Dreaming is Woe

by Rose Wilson

Near Christmas Eve. Robin experiences strange and personal memories and thoughts about another dark member of the team when he dreams. However, when he digs deeper into the truth of these dreams, he discovers something shocking. RobRae. Slightly AU.

4. Still Dreaming

Author's Notes:

Hi, peeps. I know it's been quite awhile since my last update, but work and all... probably the biggest reason why this fanfic was put on the backburner was because of how far Robin and Raven had been advancing over the course of the show. Season 4 increased their interaction by leaps and bounds and gave us shippers a lot to snack on and some respectability. I was so pleased at the course of the show that I sort of lost my motivation.

But even with it all, I realized that there are a lot of stories and plot hooks possible with these two that the series didn't explore and probably won't explore. So the work with the fanfic continues! Hooray. As always, my fanfic chapters are ridiculously long, and this one is no exception. It's the longest one so far and probably won't be the longest, so I suggest that you get a snack or something.

I hated leaving off the fanfic at chapter 3, because it ended on a much more, well, sexual and out of character note than I wanted to. I didn't just include that scene for people to drool at. Well, I did, but it's actually an important plot point to explain why Raven's acting that way and just to give a feeling of, well, wrongness to the entire fanfic. But it probably won't interfere with your impure thoughts if you just ignore it. As an apology for the last chapter, this one is a strict PG. I also said that the last chapter would be the last one in which things went good for Raven, but, well, the show changed all of the rules and ironically forced me to look at their relationship from a different angle. So I lied.

And, um, I apologize for Starfire's portrayal a little bit, too, but seeing Stranded and Date With Destiny in a row, where she did not come off looking her best, sort of set the tone for her character in this. Also, remember that scene before with Arella and the council? I wrote that before Prophecy came out. No, I'm not going to change what I wrote. Just like I had planned to originally use Dick Grayson but changed my mind in chapter two... but that will actually be integrated into the story.

Also, if you like this fanfic, please come to this message board, Forbidden Love, in my profile. Lots of in-depth Robin and Raven discussion and a lot of musing about episodes and other characters.

Lastly, thanks to everyone for their support with reviews and whatnot for this fanfic, asking me to continue even though it looked like I had given up on the fanfic. I had thought about it at times, but you people convinced me to continue to the bitter end. Whatever that may be.

OOO

Robin's pleasant surprise, he did not wake with a jerk or rise with a numbness in his body, as he did for as long as he could remember, but with a pleasant warmth. He felt refreshed. So he became suspicious. The suspicion became fear for a short second as he realized that the warmth wasn't coming from him, but something laying across his chest. He pulled back a pink blanket, something that he knew he'd never use, and saw a certain violet-haired girl with her arms languidly wrapped around his waist. Her cheek was pressed against his breastbone, and though she wasn't smiling, she still looked absolutely delighted. Of course, the louder-than-light snoring sort of ruined her peaceful image.

Without disturbing Raven, he cased his surroundings. It was early morning, though still later than he was accustomed to waking up. He then felt a sudden nakedness, which then turned into panic as he remembered what happened last night. Oh, God, they didn't go all that far... but as the shock wore off, he saw that both were still fully clothed. The feeling was coming from his lack of mask. Too relieved to care about the serious breach in his disguise, he tried to piece together what had happened. After their date, they came back... but that didn't make any sense, given their current position. They had both went to their rooms. Unless they woke up to do some middle-of-the-night cuddling. While that thought had a strong appeal to Robin, he and Raven definitely would've had the presence of mind change back into their costume. And neither would be lazy enough to just fall asleep.

Wait, did they in fact go back to their rooms? For some odd reason, he remembered Raven's sleepiness and her getting into bed, but not his. Apparently, what happened last night was a dream. How much of it? He couldn't be sure. They were still in the clothes from last night and they got back to the tower. He could still taste his dinner from last night, so logically up until when they parted for the night was 'real'. He felt slightly chagrined that they had just imagined their make-out session from last night; but really, would Raven had gone so far in the first date? It made sense that it was her dream. The thought of her being a severely repressed witch definitely had its appeal, yet...

Robin heard an mmm sound and felt her subconsciously cuddle against him. He missed this feeling with Stephanie, he mused. Raven tilted her head up at him, slowly withdrawing her arms. A serene smile was on her face, which in conjunction with her sleepy eyes and tousled long hair looked adorable on her. He couldn't help but smile back. But then she jolted and scrambled off of him onto her feet. She let out a soft groan and rubbed her eyes.

Robin asked, his voice more puzzled than concerned, "Raven, what's wrong?"

She brushed some strands of hair out of her eyes, immediately putting on her usual stony look. "I'm sorry, but, last night was a mistake. I didn't mean to do that."

"You mean how we went out last night?" He pushed the pink covers aside, still sitting on the couch. "I thought you had a good time. I did."

"I mean what happened after... we came back." She straightened out her tank top, her countenance and voice showing disgust. Robin began to feel anxious; he could tell he was losing her again.

Robin shook his head. "Raven, it didn't happen. It was just a dream."

Instead of comforting her, it appeared to have the opposite effect. "I know that." she growled. "You weren't supposed to..." A crimson blush spread along her

features, and she quickly turned her head away. "... so silly."

He saw that he had misinterpreted her action. Raven was embarrassed about what she had dreamed. He came closer to her again and she didn't move away. A strange feeling went through him. He knew that he wouldn't have been able to do this as recently as two days ago, but he could tell exactly what she was feeling, and why.

"I know what you're thinking. And there's no need to be ashamed. It's normal." Robin said, empathically. A part of him felt like he was going in circles from the other day, but he just couldn't expect her to push aside these feelings so soon.

She sighed, her shoulders tense. "Robin, if anyone besides you told me that, I would ignore them. I know you're right, I just can't help myself. In either way. I hate feeling like this."

At the mention of feeling, his detective mind brought up a side question: if she was feeling so strongly, what about her powers? So far, nothing came up of it. But then, they had all had been in dreams. Should that have made a difference, though.

"Feel however you want to; they're your emotions. Just... feel. It makes me happy to see you feel, no matter what." Did he really just say that, he wondered. He was always predisposed towards speeches like that, but even he felt like it was a little much.

"You are so corny, bird boy." But his words did manage to touch her. The deadened look in her eyes became less intense. Both felt better at this. "But thanks for understanding. Didn't mean to overreact." she mumbled. She looked back into his eyes intently. She had no idea why he insisted on wearing that silly mask all of the time. Like her, she could understand him wanting to keep a barrier between himself and the others... but it still seemed arbitrary. His unmasking could only help. When he looked at her like that, he just radiated understanding and integrity.

Her head tilted downwards, the rustle of hair reminding her about her date again. Raven was going to cut it, but stopped on his suggestion of looking normal.

It was funny. Both of them revealed close aspects of themselves to the other that ironically let them hide from everyone else. For some reason, she felt that keeping her hair long was part of an unspoken agreement with him, one that involved him unmasking in front of her. The details of the deal were uncertain, but she could tell that whatever it was that she liked it.

Raven then thought about all of the little unspoken deals and arrangements they had between them. The others in the tower and in Titans East sometimes remarked on how little they talked. Cyborg had once asked her in all seriousness whether they even liked each other. She gave him a neutral, slightly sarcastic answer: he annoyed her the least, and that was good enough.

But ever since she entered his mind to save him from Slade's influence, things became much different. To be sure, she really didn't think much of it. The idea was just to remove the haze from his eyes and to calm him down. It didn't save him by itself, of course, and when it did its job she just forgot about it. Though months later, she remembered when he approached her after that disastrous attempt at a birthday party. She was surprised and flattered that Robin would remember that gesture. She didn't know it meant that much to him.

But she liked having it. Even before the dreams around this Christmas break, she secretly treasured the intimacy they shared. Even if had it never lead to romance, it just made her content. Maybe even happy. She wanted to share more of herself with Robin and no one else. It would be a thing they had that no one else would have. Not even Starfire.

Ah, Starfire. Though she had subconsciously teased with the idea of being 'with' Robin, the Tameranian had convinced her to give up such thoughts since the very beginning. Starfire wasn't shy at all about her feelings for Robin, and they definitely shared many more cutesy moments than she could even dream of. And she had been there for him at the beginning when she couldn't, back when Slade was threatening to ruin him and...

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She wasn't sure of this ambivalent, slightly-negative but mostly-positive emotion going through her. It felt too good to be jealousy. "Robin?"

He looked at her with renewed interest. Raven had been lost in thought and he was just waiting for her to finish. She could feel the hotness returning to her cheeks and ears again. She never thought of herself as bashful, at all, until Beast Boy pointed out that she blushed more than anyone else on the team. Even more than Starfire. She was starting to believe it was true. Not waiting for herself to regain composure, she murmured, "Actually, I'm sort of glad you... we shared that. That dream."

Oh, that stupid Robin and that knowing smile. He did it in just such a way to show that he was glad, too. "Did you want to talk about it some more?"

"Careful." Raven's face was staid except for the fading redness. When it was completely gone, her eyes twinkled with humor. "If you are really all that interested... we could talk later tonight."

Robin enjoyed the slow pace of the holiday, but he was suddenly wishing the day would be over with. They had planned to go Christmas shopping with Starfire and the others, but...

He frowned deeply. "I'm going to have to tell her. Today." Now it was his turn to feel awkward. He owed it to Starfire to explain all of this but only had a few minutes to think of what he was going to say.

She knew what the Boy Wonder was talking about. "Good luck. See you." Without another word, she slipped from the room, to change out of the girlish clothing.

OOO

Robin knocked on the door to Starfire's room. Next to Beast Boy, she was the latest sleeper out of the crew and it was almost certain she wouldn't be up yet.

He was unsure of how he was supposed to be dressed for this; he wanted to get back into costume since everyone else was always in it, but the real reason was because he wanted his mask back on. But appearing to Starfire in a mask when he didn't have one on with Raven would just appear insulting. So after taking a quick shower and getting mostly into uniform, he decided to talk to her.

There was a loud, unwomanly groan on her side of the room, followed by her voice: "Just a minute." Her normally lilting voice seemed strained, as if she was trying to suppress an emotion.

"Star, it's me, Robin. I need to talk to you."

Faster than he expected her to answer, Starfire opened up the door fully. She was still in the dress she was in last night, only it was very wrinkled. Her emerald green eyes were bright as always, but he could see the outline. Her famously cared-for hair was currently a wild, bushy mess that Robin found oddly attractive. She tried to look calm, but she was horrible at hiding her emotions: Starfire radiated disappointment and dread.

"Certainly. Of what issue do you wish to discuss?"

"About last night. As you may have guessed... I cut out of the party early to check on Raven, and we ended up going on a date."

Starfire didn't flinch one bit. She said, plainly, "We had noticed this. Cyborg and Beast Boy found you two collapsed outside of our home when we returned, in non-working attire."

Ah. That explains that. Robin drifted away from the conversation to think on this: this definitely confirmed what Raven said. This was an unforseen danger of the bond. He'd have to work out some sort of sleeping schedule, which he was not looking forward to. While she wasn't lazy, there would be no way Raven would agree to his Spartan hours. At least she got up at a time he could deal with.

"Robin, did you want to say something." Starfire gently reminded. He felt like kicking himself again. He had dozed off in thought longer than he wanted to.

"I'm sorry, Star. It's just, things have been really weird between us lately. I don't know, it's just... Starfire, I didn't mean to plan all this. I just had a bad dream and went back home and Raven and I..." He felt a little too apologetic. They hadn't been officially 100 going out, but everyone knew that Starfire practically considered him her boy. It hadn't been a problem before, as he had no other girls, so he had just ran with it. And, though it was selfish, he liked someone as sweet as her having a crush on him. It hadn't created any problems, up until now.

Starfire wrung her hands together in front of her anxiously. "Was this prompted by your nightmare... or do you have you feelings for our reserved friend?" That he didn't have for her, of course, Robin mentally added.

"I do." He admitted. Saying that was easier than he thought. "But it's not that simple. Lately, when I've been asleep and dreaming, good or bad, I just feel so close to her. We've been sharing our deepest memories. Against our will." He ran a hand through his hair. It felt cheesy the way he was describing it, but it was the truth. He didn't know whether Raven would appreciate anyone knowing about how deep the bond was, but he really owed it to Starfire. "It was always there since she went into my mind, but lately it's just been overwhelming."

Her eyes suddenly glowed with a fierce light. Her teeth ground together; Robin forced down the urge to take a step backwards. He only saw that look once before, and that was when that annoying brat Kitten was harassing him. He thought for a second that she was going to hurt him, but the menace in her stare faded some. Starfire was struggling with the urge whether to be true to what she was feeling or to suppress it for her best friend's sake. She never had to worry about doing that much before, as her feelings rarely conflicted like this.

Her voice was very even. "Robin." Her shoulders tightened. "When I am engaged in the hanging out of sorts with Raven, she has often expressed an attraction for you." Robin feigned surprise at this; he had already guessed this from other dreams. But seeing that look, she clarified, "Not overtly, but we always knew. But we always knew it was just... I am not sure what it is, but it was not supposed to lead to this."

Which she had no real intention of doing all along, of course, thought Robin. Haltingly, he said, "I know. When I woke up from the party last night, I saw one of her dreams. Raven just seemed so... sad. She hates herself. I couldn't just ignore it." There was an extended pause. He wanted to avoid saying what was next, but he realized that it was true. This was happening so fast and so intensely that there's no way he had intentionally sought it out. "I'm not sure how I could have... felt all that."

For a reason Robin could not understand, Starfire's anger subsided. Her voice was becoming more hopeful. "Did you and Raven have after-courting physical contact?"

Robin thought about last night. He remembered the heavy petting that came after they got back and realized that it felt so real that he almost used that as an example. But other than that, he didn't remember kissing Raven or doing really much other than holding hands briefly. "No. Except for this morning, when she woke up hugging me." He wondered whether or not he should mention her fantasy, and decided against it.

"We put you on separate couches and... ooo!" Starfire looked merely indignant now, which was a noticeable contrast against jealous fury. "Robin, I do not like saying such scurrilous things about our friends, but it seems like Raven is trying to break us apart."

Robin shook his head quickly. God, this woman was possessive. Starfire didn't have many personality faults, but the ones she did have were just intensified by her lack of other ones. "Star, it's not like that at all."

She gently placed both of her hands on his arms. "Robin, I do not know about the depth of the bond, but... I just do not understand about this. What about all of the time we've shared? What about our bond? I truly thought we had such a bond ourselves...?"

There was something about Starfire's touch that made him reconsider all of what had happened. What was it that made him seriously want to leave Starfire for someone else that night? Even if he still had reservations about accepting her completely as a girlfriend, it was just being wishy-washy by now. He just didn't know what to think by now; he hadn't even really questioned their relationship up until a few nights ago. He even was wondering whether he could really be with her through thick and thin, showing sides of himself. But then, don't things like that take time? That's how it was with Stephanie. He was reticent with her but eventually grew to adore her.

Viewed from anyone else's perspective, the whole with Raven seemed like an infatuation. Until now, he didn't do or say much to her, even though he did treasure those times. And he really enjoyed being on a date with her. He could definitely see him taking their relationship further. But then, weren't those urges typical of infidelity? Maybe he was just attracted to the exoticness and excitement of it all. If this was the case, it would be inexcusably unfair of him to leave Starfire on this whim. Once again, the small irrational part of his mind reminded him that he wasn't being true to himself.

"I know. I'm sorry." He said, breaking eye contact with her. "I just thought that I would be helping her. She seems so lonely... but we should re-evaluate things."

Robin wasn't sure whether he imagined it or not, but he saw the Tameranian's expression become unusually pensive and focused. He was told he got the same look on his face hours before he came up with that abortive Red X idea. "I understand. But... Robin, what you are doing is not helping, if I may say so. We should try other ways to bring Raven into the ways of joy if that is truly the case."

He knew that he shouldn't have pressed, but he couldn't help it. "If that is truly the case?"

She didn't even flinch. "I did not mean to imply anything. I just feel that this is not healthy for her... or for us."

OOO

Raven entered the kitchen after putting on her uniform from yesterday. No way would they see pink on her while she was conscious, even though only Robin was up at this hour. Since her birthday, she had a strict habit of cutting her hair every third day before getting in the shower; this deviation from her routine was caused by her much longer than normal hair and the fact that she wanted to get something to eat before anyone got to the table. Her mood was anxious, but strangely blissful, and she didn't want to ruin that with conversation.

Unfortunately, both Beast Boy and Cyborg were already wake. Cyborg, she could see getting up early without getting prodded, but not his friend. Especially on a holiday. Both had bowls of that disgusting Chocolate-frosted Sugar Bomb cereal, digging into it like starving peasants. The youngest Titan even had sugar poured on his. Trying to remain inconspicuous, she went towards a cabinet to dig out a box of her favorite green tea and some microwavable oatmeal. She tried to pretend like nothing was amiss, but both stopped eating and were looking at her intently.

Cyborg finally asked, noncommittally. "So. How was last night, Rae? We didn't see you after we left for the party."

"I had a fantastic night. Thanks for asking." She meant to make the sentence sound sarcastic, but her voice was a lot less grumpy than usual, even bordering on cheerful. Great.

"Yeah, well, we found you passed out near the front door with Robin. In the middle of winter. In regular clothes." Cyborg said. His approach and tone was that of a bull ready to lock horns. Raven wondered if she should take the bait, but then saw Beast Boy start to visibly squirm.

Deciding to avoid Cyborg's statement at the moment, she asked, "What's your problem?"

Beast Boy broke immediately under the minor strain. "I'm sorry, Raven, I told! I told the other guys about... you know... your bond."

She felt her blood begin to boil. Her good mood gone, she asked very slowly, "How did you find out about that?"

Cyborg sat up straighter in his chair. "Look, we all knew about it... we just didn't know it would have any lingering effects." He added, pointedly, "You said that it wouldn't, after Robin got better."

Raven's brow furrowed as she reached for a bowl to put the oatmeal in. "I didn't know that it would." That was a lie, she knew. After that night, they couldn't help but become closer. They shared the vaguest emotions and she could look into his mind... it just hadn't been that intense up until now. But how could Robin just tell something that secret about them? She liked it that way, even though it caused her pain. "When did he tell you this?"

Beast Boy laced his fingers together. "Well, like, it kinda... isn't Robin's fault. He told me if I promised I wouldn't tell anyone 'cuz it was really bothering him." he quickly added. He noted Raven's anger fading, but she still had a hardness to her features. "But when you came back last night, me and Cy and Star were just kinda curious."

Cyborg placed a hand on his green friend's shoulder briefly. "It doesn't matter. The point we're trying to get to, is everything okay with you? You've been acting strangely, you know?"

"He means more strangely than usual." Beast Boy piped up, trying to relieve the tension with a joke.

Raven ignored the comment, filling both a bowl and a mug with sink water. "I'm fine. Really." It wasn't really a lie. But what could she tell them? That she was actually happier than she had been in a long time, even with that moment? And she wanted more? She knew that Cyborg had prided himself on the catalyst between Robin and Starfire's romance and was protective of the alien... he wouldn't appreciate her doing this.

Cyborg ate another spoonful of cereal, and continued. "Why would Robin just drop everything and go on a date with you? I mean, you have to understand, this seems really out of left field." He knew he was about to get into a very touchy subject, so asked in his most diplomatic tone possible, "What have you two been dreaming about?"

"I don't feel like talking about that." She placed both the bowl and the mug in the microwave and set the timer. "Why do you care?" She crossed both of her arms under her chest while she waited for both to heat.

Cyborg's lower lip curled above the other. He was sure that he was going to get a straight answer, but once again forget how resilient she was in not answering questions. "Just that this could get really dangerous, passing out suddenly. Besides, you need to talk to Starfire. She's really mad at you."

Her plain oatmeal and tea being done, she pulled both out of the microwave, going by the counter for a spoon. To Cyborg's mild surprise, she looked at him and nodded. "I know. I promise I will." Or Starfire would force the issue. She'd rather be the one to approach her friend, so she could get a word in edgewise. She sauntered back off in the direction of her room.

The cybernetic teen barely had time to call to her: "Hey, don't forget, we're going Christmas shopping after break... ah, well." He shrugged at his luck.

"She took that rather well." Cyborg commented. At least he got a promise out of her to smooth things over with Starfire.

"I'm surprised that she didn't kill me." Beast Boy added. "Then again, she does have a lot on her... 'mind'. Heh."

Cyborg rolled his eye and continued eating his cereal.

OOO

Later that day, after Robin had assigned morning chores, everyone piled into Cyborg's car. As usual, Cyborg was driving with Raven sitting next to him. He was glad that she still wanted to come, even after all that went on yesterday. Robin sat behind her seat and Beast Boy sat in the middle, separating him and Starfire. The ride to the Jump City shopping mall was very tense. Starfire nor Beast Boy spoke much and it was clear that she was resenting him for getting in the way of her crush. She had planned to make up for all of this with extra Robin time. Fortunately, the mall wasn't very far from the tower.

After fighting through hundreds of other late Christmas shoppers looking for a spot, Cyborg was able to secure a reasonable parking spot in the garage by winking at a departing fan through a window. "Okay. Level D6. Don't forget where we are."

Robin got out and immediately stretched. He thought that after going out in regular clothes, he'd dislike going out in public in uniform for non-vigilante business. But it just fit right now, for some reason. "Okay, Titans. Here's the game plan. We split up, buy what we need to, then meet at Stuffy's for lunch. Then we go ice skating."

Starfire held a finger to her lips, smiling demurely. "Robin, let me suggest an optimal arrangement. Perhaps it would be best if I went with..."

Raven stood in front of her. "Actually, Star, I want to go with you. We don't spend a lot of time together."

The alien looked at her friend curiously. "Oh?"

"Whoo! Boys night out! C'mon, dudes, I want to show you this awesome present I want for Christmas." Beast Boy said, leading Cyborg and Robin towards the entrance.

"Man, what's the point of wrapping the thing up if you're just going to point out what you want?" Cyborg grumbled, following. Robin went with the two, leaving Starfire and Raven behind.

OOO

"Man. That was close. That's the third time I've saved your bacon with Starfire. You can thank me later." Beast Boy said, after they were well out of earshot. Now apparently unconcerned about the awesome present he wanted, he was just making silly suggestions, like going to the pet store or the sporting goods center.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Robin asked, his voice low.

Beast Boy stopped, scratching his head. He nearly bumped into a few other shoppers. "Uh, stopping Starfire from getting in the way? She's kinda clingy."

"Getting in the way? Dude, they're going out. It's okay." Cyborg replied, putting extra emphasis on 'they're going out'.

Robin shook his head. He was already starting to get a headache. "Look, I can take care of this. Don't interfere with my business."

Beast Boy shrugged and started walking about. "Fine." All was silent for about two minutes. While they were on the escalator to the second story, he asked, with no tact, "So which one are you going to let down?"

"Beast Boy." Robin growled. Cyborg groaned loudly.

"What? It's an honest question. And we are going to find out anyway."

"I just told you, man, he's already got Star." Cyborg said, feigning irritation. Actually, the conversation was amusing him. "Besides, why do you care? Don't you like Raven?"

"Don't I like... ewwwww! That's so gross!" Beast Boy exclaimed, making a retching motion. Both failed to notice that Robin was doing his best to pretend that he wasn't with these two. "Like, what makes you think that?"

"You're always telling her your lame jokes and trying to get her to 'play with you', whatever that means. That's flirting in my eyes."

"Raven, she..." Beast Boy hung his head in shame, almost forgetting to step off of the escalator. "But... one time, I was trying to get her to play a video game. And... she gave me a wedgie. With her shadow powers. That was humiliating enough, but then she pulled it over my head." His eyes grew misty. "Over my head, Cyborg."

Cy chortled at the story. "Oh, I remember that. It's because you glued her hands to the controller, isn't it? I warned you."

"Look, that's not the point to the story. It's just that, well, I like Raven and all... but I can't like, like her like her. She'd kill me. Now Robin on the other hand..."

Robin put a hand over his face. He was so hopeful that the subject of the conversation would move off of him. "Why are we still talking about this?"

"You gotta face it sooner or later. Star's going to want an answer real soon. But of course, Protip: the person you want is Rae, because..." Cyborg squeezed Beast Boy's arm to make him stop talking, causing him to yelp lightly in pain. "Because he's a two-timer? Don't listen to this man, Robin."

"Aw, why not? It's not too late. You might as well. She's like perfect for you! You're both dark and moody and serious."

"Beast Boy, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. Besides, what's Star going to think?"

Beast Boy thought about this for a moment and shrugged. "Well, it's not like everyone's going to end up happy. Raven really likes you, dude. You know, all of those dreams she had. She probably has even more. You might as well maximize your benefits. Heh."

Robin stopped and whirled to face Beast Boy, his expression and voice icy. "I know you know better than to talk about that." The action was so menacing that a few shoppers paused to look at them.

Beast Boy held up his hands defensively. He was surprised at Robin's ferocity, but wasn't scared. He wasn't going to stop until Robin was going to make a decision. "See? Look at that, Cyborg, he gets all protective about her."

Cyborg was going to mention that he did the same for Starfire, but saw that Robin was getting angry. Trying to be the voice of reason, he said softly, "He does have a point. You're going to have to settle this fast."

Robin relaxed finally and began walking again, lost in thought. Right before he and his friends were about to stop by an arcade, Robin reached into his utility belt for a twenty dollar bill. He offered it to Beast Boy. "... look, me and Cyborg are going to hunt for your present and we don't want you to see what it is. Entertain yourself for a bit."

Quick as a flash, he snatched up the bill and saluted. "Can do!" He ran to the arcade, leaving him and Cyborg behind.

Cyborg looked at Robin curiously. "I thought we already had his present planned? That stupid Mega Monkeys game and the moped."

"I want to talk to you in private for a bit." Robin said, glancing around at the other shoppers. No one paid any attention to their conversation, so he continued. "You're right. I do need to choose. And I know who it's going to be." He didn't normally want to discuss his love life, but it was eating him up on the inside. All of his friends already knew what was going on and there was no point in hiding it.

Cyborg looked satisfied. "I knew you'd come to your senses."

"It's... it's going to be Raven."

"Her? Well, you already know my feelings. May I ask why?"

Robin went quiet for awhile, walking alongside his friend while they scanned stores. He already had something for Starfire, but he should get her another gift; she'd like any present from him. Raven was impossible to shop for, no surprise. "I know it sounds crazy, but you have to realize how intense these dreams are." At Cyborg's distasteful squinting, he added, "It's not like that. It's like we're sharing our most personal memories and feelings. I'm remembering things that I thought I forgot. Stuff that I would probably never share with Starfire, to be honest. And it doesn't feel odd or awkward... it just feels right. And Raven, ever since then... I've seen sides of her I've never before. I never realized how close we really were."

Both slowed down as they passed an electronics store, trying to hold back typical teenage boy curiosity to go inside. After a long pause, Cyborg said, slowly, "Then what's all this stuff about Slade? Like that outburst last night."

Robin's held tilted downwards. He knew Raven would be very uncomfortable discussing that, but it was mostly his fault. Figures that Cyborg would make some kind of connection. "She says that it isn't really Slade. Just a vivid, recurring nightmare."

"Are you sure?"

"I trust her. Completely. I was there, and it just... it didn't feel like Slade. I don't know. I didn't..." Robin didn't want to admit that just the mere thought of Slade drove him crazy, but he was able to control his anger. If he really though that Slade was doing this to Raven in her sleep, he didn't know what he'd do.

Clarification was unnecessary; Cyborg understood where he was going. "You're not convincing me this is a good idea. How long has this been going on?"

"I was just aware of it in the past three days. But according to her dreams, she's been looking into my mind for at least a couple of weeks."

"She... was just reading your mind all this time and didn't tell you? And you don't care?" Cyborg sounded incredulous, almost angry.

"I don't. Like I said, I would definitely mind if anyone else did it... but you know what?" Robin was starting to make connections. People were saying that he was acting much nicer and more calmly lately. He was sleeping a lot better and felt more at ease. But the other Titans noted that Raven was being nicer, too. He had noted it himself. But he knew how stressed and upset she was over all this, but last night and when he saw her sleeping, she seemed so happy. He couldn't bear going back to the old days. But there was just no easy way to explain it. "It just works."

"That's... you don't know how horrible you sound, man. It sounds like you're dissatisfied with one relationship or get bored with it so you lead some girl on."

Robin shook his head. "I can't deny that's what it looks like. I know it is selfish of me to let Starfire think this for so long, but you have to understand... this is really recent. A week ago I would've just been satisfied the way things are. But now I'm not sure. It's like I found this person who has a piece of my soul."

"Your... you soul? You're crazy. Star doesn't mean anything to you?" Cyborg crossed his arms on his chest.

Robin said, "Don't put words in my mouth. I love Starfire, I really do... just not in that way. I realize that now. With Raven, I might be able to..."

"'You might be able to.'" The cybernetic Titan repeated. "You're going to throw this all away and you're not even sure?"

"Cyborg, are you even listening to me? This is recent. I've only gone on one date with Raven so far. Physically, anyway." This conversation wasn't angering Robin as much as he thought it would. It felt good to be honest with himself for once. That he was beginning to recognize feelings he had for a girl all along, one that he didn't have for the one he was with.

"Physically? Man, I don't want to know about any wacky dream date. Where did you two go, anyway?" He was genuinely intrigued by this conversation. Maybe this was good for Robin after all; he was confiding to his friends in a way he never did before. They had passed several stores along the way and though Cyborg wanted to check a few out, he didn't want to break the flow of conversation.

"We went on a graveyard tour, then a jazz club for music and dinner." He intentionally failed to mention that he didn't remember what happened after that.

Cy shook his head in pity. "Graveyard tour? Old people music? What were you thinking, man? Whatever happened to normal dates like carnivals and concerts?"

Robin shrugged. "Raven had a really nice time, I thought. So did I. I don't like typical dates. They just seem like a place where you pretend to have fun because everyone else says that you're supposed to be having it."

"Is this supposed to be subtext, Rob? I can do subtext." He pointed at a store. "There's Hot Topic. Raven might like something from there.

"If you want." Robin smirked widely, then shaking his head. "I think she'd view anything from that store with the contempt it deserved. Trust me, do not buy anything from there if you want her to respect you."

"I better tell Beast Boy that. He got her some crazy Gamestation T-Shirts. So tell me, what would she like?"

Robin's eyes lit up as he started to go into detail. She liked collecting books, obviously, but more specifically diary books of people living in certain points of history. She was a big fan of anti-war/anti-totalitarian writing, with a special place in her heart for Mila 18, All's Quiet on the Western Front, and The Good Soldier Svjek. She enjoyed very small scale gardening, such as with hot pepper plants and banzai bushes but hated those pretentious Zen rock garden. Unlike the other Titans she enjoyed taking baths right after regular showering, so would probably appreciate an extensive bath time kit. He was about to go further into detail about her hobby of knitting, but Cyborg interrupted him.

"Stop it, man. You're making my eyes glaze over. How do you know all this stuff, anyway? All I ever found out was that she liked my present last time around and she secretly likes the color pink."

"She never told me, but like I said, it's as though I've known her all along."

Cyborg make a 'tch' sound. "I hate you, Robin."

"Why?"

"You found a way to beat that stupid feminine mystique system that we always lose at, and you pulled it off on their queen, too." Cyborg pointed towards a used bookstore, armed with new knowledge. "In here. I am going to say this. I still don't approve of you just leaving Starfire in the cold... but I am going to say that I honestly think that if you had to then you couldn't have found a better person."

OOO

Raven could understand why Starfire had been giving her the cold shoulder all day. Though Robin said that he would explain things, she had the feeling that he bumbled it even worse. Not that she had much experience with this, but almost any outcome would be better than Starfire being angry at herself, Robin, and most of all her friend. She had her hood pulled up over her head, which she found uncomfortable with long hair. But if that's the way he preferred it...

After passing by several stores that Starfire would normally be fascinated about but weren't, Raven knew that she had to start. "...Star?"

"Yes, friend Raven?" she asked, her voice suddenly becoming cheerful. Though it was obviously forced.

"About last night. Robin didn't mean to just bail out. He was just worried for me."

"It is no bother. It is good to look out for friends." Starfire said, almost dismissive. There was a pregnant pause. "Though I cannot help but wonder why my Robin chose to not only go back to a party but also suddenly go on a date with a girl after he confirmed the safety of yourself."

Raven didn't bother holding back a sigh. This was going to be difficult. She said, plainly as possible, "It takes a while to drive to Steel City. He didn't want to make the commute back to a party that would be over, so he decided to have fun at home."

"But to dress up in non-Robin clothes and go out with you, in non-Raven clothes? It would seem very curious."

"Star, nothing happened." She reflexively lied. Then she immediately felt guilty for doing so; Starfire was being emotional, but she had every right to be. "... I'm sorry. We did go on what could be called a date. I guess. We went to a jazz place then toured a cemetery."

"Oh." the Tameranian said, walking along with the other girl. While Starfire preferred to fly at any place possible, she wouldn't do it outside of work if Beast Boy and Raven were on the ground. Raven wondered what Star would think about this. She seemed to accept the explanation, finding the locations suitably non-romantic, as if Robin had took her to the dentist and then the grocery store. "But why were you found unconscious outside with Robin and then later this morning..."

"That was my fault." Raven admitted. "When I fall asleep, Robin does, too. I'm not sure why." It was a slim chance, but she vainly hoped that Starfire would forget the other half of the question. No such luck.

"But then why were you embracing my Robin this morning in a non-platonic manner? It was not incidental; you sought him out and hugged him sometime during the night. That indicates something, though I am not sure what." Her voice was becoming higher pitched by the moment, on the verge of becoming hysterical.

"Star, please, calm down." This was really beginning to seem like a bad idea. Cyborg or even Beast Boy with her would make this go smoother.

"No!" Starfire floated off of the ground and flew in front of Raven, blocking her entrance into a store. As she had feared, Starfire was unaware that she was about to make a scene. "You are not being forthright with me and I am finding it unbearably insulting."

"Then ask me what you really want to ask. And... people are starting to stare." Raven gestured to a few mall walkers, who were indeed looking their way.

"Very well, I shall. Are you trying to steal Robin away from me?" Starfire asked, her voice strangely neutral.

The dark girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew Starfire was direct about her feelings, but not to this degree. "What?" She was stalling, but couldn't think of anything better to say.

"Are you trying to steal Robin away from me?" Starfire repeated, same tone of voice.

If she wanted to be be direct, then Raven could, too. Why not? She was tired of being the loser in romance. What did she have to lose? "Robin isn't some prize that you win and then own forever. He can change his mind."

"So the answer by what you mean is 'yes I am, Starfire'?" She had an edge to her voice that Raven had not heard before.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You can think that if you want."

"Please, try to image how am I feeling. I am in love with this boy and he loves me back. We become very close over the next few months and admit our feelings for each other. Then for a reason I could not comprehend at the time this boy suddenly becomes very distant." Starfire's angry voice became tinged with sadness. "We are aware of it, but we cannot discover a reason. At the same time... another friend whom he had never looked at before... oh!"

Raven's sarcastic demeanor faded away. She began to feel guilty instead, an emotion she wasn't used to. "No, please continue."

"Raven, I shall be honest. I truly hate your bond. It made me quite upset when you did it, but I allowed it because it was to save the life of Robin." Starfire went back to the ground to walk with Raven again, her tiny red eyebrows scrunched together. "I love him but he seems so miserable at times. I wanted to help him with all of my heart. During all of this time, I thought that we were going somewhere... but he still hides things from me. He has not lied, but he has not truly told me anything. But I do not say anything, because I feel that we are making progress nonetheless." Her eyes flared brightly again for a few seconds. "Then he tells me about your bond and your dreams and how much is being shared."

Both girls slowed to almost a crawl as they went through the mall, the patrons ignoring them again as they. "On Tameran, we believe that to truly be with a person you must have their body, heart, and soul, or they are not truly your loved ones. It becomes quite apparent to me that you have something of him I do not. This is astonishingly unfair."

Raven reflected on what her friend said. She had not thought of it that way before. "Unfair? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I cannot give a better reason than the fact that I was trying first and for so long, but it is a important reason to me." Starfire admitted.

Raven looked at Starfire very seriously. The last thing she ever expected to do was give this girl, of all people, a lecture on love. To be sure, she just thought of what Robin would say and went with it. "I understand the trying part... but what does being first have to do with anything? Glgrdsklechhh was 'first' and he didn't marry you."

"But that was because it was an arranged marriage but most importantly I did not feel the emotion of love for him. It was the right thing to do."

"So why is it different now?"

The Tameranian looked somewhat offended. "Are you implying that Robin does not feel the same way towards me the way I do him?"

"You don't sound very sure yourself."

"Hmmmph." Raven had thought that she gave her some food for thought. In a way she did, but she didn't know what to think of that resentful look on Starfire's face. "Perhaps I should be asking you how you feel." Starfire suddenly said, changing the subject. "How do you feel towards Robin?"

Raven couldn't help but be startled. "Me? I thought he was an obsessive, uptight jerk at first... but I'm becoming very fond of him."

"Would you find him attractive? Physically? Did you have a, what is it, a smash on him?"

The dark girl couldn't help but blush very lightly. "Yes... and you mean a crush? I, Starfire, this is becoming very personal."

"I thought that was the point of this conversation, though?" Starfire said, her voice sweet. She halted suddenly as they passed by a stray pretzel cart, hungrily eyeing the one covered with mustard and salt. "Excuse me for a second. Mr. Vendor? I would like that one, please."

Raven waited until Starfire bought what she wanted and was out of earshot of the vendor. "I... I guess I do." She reached underneath her hood and adjusted her hair in the back, as it was becoming bunched up. "Those dreams made me realize I did for a long time. I don't know why I was denying myself."

Starfire was chewing thoughtfully on her pretzel as she listened. "I see. So why all this now?" she asked between bites. For some reason Raven found her behavior odd, but couldn't put a finger on it.

"I just couldn't take it any more. When I realized that he could see what I was dreaming and how he saved me in one, I couldn't hold back my feelings any longer." Her voice was becoming shy. She almost preferred to hear Starfire complain about it.

"Oh. Ah, about when did the dreams start becoming intense, would you say?"

"About... about a week or so ago. Why?"

Starfire's expression suddenly darkened. "Raven, do you remember when our bodies were swapped? With the Puppet King. And we were sharing our histories? I distinctly mention you saying that you had powers of empathy."

Raven began to feel rather uneasy. "What about it?"

"Well, about your bond... what if you had been unconsciously projecting your feelings onto Robin through the dreams, and he returned those feelings?"

Raven's eyes widened in horror. She wanted to make her voice sound indignant, but it was wavering. She hadn't even considered that. "Starfire, tell me you didn't just say that."

"Why not? Does that sound improbable to you?" Starfire pointedly asked. One couldn't tell whether this was a sudden revelation, or if she had hid her feelings long enough for Raven to drop her guard. She wasn't sure which was worse.

Raven's voice became very grave. "Starfire, let me tell you right now that I would never, ever do that to Robin. Get that thought out of your head."

"I believe you. But what about when you are asleep? Do you think that your power would be fully under control, especially if there was a bond? Especially if you had feelings for the person you were dreaming about?" Starfire had a very controlled anger right now and her tone was curiously reflective.

Raven wanted to say something very nasty in response to that, but couldn't. Starfire's theory had caught ahold of her imagination and she couldn't shake it away. She wanted to at least form some sort of coherent reply while she muddled through it. Yet it wasn't necessary. As if reading her every worry and sorting and refining it, Starfire stood right in front of her and pointed. Very slowly, she said, "I know this is hard, but try to see how it looks from the perspective of someone who is not you. Every person thinks that a boy is deeply attached to a girl. Then he completely changes his mind and goes with a girl he had not even given a second thought about. The other girl never voiced any attraction but felt it. She could see and read his thoughts and share her emotions. Would that not seem suspicious?"

Raven narrowed her eyes. She was outraged that Starfire would say that yet couldn't get rid of this low dread. "That is the worst thing anyone has ever said to me."

"But as horrible as you telling me that your feelings mean more than mine? It is not even close. I shall be seeing you." Starfire turned in the opposite direction from Raven and stormed off, leaving her former friend behind.

OOO

Stuffy's was a popular theme diner in the Jump City mall which had a reputation for being crowded on even the slowest of days. Fortunately Robin, with typical Robin insight had scheduled a table far in advance and avoided the long line outside. They were led to a booth by a blonde teenager who looked uncannily like the one who served him and Raven last night. All of them had bought presents for the others they hadn't already, even Beast Boy, who still managed to get something despite spending most of his time at the arcade. Unfortunately, it left underneath the already small booth crowded.

Robin sat in the corner next to Cyborg on one side, with Starfire facing opposite of him. Beast Boy was sitting between her and Raven.

"Wow. Er, this is a little cozy." Robin commented, picking up the menu.

"I like cozy. It makes me feel closer to my friends." Starfire said, smiling coyly. Cyborg glanced sideways at Robin and Beast Boy had a nervous look on his face. Raven didn't do anything.

"I'm sorry about that." The waitress gushed. "Can I get you anything to start out with?"

All ordered drinks and a small appetizer, though Starfire changed hers to match Robin's. The waitress went off with their orders, leaving them by themselves. It was obvious that there was some tension between Raven and Starfire. All of the boys wondered what they said to each other, but Robin had a good guess.

"So, who's ready to do some extreme ice skating after this?" Beast Boy polled, trying to give the impression of being totally relaxed. He was getting nervous sitting between the two girls.

"I added some attachments to my rocket boots last night." Cyborg said, desperate to cling to any thread of conversation. "They're like hover boots. Effortless gliding. And with the combined scraper/reconditioner attachment they even resurface the ice once I've skated past it. So the more I skate, the smoother the ice gets."

"So you've turned yourself into a zamboni." Raven commented. "That's... great."

"Can we call you Woodstock?" Beast Boy added, snickering.

"Hey, shut up, at least I know how to skate." Cyborg muttered. Starfire tilted her head to the side; this conversation seemed over her head for her.

Beast Boy grinned. "What's the point? Girls go ga-ga when they see a baby polar bear slide across the ice, huge Bambi eyes..."

"You. Are. Green. Wait, did you overhear us talking about your animal forms at the party last night? We were just kidding."

"Hey, I just need to find a green animal that girls like. Like... um... frogs. Or snakes. Or..."

Robin smiled. Things seemed to be returning to normal. "Ice skating is pretty complicated. You have to control friction while leaning your body radially, not to mention the whole controlling your center of balance."

All of his friends looked at him as one. Starfire asked, gently, "Robin, did you... do research on ice skating last night?'

"Well, the thing is... I don't really know how to do it. I want to know how to."

Starfire clasped her hands together. "It is fine. I do not know how it is done, either, but possessing the power of flight must make it easier."

Almost as an afterthought, Raven said, "I know how to ice skate. Without flying."

"You know how to ice skate?" Cyborg asked, disbelieving that Raven participated in any outdoors activity.

"Yes. We used to have a lake near the boarding school I was at. I could... teach you, Robin." she offered.

Robin was taken surprise by Raven's offer, but couldn't help himself from nodding 'yes'. He wanted to ask her more about it, but saw Starfire, who was trying to play with his feet, start to become moody. He decided to change the subject. Slipping into leader mode, he said, "Well, things have been pretty quiet, team, but don't get too comfortable. It's very likely that there will be some major attack around Christmas. I want you to be on your toes and ready to go on a moment's notice."

"Man, I don't want a pep talk on my time off. Can't you relax for just a few days?" Cyborg said.

"I'm just saying. It hasn't happened any time since we formed the team

"I wouldn't bet on it. I bet even Slade tries to turn a new leaf at the last minute to impress Santa. Oh, sweet, my spinach dip." Beast Boy commented as the waitress brought out their appetizers.

OOO

Robin was at the bench near the skating rink, lacing up his rental ice skates. Despite the city's incredible capacity for completely ignoring the Titans in any non-vigilante context, the antics of Beast Boy were hard to ignore; after the octopus gag didn't go over too well, he was belly sliding and prat falling as a penguin and making the kids giggle. Starfire, instead of skating, was sliding on her feet, using her flight power to keep her upright. Despite the other boys looking at the skimpily-dressed alien, she ignored them, instead smiling at Robin with each pass. Raven and Cyborg were still in line for skates, the latter still cross the zamboni comment.

Robin sighed lightly. Even though he was a master of martial arts and acrobatics, he was still sort of a klutz at activities like this. He'd normally just be content to warm the benches, but she had offered to teach him.

He heard her typically melancholy voice address him from behind. "Robin." Raven already had her ice skates on and was walking effortlessly on the carpet towards him. "Ready?"

He nodded and stood up, having to balance himself on the wall to keep his balance. Before he made a step on the ice, she stopped him by placing her hand on his shoulder. "Wait a second." Her fingers went to the clasp on her cloak and undid it, pulling the entire garment off and placing it where Robin was sitting. "I do not want to trip on this."

Though he had seen her without a cloak and with long hair last night, something felt different about Raven this time. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he liked it. Pale skin, dark blue leotard, long purple hair clashing against the ice... it struck him just how beautiful she really was. He had always known it, but it never really occurred to him so obviously. She looked like an angel. The phrase was on the tongue and he wanted to say this thought, but he couldn't. Instead, he just found himself openly staring at her, unable to look away.

She pretended not to notice or care, but the redness came back to her cheeks showed that he was making her self-conscious. With a small embarrassed smile, she murmured, "... what?"

"Nothing. Sorry." Robin, feeling like a jerk, decided to concentrate on this sport... and immediately found himself slipping when both feet were in the rink. Raven immediately caught him by the shoulders and help him stand upright. "Robin, push the edges of the blade to one side slightly. Like that." She was pushing both of them softly, guiding them away from the other skaters. This felt somewhat thrilling, being gracefully led by Raven and being able to relax, he thought. Starfire looked towards both of them and started staring wordlessly, which caused Raven's grip to tighten. "Now push. Exactly in the same direction you're cutting."

After a few minutes, he already felt comfortable enough to propel himself, though Raven's hands still rested on his shoulder. He noticed that she was gradually doing less of the work until they did an equal amount... goodness, they looked like a couple. They were starting to get looks from strangers, but Raven didn't seem to mind, so Robin decided not to either. They skated in complete silence after she gave him a few pointers, one enjoying the other's company. As Starfire started paying them less attention, Robin felt Raven moving closer to him, having previously held him at half an arm's length.

"Robin, it's occurred to me that..." The dark girl suddenly murmured in the direction of his ear. "I really haven't been appreciating you as much as I should." He could feel her warm breath, something that Stephanie did all the time to tease him; he wondered whether she knew that.

Robin tried to hold back a shiver, regardless. "Don't worry about it. It's fine." he said, modestly.

Raven held him closer, so much that he could feel the warmth from her body on his back. "It's not fine. Ever since we met, you've gone out of your way to be kind and... you've never been thanked." Though he was learning a lot more about Raven's different sides, being quietly seduced by her was something he would have never expected before this holiday. Still, he was finding that he liked this side to her. "Robin... I really, really want to talk to you later tonight... about things."

He smiled out of the corner of his mouth. He never would've expected her to open up so soon, but that was the goal, wasn't it? "Definitely. What made you change your mind?"

He felt her hands slip from his shoulders up and down his arms. "Because I've found someone to love."

There was no explanation for it, but he suddenly felt something was wrong. He wasn't sure whether it was her touch or her words, but this did not quite seem like Raven. Why would she move forward so fast? He toyed with the possibility that it was another dream, but this went on far too long and was too organized to be a dream. But that was the problem, wasn't it? If last night's dream of them making out proved anything, it was that both of them were starting to have difficulty recognizing the barrier between what was real and what was imagined. In that case, maybe Raven was acting in the real world how she wanted to act, but only could in dreams. He knew about her loneliness and longing and the heart-wrenching desire to love and be loved. When viewed in that light, maybe this didn't feel so strange after all.

He noticed that Raven backed away from her advancing touches, once again caused by him indulging in thought. He knew that he tensed up, as he often did when entertaining thoughts. He felt a shyness come from her and she broke physical contact. "I, I didn't mean to intimidate you, Robin."

"It wasn't that, I was just-"

Not paying attention where he was going and not being guided by Raven, he collided against a much larger, bulkier man and went tumbling to the ground. After sliding for a few feet, as if that wasn't bad enough, a preppy teenager was speed skating right by. Normally he would've just barely missed both, but Robin was suddenly in the way; even though he tried to stop himself, the blade of his skates sliced open half the length of Robin's exposed arm, causing him to grit his teeth in pain.

"Robin!" Raven cried, braking and kneeling down to Robin's side. Without thought, she tenderly held up his arm, pressing the wound shut to stop the liberal flow of blood.

Both the large man and the teenager stopped, going to see if he was all right. The large man winced with sympathy at Robin and the teenager asked, "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hit you."

Robin stood up with the support of the wall, using his non-injured arm. "It's my fault for not paying attention." The injury didn't hurt anywhere near as much as he thought it would nor was it bleeding as much; Raven was channeling her power to keep it from getting worse. Still, the amount of blood that was spilt was getting looks from the other people in the ice rink. The other Titans came over towards their friend, quite concerned.

"Man, Rob, that looks awful. Let's get you to that first aid station." Beast Boy suggested, pointing in the direction of the locker room.

Raven had a nasty scowl on her face at the suggestion. She was leading him to the carpet. "Robin is not going in that filthy locker room to be 'treated' by some slacker paid minimum wage."

Beast Boy looked hurt at the comment. "That used to be one of my jobs when I was trying to buy that moped, you know."

Starfire looked as though she wanted to get closer, but realized that she would just be in the way. "But the building where they heal wounds is too far away."

"Raven is taking care of it." Robin said, firmly. Personally, he'd rather just be shuffled off to the side without a word, but he didn't want to risk Starfire or Beast Boy getting in the way by giving a contrary suggestion.

"Oh." Starfire murmured. Though she was glad that Robin was fine, a part of her still wanted her to be the one to comfort him, especially with what happened today and yesterday.

Raven eventually was able to sit Robin back down on a bench and focus on healing the wound more. The others were still gathered around them, watching Raven work. Her speed was amazing; the bleeding was just an ooze now and the pain went away. The edges of the laceration were sealing together without scars.

Robin wasn't the only one who noticed that. Cyborg whistled, genuinely impressed. "Wow. That's really fast, Raven. How do you do it?"

Raven tilted her head downwards. Very softly, she murmured, mostly to Robin, "It... works better when I feel very strongly about the person."

OOO

They didn't spend much longer at the ice rink. Raven and Robin sat at the bench in silence, she holding his arm and hand even after all that remained was a light discoloration. The others skated for almost half an hour more before they all came back. Beast Boy, Cyborg, and especially Starfire looked as though they wanted to say something but refrained from commenting. As Robin had predicted, the car ride home was very awkward. Star had succeeding in getting a seat next to Robin but didn't have the heart to really take advantage of it. He felt really bad for putting Star through this... and it was in her best interest to break things off right away.

Back home, Cyborg and Beast Boy were already making preparations for movie night. They ordered a pizza and didn't argue about it, sensing the tense mood in the Tower. Raven excused herself from movie night to go meditate, which improved Starfire's mood. It improved even more when Robin suggested that they let Starfire pick the movie, which the two had been trying to avoid since she picked the documentary on the production of hot dogs.

Robin didn't know it at the time, but he would regret the decision later. Starfire sped to her room and rifled through her possessions, leaving the boys in suspense. She was floating, instead of walking, holding up the VHS cassette still wrapped in cellophane.

"'All For True Love'?" Before he became a full-time Teen Titan, Robin used to have an encyclopedic knowledge of movies, but he had never heard of this one.

"Indeed. Bumblebee recommended it to me a month back and I merely waiting for an appropriate viewing occasion." Starfire chirped, taking out the movie. Cyborg and Beast Boy had a look of resigned dread on their faces but refrained from commenting.

All gathered in the living room to watch. Robin sat on a wide couch, letting Beast Boy sit to his left and Starfire to his right while Cyborg popped in the tape. With previous movies, while Starfire was not shy in cuddling him, usually took it a lot slower; but by 10 minutes in was already wrapped around him. Waiting until later that night to tell her how she felt as opposed to when the movie began seemed like a bad idea.

As for the movie, Robin found himself liking it despite himself. The other two boys, keeping on par with their Mystery Science Theater 3000 tradition when they picked the movies, started making jokes about the dialogue and script. They finally listened to repeated pleas from Starfire to keep quiet. As for the movie itself, it was a low-budget but expertly made fantasy/romance movie. It involved the tale of a poor, brooding but honorable prince who was engaged to a beautiful princess. She was in love with him, but for superficial reasons, and a conversation with his best friends made him realize that; he instead developed an attraction for the court's witch, working for the princess and one of his friends. While not as conventionally attractive as the princess, the two developed a bond of understanding and eventually love, although he eventually discovered that it was for naught... the witch was compelled to commit suicide by the king when he discovered the truth, not wanting to botch his perfect engagement. Grief-stricken, the prince leaves back for his home country, abandoning the princess.

Although Beast Boy tried to feign boredom, he was slowly becoming more interested into the movie. Starfire reacted in the opposite way, although she seemed to become more anxious as the movie went on. After the end of the movie, Cyborg stood up, picking up the pizza boxes. Beast Boy looked at his friend curiously. "Cy... what's wrong? Are you crying?"

Cyborg made a strange guttural noise and looked away. "No, I just, got something in my eye and..."

"Wow. Cyborg's crying at a chick flick!" Beast Boy laughed.

"Shut up, man. That was a depressing, sad movie. I wonder if they got anymore like it."

Robin indicated that he wanted to sit up, causing Starfire to inch away from him. Starfire shook her head. "I did not care for it too much. They portrayed the princess as shallow and the prince as wishing for showers ('wishy washy', Cyborg corrected in vain). And the witch..."

The boys looked between each other. They hadn't made the connection while watching it, but the allegory was all too obvious now. To Robin's horror, Beast Boy pointed out, "Hey, you know, that's sort of like the relationship Robin kind of has with..." Beast Boy stopped himself after he realized what he just did.

Cyborg smacked his head and Robin ground his teeth together. Though Starfire didn't seem particularly offended at the comment. "It does, does it not?" she murmurs, looking back at Robin. She had no dread or anxiety on her face, but she did look eager for an answer. "Robin, what would you say our relationship is like?"

Robin curiously didn't feel angry at Beast Boy. Actually, this felt better than having to beat around the bush and think of something sweet to say. "Our relationship isn't anything like that of the princess, Starfire. I really like you. But not romantically. I thought I did, when we were on that planet, but I realize that I don't."

She closed her eyes tightly, feeling hurt and humiliated. "And what of you and Raven?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure yet. But it is definitely feeling that way." he stated. "I'm sorry, Starfire, I didn't mean to string you along this far. I was just scared of facing my feelings and..."

Starfire turned away from everyone. "Robin, I... you should always be faithful to yourself. But that will not change the way I feel about you." She jogged, not flew, off into the bedroom hallway, leaving them all alone.

Cyborg stuffed the pizza boxes into the trash can, glaring at youngest Titan. "You know, I just can't believe you some times. Do you ever think before you open your mouth?"

"No. Well, I mean..." Beast Boy scratched his head. "This is good, because this way Starfire is mad at me instead of Robin and Raven because she thinks that I'm responsible for setting this all up. And I kind of am."

Cyborg was about to finish cleaning up the rest of the room, but Robin waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry. I'll clean up. Beast Boy, why bother with all that?"

"I've been thinking... it's obvious that Starfire has a big thing for you, right? First girlfriend stuff. The thing is, well, if you like the first person you're with but you really like the second person more, then what do you do? Do you just, like, stay with the person you're with? Why? I just wanted to help you out."

"There... really isn't an easy answer to that." Cyborg admitted, hitting the rewind button on Starfire's tape. He was setting up for a game while staying out of Robin's way.

Robin shook his head. He couldn't be too mad at Beast Boy; in his mind, he was doing the right thing. And he did help out in the end. This morning showed that it was hard to get closure and be direct with Starfire on their relationship. "Well, thanks for trying."

"Hey, don't mention it." Beast Boy pointed both thumbs at himself, grinning cheesily. "You are talking to Doctor Smooth Love, after all."

OOO

Raven came into the living room much later that night. For a reason unknown to her, she wanted to meet him later in the night, around 1 or so. But she was too anxious to wait that long, so came by around eleven. Not that it mattered... Beast Boy and Cyborg had elected not to go on one of their all-night marathons in the living room. Even though everyone but him was sound asleep, she found herself sneaking into the living room, holding the a box underneath her robe.

And there he was, sitting in front of the television on the floor. Robin was watching a histrionic Cajun chef prepare a gumbo with the volume kept low. She walked around the couch behind him, sitting down next to him. "Robin." She greeted.

"Evening, Raven. I didn't think you'd show up this late."

"I don't want the others barging in while we talked. I haven't had a mature conversation in awhile." Raven pulled out the box, a silver-foil wrapped chocolate box and opened the lid. "Um, here. I thought we could enjoy this."

Sweet tooth again. He picked a piece at random and ate it. She knew that he didn't care too much for candy, but she could tell that he liked it. "I keep some, hidden. The others can't tell the difference between gourmet chocolate and a fistful of melted M&Ms... I... thought you would enjoy it." she explained.

"You have really good taste." He said, looking her into her eyes. After seeing those sky blue eyes of his, looking through his mask was underwhelming. She would fix that.

She took the remote from his side and turned the TV off, making the room go dark except for the lights of the cityscape. The Christmas tree's lights, left off all day, came on as one as she plugged it in and placed the box of chocolates on the floor. Though the tree looked strange and irreverent in the daytime, at night it looked magical. Starfire's ornaments created starbursts of lights against the strands and even made Beast Boy's strange decorations unnoticable. She sat on her knees and beckoned him with her most inviting smile. "Over here."

He sat right in front of her, in the same position she was. Gingerly, her hands went up to take off his mask. Raven knew that she should have waited until later before requesting such intimacy from him, but she was being very indulgent lately, like she was with Malchior. And same as back then, she couldn't help herself. But at she could trust the boy in front of her.

Robin let her take off his mask. Once again he looked much different behind it. Forgetting that she wanted to talk to him, she was drawn to his eyes, merely content to gaze into them for some time. This was so cliched, but quite romantic... she never thought of herself or Robin as much for this. Maybe their idea of it was different than from what everyone else said.

"Raven...? You look like you wanted to say something."

"Lots, Robin. I'm still thinking of how to say it." she whispered, looking down and to the side. "I... just hate the small talk you have to go through first."

"I hate it, too. Just say what's on your mind."

She sighed. "Fine. Robin, about the whole idea of us being together... I saw how much it upset Starfire. She's my friend and I didn't want to do that, but I just couldn't hold back how I felt."

Robin placed a hand over hers, where it rested on her thigh. "It was my decision. What made you want to say that?"

The idea had been bothering her ever since Starfire brought it up. The mere thought of winning Robin like that was revolting, but... she shook her head. She didn't want to think about it. "We had a fight while we were Christmas shopping. She said that I was trying to get to you through the bond."

His answer surprised her. "Haven't you? If we didn't have it, I don't think I would've given you a second thought, to be honest. What's wrong with that?"

"I mean... not just with having a link, but she thinks that I'm influencing your thoughts through it." Raven clarified.

Robin briefly looked shaken by the idea. She suddenly had a bad feeling the way this conversation was going. "... are you?" he asked, very quietly. He wasn't accusing in his tone, but he made it clear he didn't like the idea.

"No. I promise, I swear that I'm not." she half-lied. She wasn't consciously doing it, oh no. She'd die before doing that to him consciously. But she couldn't prove that that wasn't actually happening... through her dreams, maybe? "With... how powerful I'm feeling for you lately, it would be really obvious."

He laughed softly, putting her fears to rest. "I believe you. You've been more trustworthy than I have, anyway, what with Red X and all..." He then looked concerned. "But Raven, back to your earlier comment... are you sure that this is safe for you?"

"You're being so vague that I don't do what you're talking about."

He placed his other hand on her other, both of his fingers lacing between hers. "Just feeling this deeply. Your powers are linked by emotions, right? What about the side effects?"

She had noticed that, too, but ignored it at first. Her positive emotions had a much larger leeway than ones like fear and anger, but they were still there. What was the upper limit on love? Was there one? Would the effects even be bad? She bowed her head down, unable to think of anything to say that wouldn't raise more questions. She had her own theories, too, but given how obsessive Robin could be at times she didn't want to distract him from this moment.

But he continued. "But between that last dream of yours last night and all this... if nothing happened, I think it's pretty safe for us to be boyfriend and girlfriend."

She felt her heart jump at the those words. Raven had that fluttery feeling in her stomach that she got when she experienced an emotion that caused her to lose control. But again, nothing happened. She knew that she had a startled look on her face when she said that, and from the look on Robin's face it was as if he expected something to be destroyed. She smiled slyly.

"Maybe this is a good thing after all. This love..." she said.

Robin looked unamused. "It's... it's too soon to call it that, Raven. It's only been a couple of days."

"What would you call it, then?" She couldn't believe that she was the one advocating passion while Robin was the rational one. "We have shared thoughts, dreams, we're comfortable with each other, I... Robin, you have to admit that we're very intimate, even if we haven't noticed before. More than many married people."

"I'm not sure. There's more to love than attraction and intimacy." Was he referring to Stephanie? Even she knew that they had something that she didn't, but she didn't know what it was. Yet.

"If you say so." Raven sighed. She squeezed his hands, causing him to smile again. "Thanks for being so patient with all this. You're right, I am letting myself go. It's just... I've been repressing for so long and to finally have an outlet for emotion... it's killing me, Robin, but I love it."

"I know. It makes me happy that you feel this way. I, I hate seeing you sad."

She moved closer to him. "Oh, Robin." she gushed. She let go of his hands and then suddenly embraced him, like she wanted to from the beginning. He caught her and returned her hug before both parted... but Raven put her arms back around his waist. Robin couldn't help but notice how different being squeezed by her was than anyone else. Starfire and even Stephanie had a sort of hard possessiveness to theirs, which while he liked, just couldn't compare. Even though she initiated, hers also had an element of invitation. As if she was asking, even telling you to indulge in her body. Despite her standoffish appearance, she felt much softer.

The tower was so quiet, they could hear the other breathe, the faint chime of ornaments on the tree. This would be bliss for any girl, but it was heaven for poor Raven. Just with that small gesture she felt closer to him and she knew he felt closer to her. "Robin, about that dream I had last night." she said, referring to their carnal encounter from last night. "I... I think I'm going to have another one like that. Worse, maybe."

"That's fine. But you sound so apologetic." He slipped his arms between hers and placed them on her shoulder. "We're teenagers. That happens. You saw me and my old girlfriend, right?"

"I just feel so dirty and disgusting. Especially... especially after the dreams with Slade and what he does to me. It... it doesn't make me disgusted or make me fear sex. As you can tell, it just made me desire more. I hate it."

Getting no response from him, she looked him in the eyes and went on. Talking was easier than enduring the awkward silence. "I don't want you to think less of me for it, like I'm some sort of horny hypocrite. It's more complicated than that."

Robin was quiet for a long time. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was judging her and then trying to think of some perfect solution. But he didn't. She should have expected more from him to start with, since he didn't react with his usual rage and broodiness when he found out she was haunted by him. It wasn't Slade, she was sure of, but it felt like him so.

"I know how rough it's been for you... but Raven, your feelings belong to you alone. I won't think less of you for them. Don't hide from yourself because you're afraid of my reaction."

"Mmm." She would still feel embarrassed, but not nearly so. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

That was the end of their conversation. The other occasionally cooed out the others' name and both helped themselves to the chocolate, but they moved little for the longest time. eventually, Raven felt herself become progressively more sleepy, and she was looking rather forward to even more pleasure. She was really looking forward to dreaming with this boy again. Her little Robin. How did she become so fortunate? Last week, she felt so lonely yet tormented by her dreams and feelings that she felt like crying. She let out a short, joyful laugh. Robin said that what she was feeling wasn't love. But after they let go of each other and went to their rooms for the night and after she took a most indulging shower and crawled into bed... she knew otherwise.

Oh, well, she thought as she cuddled lengthwise against a fluffy pillow, pretending it was Robin. Even the Boy Wonder doesn't know everything.

OOO

There was the period of the usual voidness of thought and the disjointed dreams that accompanied them, though after having been in Raven's mind he found them droll, almost boring. He felt a sudden surge of feeling and consciousness like he did in the past but was still formless. He looked at his surroundings.

The shells and limbs of destroyed robots littering the rooms identified this day very clearly. This was the morning after Terra's betrayal. Robin was still unsure what to do at the time, so just started cleaning up. His friends soon took the cue and helped him. No one said anything at all while they worked. Beast Boy still hadn't leave his room yet.

Starfire was lifting debris out of Terra's old room when she made an 'oh' sound. "Friends, come and see. I have found her leg-topping."

"Her what?" Cyborg asked, hopping through the hole in the wall. He then scowled as he picked up her computer. Robin and Raven had come by as well. "Oh, that."

Robin nodded grimly said, "Cyborg, we're going to need your help going through and cracking the files. I bet it has everything Terra sent Slade."

"Right now? Look, I don't want anything to do with her right now." Cyborg muttered. Robin noticed the way he and Star emphasized the word 'her'.

"We don't have a choice." Robin was resolute. "We have no idea how much information Terra gave Slade and what we need to guard against."

"If you say so." Cyborg pulled a cord from his wrist and plugged it in. This turned on the laptop and started transferring data. Cyborg's eyes widened at something. "Oh man."

"Cyborg, what manner of information did you discover?" Starfire asked, looking at the screen.

Cyborg started hastily typing on the keyboard. "This is some bad stuff. I thought the security breaches were bad enough, but look at this..."

Raven had said almost nothing the entire time, except her condemnation of the former Titan. In a voice more accusing than before, "Robin, how could you let something like this happen?"

Robin was somewhat startled. "What?" Anyone else would've just treated it as a rhetorical question or apologized, but he still felt the need to explain himself. He was the only other person skeptical of Terra's arrival, but nowhere to the extend of Raven. Before she could answer, he added, "Well, we didn't catch this because we trusted Terra. We thought she was one of us."

"I didn't. I asked you repeatedly to help me keep a closer eye on the traitor and you ignored me. Why?"

Came a tired voice from behind them all, "He... he just told you, Raven." Beast Boy was there, looking miserable but trying to hide it. "Sorry I'm late to help. Rough night."

"I know he just told me. I'm sorry for not seeing everything with rose-tinted glasses, but I really want to know what you were thinking. Did it not occur to you at all that this is what just might happen if we start taking in strays."

Beast Boy had a look of defeat on his face for a few seconds, and then to even her surprise his face twisted into a deep scowl. In his nastiest tone of voice, he said, "You know what? Maybe this whole thing wouldn't have happened if you weren't so selfish."

Cyborg said, gently, "BB. Calm down, man." Starfire's bright green eyes were widening, anticipating and dreading the coming storm.

Raven cocked an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on! You never even tried to give her a chance. You were being mean to Terra ever since she came by and you had no reason to." Beast Boy crossed his arms around his chest. "Maybe if you didn't go out of your way to make her feel unwelcome she would've really been apart of the team and wouldn't have turned on us."

"She was with Slade since the beginning."

"It still wasn't too late!" He snarled. "Did we give up on you and treat you bad when you turned into that weird thing against Dr. Light?"

Raven was stunned and then her normally expressionless eyes became angry. With deadly warning to her voice, she said, "I told you before to never bring that up."

"Or what? You're going to call me stupid and act even meaner? Man, Raven, you can be one lousy friend at times." Beast Boy stormed off back down the hall, leaving the others behind.

Robin watched the changeling depart and followed him at a slow pace, then started jogging to catch up with him. "Beast Boy... Beast Boy!"

The other three Titans looked at Raven in awkward silence. Finally Raven pulled the cloak over her head and floated away from Terra's room. She softly muttered, "I'm going to clean over here." Starfire and Cyborg still said nothing.

Raven went by herself to the kitchen, as there were Slade bots even here. She used her powers to put the remains on a stack, but found it hard to concentrate after the first few. Why did she hate Terra so much, even before this? As Robin might have said, she was right for the wrong reasons. She...

She didn't want to think about him. This whole time, he was the only one who even vaguely paid any attention to her after their new teammate. Cyborg found Terra much more fun, as she didn't have to be cajoled and bribed into playing the latest video game with him or going out for a drive. Starfire, well, after they had swapped bodies and powers, Raven honestly thought that Starfire would become her best friend. Her first friend that was a girl. And until Terra came, that seemed inevitable. But over time, Starfire spent less and less time with Raven and more with the new person. Raven just ignored Starfire's gradual shift in attentions, as Robin also seemed to occupy a lot of her time too, just chalking it up to another of her tricks.

But as she thought about it, it increasingly looked like the reason why they grew apart was because of her. Why did she take her friends for granted so? Starfire did want to spend time with her, even after Terra came by, but she just had to make every little thing a struggle, which Raven usually won. No wonder why she just became tired of it after awhile. She thought that she would enjoy Beast Boy, who practically paid her no attention when Terra was around, leaving her alone, but she didn't. And it was selfish of her, since she treated him sort of badly, but she always rationalized it that if he didn't find it amusing, he wouldn't try to hang out with her so much. Was she really that bad of a person? It looked like she was.

Raven stopped moving the robots. She felt a lump in her throat and did everything in her power to force down the emotions.

OOO

Raven calmly watched Cyborg and Beast Boy try to make a batch of seasoned French fries in the deep fat fryer while reading her book at the able. After arguing for what seemed like forever on what to have for dinner, they both decided to just eat an entire pot full of fries with a bowl of ice cream for each. It was smelling pretty good at first, until the pot Beast Boy was supposed to watch was forgotten and the potatoes started to burn. Now Starfire was opening windows in an attempt to air out the living room, but the heavy rains limited how much she could open them.

Raven buried her nose deeper into the book she was reading. She couldn't wait for the weekend, when their leader came around. Those two stopped horse playing incessantly with their leader around and she could actually look forward to having a decent meal instead of fried junk food. Even though Cyborg was leader while Robin was gone, she dreaded the idea of anything actually happening on the weekday. Cyborg had a quick temper and no sense of subtlety, while Robin seemed to actually lead with his brain.

She didn't know what was with Robin, but he had improved. A lot. She thought the idea of someone without superpowers not only being on the team, but leading it was ridiculous, but lately he had been impressing her. He threw criminals that weighed four times what he did with ease and could punch hard enough to smash bedrock and actually got some useful gadgets in his belt. But he still seemed sort of out of face. Whatever, it didn't matter. He got her out of that stupid boarding school and surrounded her with people although very strange, were nice to her.

"It is as if the oceans became the sky." Starfire lamented, slumping against the counter top. A storm like this could be pretty depressing, but that was the way she liked it. The alien stuck her hand directly in the hot oil which contained Beast Boy's batch of fries and pulled out a burnt lump, munching on it. Her mood improved.

"It's the rainy season. It's going to be like this for a few days." Cyborg whewed as Starfire seemed to enjoy the ruined food; he hated treating her as a garbage disposal but he always found the things she liked fascinating. In a disgusting way.

She added, "I wish it was the fifth day so that Robin would arrive." Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged knowing glances. Starfire already appeared to have a crush on the guy.

"Don't worry, Star. He's the only one of us who has a life outside of the Titans; he's probably just doing his homework right now." Beast Boy said.

Over the intercom system, they head the doorbell to the ground floor. All of the Titans looked at each other. This was the first time it had ever been rung in the months since they came to the tower. Even disregarding the Tower's location on the island, they hadn't even received a phone call or anything other than an alert.

"Hey, guys?" Came a familiar voice. It seemed kind of choked. "It's me, Tim Dra-I mean Robin. Could you let me in?"

Wiping the oil off with a towel, Starfire cried, "Robin!". Though she was the first to leave the kitchen, the others came with her, even Raven.

They opened the front door for perhaps the first time, as the Titans preferred to fly in through the top or use the side entrance. It was Robin, but for the first time anyone had saw him he wasn't in costume. He didn't even have a mask. He had a duffle bag over his shoulder and he was soaked to the bone. The sweatshirt, the same one he was wearing on his future date with Raven, was sagging so much that it almost slipped off of his shoulders. His hair was falling all between his eyes and he was slightly hunched. He came into the lobby slowly, unmindful of the mess he was making. Starfire went to greet him, but stopped on seeing the miserable look on his face.

"Robin? Dude, nice to see you... what are you doing here on a weekday? School holiday? Or just couldn't wait to hang out with us?" Beast Boy asked, jokingly but tentatively.

"I don't have a home anymore." Robin said, softly. He looked up at the others, who were now looking at him with utmost sympathy.

Cyborg canted his head to the side, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

Robin hung his head. Sorrow made him completely candid. "The gang war in Gotham... it, Captain Boomerang killed my father and Black Mask killed someone very important to me. Then my mentor refused to adopt me. I was too old and too independent, he said... and my step mom is crazy. I don't have a home."

"So that's why you're all the way here? Don't you have school and friends back home?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm almost done with school. And I don't have any friends there anymore." Robin started to make his way up the steps. "I... I'm going to live here now."

"Truly?" Starfire asked. She was happy to see him move in permanently, but was still mindful of his sadness. "This must be very hard for you."

Robin didn't even turn around. "Yeah. I'm going to go change."

"Robin, we would love to have you here. Please, consider us your new family. Is that not correct, Cyborg?"

Cyborg smiled wanly. "You bet. We're here for you, man."

Raven quietly watched Robin ascend the stairs, leaving a trail of water everywhere. She had done little other than to look at him and she wasn't sure why. She wanted to do more than just stare. Someone like him warranted more than that. He had believed in her from the very beginning and chose her when no one else would. And she did nothing to comfort him or even show that she was there. She silently watched Robin go up the steps...

Raven, the actual person and not the memory, suddenly felt rebellious. She remembered how the rest of this memory went. Robin holed himself up in his room for the rest of the day and then pretended like nothing had happened, even though there was still pain in his eyes; they wouldn't see him outside of his costume for a long time. And she still did nothing. Well, just the thought of it, even though it had passed, made her want to do something different.

Raven took a step forward, as if unsure whether she had control of the person in this dream-memory or not, then flew directly upwards to Robin. He stopped right in front of her, puzzled. This wasn't how the memory went. She looked soulfully into his eyes, and his posture changed from merely stopping to freezing. Then she did what no one in the dream was expecting her to do: to hug him. She hugged him as tight as she could, soaking her own uniform, but she didn't care. He was tense at Raven's inexplicable action, but the touch made him relax as he realized that her gesture was sincere. She cradled his head onto her shoulder.

"Robin, I don't think you believe us. You might not realize it now, but you will always have a home here." She said, running fingers through his wet hair. Raven thought that he could see a blush forming on the side of his cheeks.

"Thanks, Raven... that means a lot to me." he murmured. "It really does and I..."

"Shh. Don't say anything." Raven planted a kiss on his forehead and smiled comfortingly at him.

OOO

Robin, or really Timothy, was standing outside the door to Rachel's house, dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and a black angora sweater with the sleeves rolled up. He wasn't wearing contacts but instead a pair of glasses, as he thought that it would make him look smarter and harmless. Azarath was a very strange city; it was built futuristically but everything was run with magic. There was hardly anyone out in the streets but it was filled with animal and plant life. Especially white doves...

He knocked on the side of the doorframe, as there was not a door, just a curtain. He intentionally mussed his hair a little bit, still worried about how he was looking. Tim had two girlfriends before, but he had never really had dinner. Yes, he ate at Ariana's place with her folks but because of his social status it felt strangely businesslike. And there was no way he was going to eat dinner with Stephanie's criminal father.

"Coming," came Rachel's voice. She was dressed in a plain white blouse and a simple grey skirt, something that she would've worn at her old boarding school. She smiled on seeing her boyfriend, though it became wry as she saw the glasses. "Yes, there's no way she'll notice that."

Tim adjusted his glasses. "I couldn't help it. I've never met an adult as the real me, but I sort of forgot what the real me was like. I was thinking sort of a nerd."

Rachel snatched them off of his face and shook her head. "You are so hopeless. Come in, dinner is almost ready."

"Can't wait." He walked inside of her house, immediately looking around. For someone as important to Azarath as Rachel and her mother were, they lived quite a Spartan lifestyle. Their home was smaller than Stephanie's and it was much more sparsely decorated. The den and what he thought was the kitchen was only one room and he only saw rooms leading to a bathroom and a bedroom. The dining table was a raised stone platform on the floor surrounded by pillows. Rachel invited him to sit down on the floor, which he did, and then she sad down next to him. Her mother had their back turned to both of them and was still putting food on plates.

"Thanks for coming by, Timothy. We don't get a lot of visitors." Arella said. Robin was immediately struck with how different this woman seemed from the Arella in the previous dream. Aside from her hair being purple and she being taller, she carried herself so much differently. She was in white robes rather than dumpy earth clothes, her voice was more dignified, and she carried herself in a regal manner. She sat down at the table with the plates. This woman was clearly proud of her daughter.

"Don't mention it. I was looking forward to coming by." He fibbed. Actually, he wasn't at first, but now that he was in the room he didn't know what he was so nervous about. Arella was completely without pretense and he felt at ease in the earthy surroundings. He picked up a fork and picked up something that seemed like a casserole, with no meat in it. He wasn't sure whether Azarathians preferred vegetarian meals or it was just too expensive. Tim ate, the food tasting like a gourmet dish he ate at fancy restaurants with his family.

"Rachel says that you have been going out with her for several months." Arella said, pleased at Tim's appetite.

"We have. I really like your daughter." Even he realized how silly he sounded, but he figured that as long as he was sincere about what he said wouldn't matter.

"That's fine. I'm glad she found someone... she talks about you all the time."

"Mother." Rachel groaned, staring at her dish.

Ignoring her daughter's growing embarrassment, she continued, "She tells me a lot about your life with the Titans, but little about your life as Tim. I have to say that I am a bit curious about you, since you knew her before you really became your identity."

Oh, great. The food was too good and he was eating too quickly. The plate was almost empty of food, and he could tell that he would need it as a reason to stall for answers.

"Well... my life before that has kind of been put on hold. But, um, before I became a full-time Titan... I used to be you-know-who's sidekick, my parents owned a very successful business, I used to go to Gotham Prep School... I was a valedictorian of my class and on a lot of sports teams, but I never really cared for it. I'm really more into, well, computers and books."

"Interesting." Arella looked at Tim's plate. "I'm sorry. I forgot how much food boys your age ate. Let me get you some more."

"Thank you, ma'am. It's really good."

Arella stood up from the table and went back to the kitchen. Rachel shook her head at Tim. "Breathe, Boy Wonder. Don't be so nervous; she likes you."

"Sorry." Tim adjusted how he sat so to relax, waiting for her mother to come back to the table. After what seemed like an hour, Arella came back with another plate for Tim, setting it down in front of him.

"Why are you two so quiet? You don't have to change your conversation on my account," she said, again looking at the guest.

"He's just a little shy. He acts completely different in costume." Rachel explained.

"Is that so..." Arella smiled knowingly. "How far have you two been in your relationship physically? Aside from your first date, of course."

Her comment caused Tim to choke on his food and Rachel to cry out, "Mother!"

"I am just curious."

Tim struggled to find a good answer for this, but could only lamely remark, "That was just... a dream, ma'am."

"I would hesitate to call it just a dream... I'm surprised she would think something so openly sexual. I mean, it is normal for a girl of her age, but she has to struggle to keep her emotions in check, as you know."

By now, both teenagers were staring directly at their plates. Tim was shovelling food into his mouth by now and Rachel stared daggers at her mother every now and then. Lamely, again, he said, "I know."

"She must think very highly of you. You've been occupying her thoughts a lot... I never expected her to find love so soon."

Somehow, he found the courage to look her in the eyes again. "I'm not sure what you're getting at, ma'am."

"I think you do know what I am getting at, young man, and while I approve, I am trusting things to you to make sure things do not get too far."

"Huh? What do you mean too far?" Tim asked. He wanted to ask more, but in the back of his mind he knew that the dream was going to end before he could ask her.