Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.
A/N: Raven42431, thanks for reviewing…but please give me a comment on the story itself. Do you like it...dislike it? I could use some more feedback. Midnight'blue'raven, it's nice of you to review again! X Acheron X, hi! I really appreciate the fact that you keep on reviewing my story! Thanks so much. Dark Shadows, I'm glad you're so eager to read the last chapter of my story! I hope you like it!
FINAL CHAPTER…
Voices swirled around Raven's head. Familiar voices…anxious voices…The breeze cradled her face, carrying them with it. Raven detected the sweet fragrance of woodland trees as she lie shrouded in dimness.
Weak. I feel so weak, her mind screamed.
Sweat and hair gel threatened to dull the rest of her senses, and she felt someone holding her, caressing her cheek. Three other people silently breathed around her. Turning her head, Raven's nose brushed against the smooth texture of someone's clothing that hid a well-toned abdomen. Feeling secure, she snuggled against the person.
"Is she gonna be okay?" someone asked, concern evident in his booming voice.
The one holding Raven murmured, "I hope so."
"Perhaps I shall prepare my Pudding of Healing," someone proposed in a pure, high-pitched voice.
"No way!" another exclaimed. "That's the last thing she needs."
As the voices interrupted her thinking, Raven chose to peel open one of her violet eyes. Robin's red chest obstructed her view, and she gasped, flustered. The Boy Wonder had his right arm under her neck while the other one lay over her waist. Sitting contentedly on his lap, Raven glanced at her other teammates, who were all overjoyed to see her alive.
"RAVEN," exclaimed Starfire, "YOU HAVE AWAKEN!" Snatching the dark girl from Robin, she squeezed her friend in a bone-crunching embrace.
Struggling to breath, Raven lie stunned in Starfire's welcoming hug, gazing at her pale hand. No matter how ordinary her hand seemed, joy overcame her. I'm human again. She smiled even though no one witnessed it. Released from the giddy alien's strong limbs, Raven perceived that her leotard returned, as did Robin's tri-color uniform. "What happened?" she questioned Robin.
He explained, "You fainted after trapping Malchior in your necklace." Robin's eyes wandered to the cloaked girl beside him. "And don't worry. Cyborg destroyed it while you were unconscious." The robotic adolescent bowed his head slightly when Robin motioned toward him.
"Yeah. Malchior's gone for good," applauded Beast Boy, chortling. It did not matter how successful Raven was at vanquishing her worst adversary because Beast Boy's laugh would never cease to irritate her.
Confused, she continued, "But how did you guys find us?"
"The blue light from your necklace," provided Cyborg from beside Beast Boy. "You could see it from anywhere."
"But here's the funny part," giggled the green teenager, still recovering from his previous outburst. "When we came to Malchior's lair, you guys were mice!" Falling backward, he erupted maniacally once more.
The dark girl scowled. "Since Robin and I were mice, then how did we change back into humans?" she demanded.
"I'm guessing Malchior had something to do with it," presumed Robin, turning toward his Dark Angel. "When he escaped from your book, he probably disturbed the Gnizoija stone, so your necklace stopped working correctly." Robin loved how Raven listened intently to his reasoning. Everyone else seemed absent from the scene. "And since your necklace was supposed to control your emotions, it must have malfunctioned that day we had the water fight, so we turned into mice." Since the others were present, Robin failed to mention how he and Raven were close to kissing during that frenzy. "So now that Malchior's sealed again, everything must have gone back to normal, and we're humans again." Cyborg nodded and Beast Boy drooled.
Scratching her fiery hair, Starfire commented, "That is most interesting, yes?"
Glimpsing at the sun, Cyborg interfered, "Hopefully that's all settled, so we should probably get something to eat 'cause it's about 5:30."
"Great idea…I'm starving," Beast Boy concurred. "Let's have tofu."
"NO WAY!" roared Cyborg, his temper escalating faster than normal.
"Yes way!" Beast Boy retorted, glaring straight at his metal buddy.
A platter of brown loaves soaked in a red sticky liquid and speckled with slimy green bugs rose before their noses. "Or shall we consume my special blorrkulloffes?"
Shrieking, Beast Boy hopped an entire five feet from the orange-skinned alien and quivered, forgetting his heated combat with Cyborg. Nonetheless, Starfire continued to offer her so-called Tamaranian special to the two buddies, leaving Robin and Raven alone.
That's strange…Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg are acting weird…
"Something bothering you, Raven?" a concerned Robin asked, wrapping his arm around her with reluctance. Even though their bond made the pair close, their experience pulled them even closer.
Raven confessed, "Its just…Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy are acting…bizarre…"
"Really? I didn't notice."
Lifting a brow, Raven noted, "Well, Cyborg seemed to have a worse temper...Beast Boy seemed to be more scared…and Starfire didn't hug you even once sine we got back…well, not that I know of…"
"No, she hasn't hugged me," Robin shrugged carelessly. "What do you think happened?"
Recalling her second horrifying encounter with Malchior, she acknowledged, "I remember Malchior telling me that while we were mice, he'd been biting our friends. I think he bit Beast Boy and Cyborg once and Starfire twice..." Raven's blinks came at longer intervals as she fell in deep concentration. "The bites might have interfered with their brain and changed their personality a bit…" Her voice trailed off.
"Do you think this will fade away?"
"Well, the bites itself will, but I doubt that the effect will go away." Facing Robin, she asked, "Robin, did Malchior bite you at all?"
Placing a hand on his chest, he said, "Me? Yeah, two times. What do you think it did to me?"
Although Raven persisted silence, she knew fully well how Malchior's bites altered Robin: he no longer held any special interest in Starfire. Those childish feelings faded away forever…she was certain of it. This effect even replicated in Starfire as well. Any romantic feelings she possessed for the dashing Boy Wonder disintegrated. Overjoyed, Raven secretly grinned.
Realizing the cloaked girl's lack of an answer, Robin queried, "Do you want to get something to eat?"
"No," she declined. "Maybe later."
"All right. I'll see you later." Winking at her, Robin left his beloved admiring the woodsy scent engulfing her senses.
Before she could bask in the silence, Raven brushed her elbow against something bulging from her pocket. At first, she thought it was her book, but she soon dismissed the notion since the object was too long, skinny, and wrinkled. Sliding her hand into the side pocket, Raven pulled out a strip of blue cloth.
No book.
Dirt and dried blood clung to the cloth's edges. The cotton rubbed against Raven's fingertips, and she recognized the cloth in two words: Ruth's dress.
This brought about another mystery, but this one was unsolved: What became of Ruth?
Lounging on top of their cabin, Raven watched the full moon hover in a blanket of black and blue, shimmering like a coin. The celestial satellite possessed a rare brilliance that intrigued the dark girl. Crickets sang their harmonious songs while she sat on the flat, cool surface of the cabin roof. Her violet strips of hair danced in her face, so she tucked them behind her ear. Intimately relishing the moon's comforting glow, Raven failed to hear someone creep behind her.
"What are you doing up so late?" inquired Robin, gazing at Raven's ivory skin while it shimmered in front of him. With one arm behind his back, he settled next to her.
With pressed lips, Raven said, "I could ask you the same thing, Boy Blunder."
"Raven, just work with me here," he chuckled, still hiding his right arm from her.
Bending to her left, Raven tried to see what Robin held in his concealed hand.
"Sorry, Raven," he apologized. "You can't look…yet."
Raven frowned. "Tell me what you're hiding," she insisted, observing the shadows on his face expectantly.
"Close your eyes," Robin commanded.
Twirling her pupils, Raven obeyed, arms crossed and legs dangling from the side of the roof.
The Boy Wonder told her, "Hold out your hand."
Raven thrust out with her palm facing the interminable blanket of sky. A gust of wind cooled her hand while she waited. Before long, a shot of fierce coldness burst in the center of her exposed palm. Raven felt something hard and smooth in her hand…something with an intriguing texture and numerous straight edges. She rubbed her thumb against it. A chain-like rope attached to a little notch on the object in her hand.
Could it be…?
Thrilled, Robin said, "You can open your eyes now…"
Raven abided her Boy Wonder's order and found her present nestling in her hand. "Robin…" she gasped. "I can't believe it. Where did you get it?"
Teasing his hair proudly, Robin informed, "I have my ways. I thought you could use some help with controlling your powers, so I got it for you."
A true smile blossomed on Raven's face, like the sun bursting through the clouds after a monstrous storm. The moon captured her true beauty, enhancing her features.
She looks so beautiful, Robin drooled, wishing to touch his lips to Raven's soft ones again.
Averting Robin from his fantasies, Raven asked, "Do you mind putting it on for me?"
"No," a dazed Robin answered, "not at all." Grasping the chain of Raven's new necklace, he sat behind her, wrapping the jewelry around her luscious neck. He connected the little hook in the back, admiring Raven's dark hair all the while. The sweet aroma of lilacs wafted him again, like before.
Raven mumbled, "Thank you, Robin."
"No problem."
Admiring the Gnizoija stone around her neck, Raven perceived three words engraved in gold on it: I love you. Too amazed by the wonderful words, she did not notice Robin's silence...or his devious plan yet to arrive.
"Robin…" she began, but the Boy Wonder interfered.
Still at her rear, he grabbed Raven's waist and started wiggling his fingers around her belly button.
In a fit of pure laughter, Raven managed, "Robin, STOP!" She shrieked and turned to confront her attacker, who had suddenly stopped tickling her.
"Raven…" he murmured. The Dark Angel relished the sound her name made as it rolled off his tongue.
She gasped at the closeness of Robin's face. She could almost see through his mask.
Silence triumphed the moment. Robin still had his hands at Raven's waist, and Raven's arms magically found their way to Robin's shoulders. Comfortable in that position, neither titan moved, that is, until they yearned for something more.
"Were you about to say something, Robin?" whispered Raven, her large, purple orbs searching Robin's mask.
"Yes," he noted, a dreamy expression in his eyes. "And you?"
Raven nodded. "Robin…" She took a deep breath. "I love you, too."
"Raven, I love you," the Boy Wonder acknowledged.
Both teenagers grinned at the same time.
I can't take this anymore, Robin thought.
Raven's mind hollered, I need him more than I've ever needed anyone else!
The two titans inched closer to each other, their lips colliding in an intimate lip-lock. Needing more, Raven pulled Robin even closer until their chests touched. Robin responded by sucking on Raven's bottom lip while his hands explored his partner's back.
Satisfied, Raven rushed her fingers through Robin's dark mane and cupped his cheeks.
Robin's mask slipped off, but no one noticed.
Raven started levitating, bringing Robin with her, but no one noticed.
Raven's legs curled around Robin's chest as they ascended into the evening stars. Too engrossed in their kiss, neither noticed anything besides each other. Robin and Raven uttered more words of affection and lied in one another's arms.
The best part was that no interruptions spoiled the lovely moment.
They did not even change into mice.
A/N: The End of "Lethal Betrayal"!
Poll:
1. Which was your favorite chapter? Least favorite chapter? And why?
2. What was my strength? My weakness?
3. Should I write a sequel?