-curdling scream as she bolted upright in her bed. She felt something on her shoulder, and still in the haze of semiconconceness, hit what ever it was with a stiff right cross. A second later, she heard a thump on the floor.

"Robin!" As Raven came out of the fog of waking, she recognized the voice as Starfire's. Slowly, she turned her head towards the sound of Star's voice, there she saw the alien girl kneeling next to the titan's fallen leader, who was holding his nose. His ring and pinky fingers on his glove were already tinged red. "Robin speak to me! Are you alright?" Starfire started to fuss over Robin like a mother would.

"I think so. Except for the stars and the bloody nose." Robin replied.

"Robin, you are bleeding. Is it serious? Do you require medical attention? Should I fly you to the nearest emergency medical facility? Oh please Robin, you must live!"

"Star!" Robin shouted to stop her ranting. "It's ok. Just a little nosebleed. Seeow!" Robin cried out in pain as he tried to remove his hand from his nose.

"Oh my, you are seriously injured!" Starfire cried out. "I must seek out medical attention for you immediately." Before Robin could protest, Starfire scooped him up into her arms and bolted out the door and down the hall. As the dust settled, Cyborg and Beast Boy walked into view of the doorway.

"What's going on here?" Cyborg asked, looking in the direction that Starfire had just left in. It was then that Beast Boy noticed Raven sitting on the bed, holding her head.

"Are you OK?" He asked as he cautiously approached her.

"I'm fine." She groaned

"What about Robin and Starfire?" Cyborg asked

"I sort of hit him as I was waking up." Raven said in an automatic response. Suddenly, her head shot up out of her hands. "What are you doing in my room?" She asked Beast Boy very coolly.

"Uh…"Beast Boy slowly started to back away from Raven's bed, "I was just, I mean, I…uh, I'll go help Starfire with Robin." With that, Beast Boy bolted out of the room before he incurred Raven's wrath. After the dust trail settled, she calmly looked up at Cyborg.

"Hey," He said as he noticed her gaze upon him, " I just came down to see what all the commotion was about. Besides, I'm not in your room." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. Raven narrowed her eyes and lowered her eyebrows in a more menacing glare. "But… now that I think about it," He never got the chance to finish, for Raven used her powers to slam the door in his face. Cyborg stood there for a moment with a stunned look on his face. " Well good morning to you too, princess sunshine." He mumbled as he walked away. "I didn't know sliding doors could slam."

Raven sat on her bed contemplating her next move. Normally, after a nightmare, she would just meditate for an hour or so, villains allowing, and forget about it. Unfortunately, this one had been about her father. She learned long ago that when her father was involved, it usually meant trouble for any on the same plain as her. She decided to investigate it further after getting some breakfast.

"Beast Boy, please stop your pacing, it is making me nervous." Starfire looked up from the magazine she was reading.

"Oh, sorry star, I just can't stop thinking about this morning." Beast Boy said after a short sigh.

"Do not concern yourself, the doctor has already told us that Robin will be fine, and that he can leave after they set his nose. I am just worried as to what they are going to set Robin's nose on, or how long they are going to set it there before they reattach it." Starfire said with concern growing in her voice with the statement.

If it had been anyone else, Beast Boy would have started to laugh, but seeing that it was Starfire who said it, "No star, they have to place to bones in the right places so they can heal properly. Robin's nose will stay on his face." He explained.

"Oh, good." Starfire said as what Beast Boy said sank in. "I would think Robin would look very funny without a nose." She said so strait forward that Beast Boy, along with a very healthy imagination working overtime, couldn't help but crack up laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Robin!" Starfire Jumped up and rushed toward Robin, intent on giving him a hug when she noticed his face. "Robin, correct me if I am wrong, but I thought baseballs were for playing a game with, not wearing on your face."

Robin chuckled, "Its not a baseball, it's a cast, besides its not that big, is it?"

Beast Boy got a real serious face. "Dude, the baseball just talked." He mocked. Starfire giggled.

"Very funny." Robin sighed. "Come on, let's get back to the tower."