Author's Notes

OOOOO

Thanks for reviewing and reading my little fanfic. Raven/Robin, so if you don't like the pairing then you should really read something else. I suggest The Problem With Orange, which is in my Favorites. Very cute Starfire story. Before we continue, you should know three things.

1) In the first fanfic, I hinted that Robin was Dick Grayson. Well, when coming up with dream sequences, I realized that I knew Timothy Drake's background a lot more than Dick's. So I'm using his experiences as a template. I'm not editting the original sentence, though, unless it really ticks people off. But Robin is Tim Drake. Not because I have anything against Dick, because Nightwing is awesome.

2) I dislike swearing and I also dislike violence that's not cartoony. The R rating is almost exclusively for sexual content.

3) The very last dream sequence is where things get dark. Not violently dark, but it does get quite angsty. It has a subtext of Slade/Raven, but I intentionally cut the sequence. It's also non-consensual, too. I don't know how much this sort of thing squicks you readers, so if for some reason that you want more detail then tell me. If you want less, tell me, too.

I don't own the characters, and that's probably a good thing. Otherwise there would be a lot of scarred little kids. Please review. I really want to know if I should go into more explicitness with the scenes or less. I like writing squishy, sexy scenes but I also don't like scaring readers.

Anyway, on with the show.

OOOOO

Chapter 2: Amative Nightmares

Robin was in Cyborg's garage, helping him work on their Christmas present. Fixing the B-Ped. Beast Boy, while upset about losing his moped, had given up on the idea of getting one again anytime soon. This was one of Robin's top secret projects, as Cyborg and Starfire's presents had already been picked out. He even threw Beast Boy off the trail by hinting that he was grabbing him the Mega Monkey anthology and leaving the package out, unwrapped, underneath his bed. Robin finished cleaning out the electric motor with a rag, looking at Cyborg.

"Cy. Have you ever wanted to really ask someone something and you know that if you put it off things will only get worse but you can't anyway?" Robin mentally slapped himself upside the head at the word salad. Real subtle.

Earlier, he vowed that he was going to confront Raven right away about the dreams. His determination completely faded to jelly as soon as he put on a fresh uniform, showered, and went out into the hallway. Robin immediately knew that he was going to put this off. So he might as well do some useful things today.

Cyborg looked at Robin seriously and then a smile came to his face. "Oh, I see what this is about. Robin... believe it or not, it's been real obvious to everyone in the tower."

Robin felt a little shocked, but grateful. "Really?"

He nodded deeply, his red eye flashing. "You want to ask Starfire out on a date. Yeah, it's on your face like crazy."

"That's... that's exactly it. I am having trouble asking Starfire out. But now that everyone's thinking it, it is a lot easier." Robin intoned. He hoped that his robotic tone would indicate that he was being sarcastic, but no dice. He spent the next hour with Cyborg trying to nudge him into saying more juicy stuff about Starfire.

So much for that.

"Hello, there, Robin. Would you like to join Silkie and I for a stroll around the tower?" Starfire had the silkworm in a baby buggie and with a bonnet on its head. To his surprise, he found himself saying yes. To his further amazement, he found himself having a very intelligent conversation with Starfire about the relationship and similarities of X'harian metaphysics to Earth ones.

"So it is our sincere belief that we are immortal. Even if there was no afterlife, at the purest scientific we would be born again when the exact arrangement of what you call DNA comes into being again, creating you again."

"That sounds a lot like reincarnation, only it's into the same form." Robin said. He shook a rattle in front of Silkie's face, trying to amuse it. "That's a little depressing. If you're born evil or sad you will be cursed to be the same way forever."

"Yes, unless circumstances in your different life create you otherwise. Perhaps in the future we will find a way to stop this predestination by altering the 'DNA'."

"But if you can alter your DNA and still be the same person, then why can't you be reincarnated into someone with totally different DNA and still be you?"

Starfire hesitated. "It... um... that is a good point. Robin, you should not attend any debate on X'harian metaphysics. You would be filled with Starbolts until you exploded." Robin couldn't help but grin. She could make anything sound adorable.

The conversation only got more surreal from there. After Silkie had been put to bed, Robin bumped into Beast Boy, who was strolling through the hallways as a green St. Benard. "Hey, BB."

Beast Boy changed back, giving Robin's a thumbs up. "Hey." He resumed his pensive expression and changed into a utahraptor, circling around the hallway. Robin placed a hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much. Just trying to think of animal forms. Cyborg said that I didn't have anything really useful other than a bat, some dinosaurs, a gorilla, and a squid so I'm trying to prove him wrong."

Robin smirked. "You know, Beast Boy, you HAVE been a little limited in your forms."

Beast Boy looked crestfallen. "Aw. You think I'm a one trick pony."

"Not exactly... I think that you just need to expand your list a little. C'mon."

"Uh, where we going, Robin?"

"We're going to go study for a little bit."

Beast Boy immediately looked as though he was going to run away, but for some reason didn't. "Oh, that's right. I'm supposed to, er." He clasped his hands over his mouth, then let them go. "Well, let's go study."

OOOOO

The study room was to be Robin's attempt to make a separate game room than the living room, but after a week of it realized that there was a good chance of him or the girls not seeing Cyborg and/or Beast Boy all day. So after having an empty room for a while, he moved his work materials out of his bedroom into here, at Starfire's urging; she insisted that the physical distance of the study from his bedroom would prevent him from getting immersed in work. It didn't, but gave Robin his own inviolate place in the tower. She and Beast Boy went into his room pretty much as they felt, like the time he caught them wearing his outfits, but the study was sacred.

Robin and Beast Boy spent all morning going through the computer and encyclopedia for animals, looking for buried treasure; none of the creatures were really all that new to Robin, but they hadn't crossed the changeling's mind. A dinosaur that could crack its tail to create a sonic boom and a bird that flew, instead of dived, at a hundred miles per hour were two of his favorites.

"'... and the Japanese spider crab. Biggest crab in the world.' But it still has predators." Beast Boy murmured, tearing the page out of the encyclopedia anyway.

"But your animal forms are stronger than the actual animal; like how your pterodactyl can pick up Cyborg."

"I know, you don't have to keep reminding me." Beast Boy said, closing the volume. "That's it for 'C'. Let's try something harder!"

"Harder, eh?" Robin mused as he picked a book from the shelf, one of Starfire's: The Beasts of Tameran. While they were visiting her home planet to stop a wedding, Beast Boy accidentally turned into an animal on that planet; maybe they could replicate it here? Beast came into the room within a couple of minutes, hiking up his pants. "There we go. Time to super cram!"

Going meticulously through the book for more than an hour, they found out that Beast Boy was only able to imitate three or four of the creatures, and even then he didn't stay long in a form. However, just when Robin was about to give up and try more traditional animals, Beast Boy found that he was able to take hold of a green-speckled Sherlock, a disgusting yet cute-looking animal that looked like a cross between a cow and a helicopter. Beast Boy made a weird, obscure murmuring sound, floating across the room with his tentacles dangling.

"Nice work. Hey, let's go to the gym and try that." Robin suggested.

Beast Boy reverted to his original body, landing on the table. "Cool, but, um... let's try a few more, first."

"But I already got a list of regular Earthling animals, too. You really don't need me for awhile; I'm gonna check on Cyborg real fast."

"No, wait, dude, I like, need you to help me study. I want to study but my mind wanders, you know?"

If Robin suspected something was amiss, he didn't let his face give it away. He sat back down in the chair. "I see. Well, which book do you want to try now?"

They were going through a book on rainforest creatures when Robin noticed Beast Boy not paying attention. Well, his mind did wander quite a bit when they were reading 'The Expert's Guide to Eukaryotes', but this time he looked like he wanted to say something.

"... you know what, Robin? This is going to sound a little dorky, but..."

Robin looked up from his notes, his eyes on the other teen. "What's up?"

Beast Boy grinned cheesily, but earnestly. "No one's said it, so, uh, I guess I'm the first, but, just... thanks. Thanks for this and the last few weeks. You and Raven have been cool to us lately. Like, really cool."

"Well, gee, thanks, but..."

"Don't be so modest, man. I mean it. Like, except for the whole werewolf thing. Which you also even apologized for. You've been real nice and laid back. Like, hanging out with us more, not being so uptight. Even laughing with us for wearing your uniform. That kinda took us by surprise. You know."

Robin merely shrugged. "I guess. You've matured quite a bit yourself since, well..."

"Terra?"

"Yeah." Robin looked towards the door to his study. It was closed and he didn't expect anyone to bust in, but he wanted this conversation to stay within the study. Beast Boy instantly recognized his intention. "BB, you said 'You and Raven'."

His grin faded into only a hint of one. "Yeah, she's been a lot nicer, too." His smile faltered. "But. Um. Did you two have a fight or something? I see you guys hardly ever do anything; which is weird, since you probably share the most interests with her."

Robin rubbed the back of his head, unknowingly imitating Beast Boy's gesture. Truthfully, Robin didn't know whether she did or not. As far as her interests, he knew that she liked to read Victorian and early 20th century books. Raven liked classical music. He was positive that she liked tabletop roleplaying at one point, as she and Cyborg used to play. She probably had some sort of passing interest in cars. Disliked most kinds of movies except for documentaries and fantasy movies. Nothing like Starfire, who was very eager to give almost anything a try and appeared to like almost everything he did. Though he wondered sometimes.

"Hellloooo...? Earth to Robin?" Beast Boy waved his hand in front of the Boy Wonder's face; the latter had been spacing out. "See, that's what you've been doing lately when she's been around."

Robin knew that his voice was going to sound snippy, so tried to balance it out by making it quiet. "Sorry. I've just been worrying about her. Since that day Slade came back."

"You're not the only one. What happened? We run out of the totalled factory after Slade bounced and we see you and Raven outside, with long hair and half- naked and whatnot." At Raven's request, Robin didn't tell the others about Slade or the brandings on her body and just dismissed them. Though he could tell that even after three months, they were still curious. Beast Boy suddenly had a leering look on his face. "Oh, dude. Is it what I think it is? Starfire's going to kill you."

Robin knitted his brow together. "Of course not."

"Well, what's up, then? I swear I won't tell anyone. Pinky swear."

Robin crossed his arms about his chest. "I really wish I knew. Honestly. Not just as a leader." He felt his voice crack the smallest amount. "I don't know what it is. But, I've been realizing. Raven means a lot to me. I want to do something with her. Or for her. I dunno."

Beast Boy looked at his friend for the longest time. He had a genuinely concerned look on his face. "... I was just kidding earlier, but, do you mean like, romantically?"

A deeper furrowing of the brow. The changeling wondered if he had strayed somewhere where he wasn't supposed to go. "I'm sorry."

Robin's expression softened. "Don't be. That's an honest question." He paused for a long time, and then said, "I don't know. And I don't say that just because Starfire has a thing for me and I do for her, too. I can't give a good answer. It's not fair to her or Starfire, but it'd depend on how Raven felt."

"I... wait, what? Why should that mean anything? Like, I liked, maybe even had verrrry serious feelings for Terra even before who she was and how she felt. ... I still do. So how..."

"You have to understand. I've been having these dreams. For the last 8 days, they've all involved some detail about me being Robin or some moment I shared with Raven. Just standard stuff. Except that I normally don't dream... and they've been vivid recent. Like last night, I was completely aware I was within a dream and could even move around and think."

Beast Boy still looked confused, so Robin, under strictest confidence, told him about last night. About the stankball memory, about how they invited her to the team, about the Ravens. At the mention of the many-coloured Ravens, Beast Boy's mouth hung open. And he avoided doing so just at the whole surreality of Robin opening up, or with trusting him so much that he'd share personal thoughts, but this took the cake.

"Robin. That TOTALLY sounds like what happened to me and Cy that one time we went in Raven's room when you told me to apologize and she wasn't there so we looked into her soul mirror." he explained, almost stunned. "Did we ever tell you where we went...?"

Robin shook his head. "You guys never did. You just said that you were getting to know each other better."

'That guy has one good poker face.' Beast Boy thought. "You know what, Robin? I don't think that was your dream. At all. Like, you must have been looking into her mind or something." He waggled a finger. "You better do something about it, before you see something so scary that you, um, become old."

"I thought about that, too. But I wasn't sure. I'm positive now."

"Robin, I think she likes you. Like, a lot. You should talk to her right now. Dude! Wait until," Beast Boy froze. "Well, I mean, not right now right now. As in the next thing you do in a few minutes from now. Because. Um." He was steepling his fingers when both heard a knock at the door.

"Robin." came Cyborg's voice. "Get out here into the living room. You really should see this."

"Heh. Nevermind. Let's see what Cyborg wants, shall we?" Beast Boy sheepishly said, going out.

Robin didn't leave right away. He thought about what was said. He never expected THIS to come from the bond. Maybe she didn't like him in that way, but it did make him feel happy he was on her mind a lot. He felt his shoulders become lighter; no wonder why Raven was avoiding him so much. It made sense. With this thought in his head, he went to go see what the two guys wanted to show him. Probably to hint at some new toy they wanted. And he was feeling so much better that he'd probably buy it for them.

OOOOO

He couldn't believe it. His friends had decorated the room. It was later than they usually did, but they decorated like they did the other years. And not just the usual tree and bowl of candy canes. Stockings for each of the Titans. A yuletide log in the never-used fireplace. Extra lights strung around. They had gotten rid of the fake pine tree and had a real one put in (Robin noted the gigantic pot it was in and the removed floor plates, surmurising that Starfire wouldn't let them chop down such a pretty tree). Silkie, who was snoozing in the basket, had on a little elf cap. The only thing lacking was a decorated tree, but someone had already laid down the train tracks.

"Wow." Robin murmured breathlessly, looking between the Titans. He was ready to just give up on the idea; if there was one thing that Robin knew he'd always underestimate, it was the thoughtfulness of her friends.

"Friend Robin, we noticed that you were rather sad last night when we watched the tube of boobs instead of helping." Starfire said, floating over to Robin. She clasped her hands in front of her. "We did not know the little decorations meant so much to you!"

Beast Boy pointed to himself proudly. "Yup. So we took turns distracting you all morning while the others did a little of the work."

Cyborg shot Beast Boy a look. "SOME of the work! Don't you mean, well, almost all of it? And what kind of distraction is 'Robin, I need you as a study partner for Christmas!', anyway? I'm sure THAT didn't raise any questions."

Starfire interrupted both, "Indeed. But the person you should truly be thanking is Raven. It was her idea to get us together to decorate for your holiday properly."

Robin couldn't help his exclamation. "This was your idea?"

Raven gave him a stoic smile from underneath the hood of her cloak. As usual, she was standing apart from the other Titans. "Don't sound so surprised. It's... well... it's not really my thing, but I found this ornament you gave me that Christmas."

She showed a hint of it underneath her cloak; it was the gothic angel from her dream. "So, um..." She desperately wanted to say that she did it out of gratitude for that first, forgotten act of kindness, but couldn't get the words out. But the smile Robin gave her showed it was unnecessary.

"Starfire." Robin stated, doing his 'leader' voice. "Get the oven ready. We're going to set a world record for your baked ornaments."

OOOOO

Robin felt guilty letting his sentimental side show so openly. It was a trait that his father trained him never to indulge in and something that his mentor only instilled in him further. But it was a good kind of guilty. This was the sort of Christmas he dreamed about getting.

"What the heck is that, Cyborg?" Beast Boy said, his voice becoming combative as he passed Starfire a string of lights. Cyborg had put out a case of Christmas summer sausage underneath the base of the tree. It was so strongly smoked that the space was beginning to smell like juicy meat.

Cyborg ignored his friend's tone of voice. "Oh, that. Just a little yuletide sausage. We used to get these things every year."

"Why do you do this to me? Get rid of it, Cy! It's making this tree smell like meat."

Cyborg was about to argue with BB, but stopped himself. "Fine. Just trying to add a little protein to all that sugar."

Starfire landed on the floor. Silkie was still balanced on her head, sucking on a candy cane still in the cellophane. "And there we are, friends. Shall we plug it in?"

"Wait." Raven instructed, levitating the angel to the top of the tree. She fit it on the top and then plugged in the lights with her powers. Robin flicked off the room lights and couldn't surpress a grin. Their tree broke previous levels of weirdness. Probably because Raven added some trinkets from her room to the tree (including one that periodically made the surrounding ornaments turn to grotesquely cute shrunken heads, then back again) and Beast Boy put up little plastic soldiers painted like workshop elves around the ornaments.

As usual, Robin was the only one who stuck to plain jane ornaments, but he didn't care. He thought that a little normalcy added character. Though she had been silent the whole time, he could swear that Raven had been following him around the tree when she put up ornaments. BB shot him demanding looks when she moved a little too close, making Robin wonder why he confided with Beast Boy of all people.

"We should probably have the Christmas party here." Cyborg said, ruffling Beast Boy's hair to his consternation. "Titans East would be so jealous."

Beast Boy smoothed his hair back into place. He said, dreamily, "You know what, guys? Standing around here with friends, looking at a sweet tree, the wind and snow blowing around... it puts me in the mood for something."

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah. Me, too. Puts me right in the mood for..."

Both Cyborg and Beast Boy exclaimed simultaneously, "SANTA SLAYER 2005, VICE CITY!" Both jumped over the couch in front of the TV at the same time, picking up controllers. "Hey, Starfire, want to play?" Beast Boy asked while the other teen was shoving Christmas pretzels in his mouth.

Starfire had a slightly distasteful look at being asked... she was moving closer to Robin, about to put him in a hug. Raven tilted her head down and was moving away. She'd probably go back to her room. Robin could swear that Beast Boy was glowering at this. "Starfire, you promised yesterday! Stop hugging Robin and come and plaaaay."

The Tameranian tapped a finger on her chin, looking between him and Robin. "I did?"

"Yeah, you did. You totally did." Beast Boy clamped a hand over Cyborg's mouth, but Starfire didn't see that. "I beat you in a bet we made while watching A Very Mario Christmas. Mario totally did 20 super jumps on King Koopa's head. C'mon. Just three lives."

Starfire frowned, but went over to the front of the couch anyway, placing Silkie on the armrest. "Mmmph. Very well." She gave Robin an affectionate smile and sat down, grabbing a controller. Beast Boy winked at Robin one last time, sliding back on the seat to face the TV.

Though Robin would've handled it differently, it gave Robin a chance to talk to Raven alone and on a good note. She was already halfway to her room when he caught up with her. "Wait, Raven. Do you have a bit?"

She turned around to face him. Her expression was neutral again. "... something on your mind?"

"Well... I wanted to thank you again, Raven. It really made my day."

"Glad you liked it."

Robin sucked air through his teeth, then sighed. God, why was it so hard to talk to this woman? Better get to the point. She definitely does not have patience for small tlak, Robin thought. "Look. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it feels like you've been avoiding me lately."

She tilted her head to the side ever so slightly. "I don't mean to. You're busy most of the time and I stick to myself."

"I was thinking that we should really do something tomorrow. Just you and me."

Raven looked away from Robin for a moment, then back to him. Same expression as always. "We can't. You and Starfire have a party to go to tomorrow."

Oh, yes. Robin had forgotten about that; just a few weeks ago he was looking really forward to going to that Christmas party. Titans East were going to be there and he hadn't seen Hotspot and Wildebeast since the tournament. Now just hours before, he forgot. He also felt guilty again at way she phrased that. You and Starfire. "Well, what about the day after tomorrow?"

"Maybe, if I'm up to it." Raven replied.

"Up to it? Have you been getting enough sleep? You seem really tired lately." In the back of his mind, Robin chided himself for slipping into leader mode again. He didn't want to alienate her already.

"I've just been having some bad dreams. I'll get over it." Her voice became a murmur.

"Dreams." Robin ground his teeth together. "Raven. I've been having some weird ones myself, and I was wondering... you know that bond we have?"

Raven turned her gaze on him. She looked so incredibly calm, as always, but Robin couldn't see or hear her heart starting to pound rapidly in her chest. "What about it?"

"This is going to sound weird, but."

"I'm listening."

"Okay. The dreams, they seem more like yours. Well, like your memories. Like when I was dreaming about you and Cyborg and Beast Boy playing stankball, the memory was perfect except for the beginning... I wasn't there, but still saw it. And there was this part where I was talking to all of your emotions. Like Courage and Cynicism. I didn't do that, Beast Boy did, so I was..."

Raven stared at Robin for the longest time. He didn't look the least bit intimidated and she knew that he'd never be satisfied without an answer.

"Look, Robin. When I entered your mind, we may have shared some of our memories. That's the way the bond works."

"But what about Stankball? That happened after."

"You may have just made that part up. Robin, I don't know what's going on with your... dreams, but we're not sharing. Any sort of thought-sharing is not possible without the bond being active."

"Could you have activated it in your dream? I didn't even remember that you broke that tree when you got your first present until last night and I,"

Her voice suddenly turned cold. "Not possible. See you tomorrow, Robin."

Robin stared at her as she phased past the wall into her room, about to ask her another question. It was too late, though. Robin was standing alone in the hall. Or at least he thought he was...

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked, his voice grave. "Didn't you force Starfire to play with you 5 minutes ago?"

Beast Boy weaved his fingers through his green hair and pulled. He had been listening around the corner. "Dude! You TOTALLY screwed that up! Girls do not go for that serious soulmate stuff the first go around." He paused. "Oh, yeah. She intentionally killed her man and was looking for you. But anyway, Robin, listen, if you want Raven to be all, 'oooo, Robin, you are my little bird', you have to be all... Robin?"

Robin gave his friend a wave. "Thanks, Beast Boy. Good night."

Beast Boy's face faltered. "Good night! It's only 5 in the afternoon!"

OOOOO

So it was. Robin felt too disgusted with himself to take a nap, so decided to do some exercises. More push-ups and sit-ups couldn't hurt. Starfire had knocked on his door shortly afterwards, asking about him. Robin told her that his stomach wasn't feeling too good. That wasn't a lie. Robin's stomach did feel like it had a lead weight in it.

"You know, maybe showing your true self and giving honest opinions to girls isn't a good idea when you're an idiot." He growled. He picked up the second- heaviest weight in the set from under his bed and began pumping it, ironically enjoying how the burning sensation distracted him.

"What do you care about her, though? Some other friend can come to her rescue. You're tired of reaching out and getting a door in your face." he muttered to himself. He wore out both arms within minutes, but he still had some energy. The little irrational part of his mind mocked him, saying, 'Oh, so you don't care? Is this the new Robin, who lies to himself, too?'

He flopped down on the bed and checked the time. He took an extra long shower, read the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and did some exercises and only managed to burn an hour and a half. And he did not feel like seeking out Raven, Starfire, or Beast Boy for company. And talking to Cyborg meant coming into contact with one of the above.

Today just seemed completely unreal. Raven doing something for him very nice, then being really cold. Beast Boy managing to take his job very seriously, even if it was just to set Robin up for the nice surprise. And that stupid dream of hers. And he hadn't even done a lot today. Just trained and talked with Beast Boy and decorated a tree. He wondered how Raven (and the guys in their Video Game mode) could stand so little activity in a day.

Was she lying to him about that dream? Robin didn't even consider it. Raven never told a naked lie to him or anyone. She avoided telling the complete story, or, more often, just ignored the question. So it was all imagined.

Whatever. He'd just read his book some more until 7:00 then oversleep. Then get up at five. Ten hours of sleep never killed anyone. Not when they had a Christmas party to go to the next day.

OOOOO

It was one of those stupidly hot days near the tail end of August, hot enough to make people question a four-season year in favor of making this month its own season. The grass had withered to brown and yellow spikes under the repeated assault of the sun, yet the humidity was thicker this time of year than ever. Everyone who lacked air conditioning (still, to everyone's woe, unusable after that Sladebot raid on the Titan's Tower many months ago) or went outside instantly became cranky. Robin remembered hearing something from his mentor that city riots are seven times more likely during hot weather.

When Starfire of all people, unaccustomed to Earth's heat, was about to pick a fight with Cyborg, Robin knew it was time. Plus it was just too hot to safely train and he couldn't concentrate on work. Thus, it was a wise decision on Robin's part to have the team just drop everything at the tower and get in the T- Car for a trip to the lake. Everyone's moods instantly picked up as they piled into the air-conditioned car after getting their beach things, ignoring Cyborg's pleas to put a towel down for the sweat.

They made a quick stop to several fast food places to get enough food for a picnic, the Titans settled on Trejo Beach as a site. While Beast Boy objected to the lack of women, the other Titans liked it because it was practically abandoned after Trident made his infamous 'comeback' attack on it a week ago, stopped by the vacationing Titans East.

Cyborg pulled the car up not too far from the water, right into a shady spot next to a showerhouse. He was the only one dressed for the beach, wearing a pair of plain red swimming trunks, more for show. "You guys get dressed. I'll set up." The Titans, eager to have some fun in the sun, hopped out of the car, except for Raven. They were getting good at reading her stoic face and she had a vague look of apprehension as she followed Starfire into the female dressing room.

Thirty minutes had passed. The Cyborg and Beast Boy were already out on the beach, passing a frisbee to each other. As Cyborg threw it harder and harder, Beast Boy became increasingly creative in his animal forms to catch them. Robin was sitting underneath an umbrella on a beach towel, his feet in the cool sand and a pair of sunglasses on his head. He was reading one of his favorite books, 'Fast Food Nation'.

Beast Boy went back to his human form after changing into a gazelle to catch the frisbee, taking it out of his mouth and looking at Robin. "Dude, when are the girls supposed to get here? I want to play volleyball!"

Cyborg nodded. "You know how girls are. Starfire's probably..." He trailed off, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. "Whoa, man."

All three boys looked where Cyborg was gaping and had similar reactions. This was the first time that they had seen someone as pretty as Starfire with even fewer clothes. She was wearing a bright green teeny tiny bikini with flowers on the thigh straps. They couldn't believe how perfectly Star, well, filled it out. She wasn't noticing the open gawking at her newly exposed skin, however. Raven, wearing her cloak with the hood up, was being gently nudged and coralled onto the sand by the Tameranian. Raven had a look of alarm on her face, as far as that goes for her, when she saw the others' expressions for her friend.

"That does it. There's no way I'm taking this cloak off when they're staring at you like that." Raven said, balefully.

Starfire floated right in front of Raven, tugging on her shoulder. "But Raven, how will they see how positively cute you appear in your swimsuit when you wear such a voluminous robe?

Cyborg grinned from ear to ear, taking the frisbee from Beast Boy. "Rae, you let Starfire put you in one of what she's wearing?"

Beast Boy let out a wolf whistle. "Oh, man. This is totally going to be worth waiting 30 minutes."

Raven's eyes narrowed as she gauged the response of the others. They were really looking forward to seeing more of her. Even Robin, who obviously wanted to see, too. But his look became more concerned than eager after he saw the distressed look on her face. He put down his book to the them. "Guys, if she doesn't want to take off her cloak, she doesn't have to." Beast Boy and Cyborg groaned, about to resume, but Starfire still looked like she hadn't given up on the idea.

Her grateful smile lasted for about a nanosecond, but it was still there. She normally wouldn't have even cared, except for the big deal the others made of it. "Thank you, Robin." she murmured, finding her gaze linger on Robin. He was wearing those silly oversized red trunks with the Robin logo on it and still had a mask, even with the sunglasses. She found, against her better judgement, her eyes trailing over his slender but muscular form, that... mrrrph. She slowly inched over towards where Robin was, wondering if she could sit under the shade silently with him with her own book the others played. She then felt her cloak being pulled.

"Friend Raven, just but a few moments. The others are eager to see..." Starfire pleaded.

"Star." Robin warned.

Starfire still didn't let go of even as Raven struggled forward to get to the shade, a safe spot, clutching the fabric around her chest and upper legs to prevent anyone from seeing. To her dismay, Cyborg and Beast Boy were looking over this way again.

"Starfire. Let. Me. Go." Raven murmured, gritting her teeth. Simultaneously, she pulled forward while the alien gave a harder tug, causing the inevitable.

There was a soft ripping sound as the clasp that held her cloak together came apart, exposing her to the eyes of the others. She was wearing something very similar to what Starfire had, only hers was black instead of green. Even though Raven was much smaller, the bikini was only slightly less revealing. Raven stumbled free a few steps forward, tripping over a conch shell. And just like in one of those cheesy anime comedy/romances Starfire and Beast Boy like to watch, she found herself falling...

Right into the arms of a surprised Boy Wonder. Her first reflex was to push herself off of him and throttle Starfire, but as she put her hands on his shoulders to push himself off, Raven felt her brain's commands being ignored by her body, having instead decided to listen to her heart and hormones.

Is this what it felt like to touch another person you were fond of? God, she loved it. She liked being close enough to the smell the coconut-scented sunblock. She really liked how his warm body felt frail but strong under the skin, 'Like a Robin's.' she noticed. She loved the feel of her tummy against Robin's, feeling him breath against her. She really loved the feeling of her thinly clothed breasts against his chest, imagining she could feel his heart beat. She couldn't help but shift her chest back and forth a little bit to feel it again. And she adored how her hips were pressed against his, feeling the heat growing between their legs. She tried to say something, anything, but could only let out a girlish squeal.

"Raven? Raven..." she faintly heard Robin say. She knew she was blushing like mad, but dared to finally look up into his face. His face was becoming flushed, to, and his lips were quivering. His lips. She let her body sink against his while raising her head, letting her lips hang above his. Raven wanted, more than anything, to kiss him. She didn't know how to really give a kiss, but she knew with all of her heart that's what she wanted to do. Who cared what the others thought. She moved her head forward, closing her eyes.

And then Robin gently but firmly pushed her off of him, onto her back. She instantly snapped back into reality, looking back at Robin with questioning eyes. To her despair, his face was horrified and embarrassed and he was scrambling to his feet. Raven laid on her back on the hot sand, wishing for both the world to swallow her whole and that this lasted longer. She would've given anything at the time for a few more seconds. Starfire gave Raven an apologetic look, having no idea what Raven had felt then, then turned to join Robin and the others. Raven picked her cloak off of the sand, holding it to her body tightly.

She couldn't help herself from feeling rejected. The thought didn't cross anyone's mind that it was more than just am embarrassing fall to her. If it was Starfire, it would've been romantic. Because she was his girl. But dumpy, creepy old Raven doing it... it was just a humorous accident. It was just how it went. Everyone thought that Robin belonged with Starfire. Not everyone.

She spent the rest of the day there, left to herself the entire time. No one came over to ask if she wanted to join in any of the games. But that was only a small part of the hurt. She hardly even noticed that her powers shredded Robin's towel and his book to bits.

OOOOO

Robin just couldn't believe it. He remembered that, as it happened that summer, but at the time dismissed it as just an accident. He had no idea that moment meant so much to her. To his surprise, he felt the emotions that she felt in that dream, when he hadn't at the time. At the time, it felt and seemed like she was just trying to get off of him but had trouble. 'You don't know anything about her.' Robin chided himself, feeling sad. Everything else went dark as he drifted between the stages of REM sleep, wondering what he would dream next.

OOOOO

Monday evening, in the Batcave. Robin's alter ego, Timothy Drake and in costume, was sitting at the main console of the Batcave, going through the psychological profiles of some of the new inmates at Arkham Asylum as Batman ordered. Unfortunately, his heart wasn't it. 'Not because I got caught lying to my father,' Robin suddenly remembered, 'and then got the lecture of my life, but because of what happened during the weekend.'

"Something amiss, young master?" Alfred, the mansion's sole butler asked. He held a tray with a single glass of lemonade on it, which Tim took gratefully.

"Just this last weekend with the Titans. We finished organizing and had our first real fight. As a team. And I stunk." Robin looked at his younger self sulk in disbelief. Back then, he was more open, more dependent on others. Weaker, too. Robin still wasn't sure even now whether the two were related.

"Please elaborate." Alfred asked, gently. Tim looked up at Alfred guilelessly, while Robin mentally winced. He couldn't imagine confiding in Alfred like he used to. They seemed worlds apart now.

"Okay. We were fighting some sewer mutants who could breath fire. And they had super strength. I couldn't do anything but throw birdarang, which didn't even hurt them. And gave orders while staying in the back." Robin felt the prickle of shame grow a little bit deeper. They wouldn't even be a minor challenge for him anymore, but back then they were unstoppable.

"Then." Timothy continued. "On Sunday, we fought this rock giant. Cinderblock. Same thing. I couldn't do anything. After the fight, the other Titans didn't say anything, but they looked real let down. Like Robin was supposed to be some unstoppable bigshot. I don't even know why I was there."

"Stop it." came a deep, brooding voice from behind him. Bruce Wayne, in costume except for his mask. A combination that always struck Robin as being both fatherly and businesslike. "They're right if you have that attitude. But you are the leader. Act like it."

"How? Fighting Two Face and Ventriloquist is one thing. But we're talking about real monsters here. Supervillains. My teammates eat guys like Joker and Clayface for breakfast."

Bruce's thin line for a mouth drooped downwards. Robin would've smiled if he could. Nothing could convince him that there was anyone more dangerous than the Joker, even after saving the planet a few times. "It isn't any different, Robin. You are just not using your full strength. How you and I fight is sufficient for Gotham, but when you're fighting metahumans, you have to really push it out."

Tim stared at his mentor in disbelief. "My full strength! I could have been three times stronger and things still wouldn't have changed. I don't have superpowers. I just don't know how I could be in the Titans."

Bruce, as Nightwing and Robin irreverantly called it, did the Bat Eyenarrow. The effect was a lot less menacing without the mask, but Tim still got the hint. "Tim. Come with me to the gym. We are going to spar."

"Sure, I guess. It won't help anything. I know every major style and I could even give most Olympic athletes a run for their money. But I still don't-."

"Not the gym, Robin. THE gym. The one where Nightwing and I used to practice."

The twinge of shame was replaced by one of smugness. Little Tim was about to be schooled in the art of pain.

THE gym, as Bruce's disciples called it, wasn't used any more. It used to be Bruce Wayne's own place to practice when he was alone, until he took on a Robin. They used a dojo-style place above ground after that. This occured to Tim that this was his first he'd been in this section of the Batcave; he rarely dared to venture outside of the familiar areas back then.

Robin continued to be surprised with how green he was. On pillars of stone there were martial art scrolls in languages and of cultures Tim had never even seen before, but were old hat to Robin. Bruce led his student into the middle of THE gym. Both then bowed to each other. Tim wasn't really worried; he sparred with Bruce before, and though he wasn't his equal, he was getting to be a good match for Bruce.

"Robin. You will not even touch me unless you use the limit of your abilities. Use your tools, too, if you must." Bruce undid his utility belt and tossed it to the side.

"Okaaaay..."

"You are wondering how and why I am in the Justice League. You are wondering how I deserve to be on the same team as Diana and Walter. Let me show you."

Tim raised an eyebrow, the disbelief and unlearned cockiness evidence in his face. "Seems a little unfair, but fine."

Tim's hand went for his utility belt, pulling out two birdarangs. Robin noted that back then the things he used were a lot less lethal. While some were sharp enough to cut into flesh, the ones Robin used for the Teen Titans went through solid steel. Tim took aim and threw both straight at Bruce, expecting him to dodge it...

And was utterly surprised when, previously standing like a statue, Bruce's hands casually whipped up and caught both between his fingers, centimeters from his face. He spun them around with his wrists and 'casually' flicked them at Tim, at a much higher velocity than he had before. Tim's eyes widened and he barely had enough time to duck, hearing the impact of the birdarangs landing... no, actively breaking stone.

'What on earth was that?' Tim thought, taking his telescoping bo staff from his belt. He pressed a button, causing it to pop out to its full length. Bruce beckoned Robin with his fingers. Tim feinted left as he sprinted forward, swinging his staff at the right side of his mentor's head. And his eyes widened again in shock as he was able not only to block the powerful two-handed swing using only two fingers, but absorb enough force to throw him off balance.

Undaunted, Tim swung again and again, harder and faster than he normally would use in a spar. Bruce kept deflecting his attacks in the same apathetic way, until Timothy thrust the tip of the weapon at his mentor's collarbone; Bruce caught the entire thing in his palm and then grabbed another section, picking Tim straight off of the ground. With a grunt, he swung Tim's staff over his head and behind him, launching Tim off and into the air, impossibly high. The launched student stopped himself near the apogee of his 'flight' by grabbing onto a crevice in the pillar, crying out as his arm was wrenched some. But he was staring at his mentor in utter disbelief.

"How...?"

"Watch very carefully, Robin." Bruce said, breaking Tim's titanium pole over his knee like a tree twig. He tossed both halves to the floor and reared his hands behind him, then thrust both hands forward while connecting his palms. Sort of like the Hadouken motion, Timothy thought wryly. But instead of a slow moving blue fireball, Tim could hear the whistle of air and then a loud bang as a huge chunk of rock Tim was holding onto shattered, as if his mentor had projected his fist through the air. Timothy fell towards the rock floor, landing into a small somersault.

This was no good, Tim realized. He ran behind another rock pillar, trying to hide. Bruce shook his head, walking the other direction. "Don't be so surprised, Timothy. I'm sure you've heard of kendo masters able to make a sheet of paper from across the room move when they swing their sword; in our job, we are expected to make them look like children!"

Timothy, watching from the shadows, watched Bruce do something straight out of a wire-fu movie. From a dead stand, he leaped up nearly 5 yards in the air, balancing nearly horizontal on another stone pillar, right above a scroll with something written in Swahili. He paused for a few seconds, able to keep his footing despite the slickness of the vertical rock and his awkward position. Robin knew that it wasn't just his costume; just good boots alone wouldn't let him do that.

Then, seemingly satisfied with something, Bruce launched himself straight off with a kick. Barely losing height, his foot went straight through another stone column, breaking it and going through it like butter. Robin knew that his alter ego's mouth was agape. He went through yet another pillar, the one Tim was hiding behind, and sent him straight to the floor, pinning Timothy on his back against the rock. Timothy flinched, expecting it to hurt, but it didn't. He was just merely prone.

"Listen. Tim, you have heard stories of ordinary humans doing amazing things when they are loved ones are threatened by death itself. Young women lifting up entire cars. People surviving falls from airplanes. Soldiers surviving several gunshot wounds to their head."

"Oof. But... what does that have to do with me?"

"You must, no, WILL be able to summon up these amazing feats at will. Instead of only being able to kick through solid rock when a baby is threatened, you must do it without reason and without thought. You must use the urgency of all those you are fighting for and channel it into fist and foot and body."

Bruce got off of Tim, walking away. "Hmmph. Olympic-level athleticism. Let them live with their meager accomplishments, revel in that fake glory. What we do is much more important, so it calls for more. Rarely, people can do it, even when lives are at stake. But the potential is there. This, this is the true superpower of humans. It can make you stronger than any robot or Tameranian."

Tim slowly stood up, finding some weird sense of strength and pride welling in his body. "But how do I learn to do that?"

Bruce continued walking off. "I learned to do it out of my undying hatred for criminals. You must find your own reason to perform miracles. I know you know what that reason is."

Timothy leaned against what raemained of the broken pillar. He already knew what he had to become strong for. Much stronger than he had ever been. The Titans. He couldn't let them down. He was their leader and was going to be the best.

The thought of a stoic, pale-skinned girl with purple eyes entered his thoughts. He had given her a place to belong, finally, by his word alone. He couldn't let her down by being weak.

OOOOO

The image faded. Robin felt much better after seeing that memory. The first one was almost heartbreaking, the second inspiring. Still, if this emotional rollercoaster is what Raven went through every night, no wonder why she was so moody, even more than what was needed to control her powers. And felt the need to deny the bond being strong as it was, the irrational part of his mind reminded himself. Robin shooed it away with a thought, but the power of the first dream made it impossible without great force of will. With these last thoughts, Robin drifted back into unconsciousness within unconsciousness again, then wakened by a feeling of dread.

OOOOO

Raven's room began to form, and Robin's sight was right in the middle of it. He had never really gone into her room before past the doorframe once he and Cyborg built her room, even though everyone else had. She frequently remarked about how she didn't want her sanctum disturbed. And he was right in the middle of it. Though breaking that rule wasn't the cause of the dread he felt.

The room felt dark, very dark, despite the eerie glow of her trinkets and relics. Though he could see Raven, sitting on her bed quite clearly. She had an openly anxious expression on her face, something he only saw a few times before. Raven had her cloak hood up and wrapped it tightly around her, glancing around the room. She forced a calm expression on her face as a human shadow was cast over her. Even if he hadn't seen how she looked a few seconds ago, he wouldn't have been fooled by the tension she felt.

"I see you showed up after all. Excellent." Whoever said that was using a voice similar to Speedy's. He sounded a bit younger, but had an edge to it he didn't previously have.

"I couldn't resist. The moments of weaknesses have been more frequent." Raven murmured, her voice sounding shy.

"Shh. Don't apologize. I'll be more than happy to indulge you. Come here. By the mirror."

Raven slid off of her bed and walked over to her mirror, still looking about for the stranger. She felt a thrill go through her as she was grabbed by the biceps and pressed almost up against it, her eyes forced to look straight into into the mirror. "Please..." Neither Robin or Raven could see the face of the stranger, though his clothes were coming into focus. They seemed familiar.

"I saw that dream of yours earlier. I didn't know you had such feelings for me. You've also been peering into my memories, too." The stranger pulled down Raven's hood and placed his lips up against her ear, breathing warm air into it. "That's not fair, after I've respected your privacy."

An soft sigh of pleasure escaped Raven's lips. "...I couldn't help myself."

Robin's heart skipped a beat as the stranger suddenly became more visible. It was him. Wearing that uniform Slade forced onto him when he became his apprentice. He could see the stranger's face, too. It was calm, smug, completely sure of himself. "I think you owe me something in return, Raven. Something that you want to keep secret, too." He even sounded like him. The voice sounded younger, but had an edge to it he never had.

The Apprentice squeezed Raven's arms, holding her in place. Raven struggled and let out a soft cry as her body trembled. Her body, to Robin's shock, beginning to be covered with red symbols, all over. They all looked vaguely like the one the ressurected Slade had, except for the one on her forehead; that one was exactly like it.

Raven was squirming in pain and humiliation as her uniform began to burn off places where they formed, leaving her half-naked in the same way she was when Robin saved her. Robin tried to call out to Raven, but no sound came out. He then realized he felt very confused by the curious mixture of horror and desire she was experiencing. Was this a fantasy? This felt like a dream. Not just a memory, but a real dream. So why did he feel so anxious?

"Robin..." She addressed the Apprentice with his name. "Why..."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, nestling his chin against her shoulder. "Isn't this what you wanted? To have someone see the real you? To understand the real you? Seeing you branded like a piece of property is a part of that."

Raven relaxed into his embrace, closing her eyes. "You're right, Robin. There is no reason why I should hide."

The Apprentice smirked and let his hands trail around her soft stomach, teasing and tickling her with his fingernails. Raven let out another languid shiver. "You've been eating a lot more sweets. It's starting to show, pumpkin." he said, nastily. Raven's eyes opened a little bit, stunned at the vicious comment... but she closed her eyes again, trying to enjoy his touches. "I'll cut back."

"No, you want. You project strength, but you're weak. I see that you seek out any tiny bit of pleasure you can get, girl. No matter how bad it is for you. That's why I'm here, to make you feel better. Even though I'd never be with a girl like you." Robin felt intensely resentful of the imposter. He was using her desire for company and warmth to mock her.

Raven suddenly was becoming tense in his grasp, her dreamy look fading. Her body froze as she felt his fingers slip under her belt and underneath the shredded waistband of her torso briefly. She only because slightly less tense as his fingers slipped back out. "Stop that. What you're saying is hurtful." She sounded more upset than angry.

"It's the truth. I thought that you were above pointless feelings affecting your logical. Or is that more hypocrisy?" The Apprentice tried to nip at her ear, but Raven pulled her head away.

"If you're supposed to be indulging my weakness, you're doing a very poor job of it. Stop it." Her voice was becoming cold.

"Ha. I'm not here to assauge your useless self-esteem, wretched girl. I'm here to keep you dormant and satisfied." He tried to press his entire palm between her legs, but Raven slipped out of his grasp and pushed him back, glaring.

"You are not Robin. Robin would never say that. You're... you're..." Her eyes began to widen as the Apprentice's form changed within the shadows. Robin saw it to, and felt a familiar cold fury course through his body.

"Correct, Raven. I am Slade." Came his psychotically cold voice. Slade towered above Raven, looking at her like an insect. "And it took you a week to find that out. That speaks volumes of your willingness to overlook unpleasant truth for pleasure. Not unlike dear departed Terra."

Raven tried to back away from the criminal, summoning dark energy. "Azarath Metrion Zin-" She was cut short as Slade pounced upon her and grabbed her by both wrists, slamming her back against the mirror. Robin again tried to let out a cry of rage, but again no sound issued.

"Be happy to know that I am still here to indulge your weakness. Your father wants to use you much sooner than what my plan calls for. So I am going to stall, sweet Raven." Slade intoned. His eye narrowed at her as she struggled, his mark glowing as he surpressed her power. "Let's banish those unpleasant feelings of Loneliness and Rage at wanting someone you can't have, hmm?"

"NO!" Raven cried, trying to kick at him. She suddenly arched her back as her body was flooded with power, her scream becoming a shriek, and then fading into a moan. Though Robin couldn't feel it directly, he knew what Slade was doing to her. He was doing the unthinkable with the empath. He was forcing emotions into her.

"Yes." Slade crooned, letting Raven go. She fell to the floor, clutching her stomach. Her entire body was flushed red and she was breathing heavily. He heard Slade let out a dark chuckle as he watched her losing the fight against her emotions. "Jealousy and Lust to keep those unwanted thoughts at pay. It is too bad that I can't inflict positive emotions on you. You would've made a good apprentice. But this will do."

Raven finally looked up at Slade from on the floor, trying to make her voice sound resolute. She couldn't surpress the gasping in her voice. "Stop it, Slade. Stop this now..."

"You want me to banish the unpleasant desire you're feeling? The needy pressure? Very well, but I will only do it the way non-freaks do it. Let's continue from earlier." The dark man circled around Raven, inspecting her. She was trying to stop her hands from going to her body, to stop her thighs from rubbing together. She wanted to maintain a shred of dignity in front of him, even as she found her will crumbling.

"Ahn. N-no... don't come... near me." Raven whimpered, despising how weak she sounded and looked. "I won't let, mmm, you."

Slade kneeled down to where she was, placing a finger on her nose. "I wouldn't dream of it. You have to beg me, wretched girl. Beg me to give you what you want." His voice sounded like a lover's coo. Slade found that he loved humiliating this sarcastic, stoic Titan. Robin tried to look away, but found it impossible. He couldn't close his eyes or block his ears. He watched her squirm on the ground for the longest time, satisfied at a whisper. "What was that?"

"Please, Slade... touch me. Do whatever you like to me. But please, ah. Stop this." Raven closed her eyes in shame. She had given in to him. Something Robin had refused to do. Oh, Robin...

"Good girl." He lifted her to her feet, resuming the position he was in with her earlier. She shuddered in her gasp, feeling his gloved fingers feel all over her body. His hands finally cupped the front of her breasts, squeezing lewdly. "Just let it all out. This is why I am here."

Raven cursed herself for enjoying that first feel of pleasure. Her desperate expression hardened briefly and she growled, "I hate you, Slade."

Slade's hands grasped around where the cloak was attached to her leotard, ripping it away. "Then tell me to stop, Raven." Both hands went underneath her 'top', creating a small rip in the fabric and pulling the ends apart. She let out a moan of disgust as her chest was freed and Slade groped her, more obscenely than before.

"Slade... S... n-oh God. God... yes..."

OOOOO

Robin was, with all of his effort, able to make himself black out. When he came to again, he saw Raven's room destroyed, probably from her own dark powers. She was lying in a pile of shredded cloth, sweat glistening over her body. She was still panting huskily, on her back, but through her flushed expression she was looking up at Slade with an expression of pure hatred. He was calmly wiping off his fingers with the cloak she was trying to cover herself with..

"Try to keep yourself under control for the next few weeks, pumpkin. Be thankful that I stopped there. But it will get worse if I have to come back. Or better, perhaps; you're quite a slut, I've noticed. It makes no difference to me." Raven winced at Slade's words, trying to cover herself.

"I've noticed you becoming closer to your friends. That has to stop. Cut them off. Especially Robin. Your attraction for him his not healthy. Things would not be different even if he didn't already love another. You, Raven, cannot feel love. Just a base, animalistic desire to own and mate. I can see how someone as wretched as you can confuse that." Slade sneered.

"I'll never do what you say. NEVER. You may be able to push me around here but they will stop you, Slade."

Slade yanked the cloak away from her and stabbed a finger right into her breastbone. "So selfish. Have you heard nothing I said? I'm delaying the day of reckoning for you for a few months. You must do those things and you must feel that way. For them, Raven. You will tell them nothing, because you know that their misguided attempts to help you will make things worse."

"What makes you think that I will do what you say, you monster? I'm doomed either way. It's just a few months." Raven asked, her voice becoming choked as she tried to cover herself.

"Because you know deep in your heart that you're hoping, praying for a chance that someone will come and save you. You know how close the end is, Raven. You need these extra months. That's why you will do what I say." Though Slade tried to make his voice sound sinister, he couldn't mask the triumphant tone to it.

Raven's head tilted downwards, towards the floor. Her hands fell loose. The evil man had caught her, trapped her between living through this torture or betraying her friends. And the worst thing was that it was her fault. No wonder why Robin and Beast Boy hated him so deeply.

Her silence was all Slade needed to hear. "Good girl. Think about what I said. Oh, and try to pick up your room. So messy."

He stood up and walked into the shadowy corners of her room, disappearing. Raven was left there in broken surroundings. A single tear slid down her cheek. "Oh, Robin... I'm sorry."