I still don't own the Teen Titans.

Deals: Chapter 1

What a day, I thought tiredly as I entered my room. It seemed like everyone needed us today. We had stopped a runaway bus filled with people, three bank robberies, and one jewel heist, saved five people from a burning building and put out the fire. And that was only the morning. I was so tired I didn't even think that I could meditate properly without falling asleep.

"You only get one chance at a first impression," an unfamiliar voice said from the darkness, causing me to jump slightly. I snapped on the lights to reveal a strange, young man lounging on my bed. One corner of his mouth was pulled into a smile. "What do you think?"

I levitated a lamp to my side, ready to hurl it at him if I thought it was necessary. "Who are you?" I asked guardedly. "If you're a thief, you chose the wrong place to rob."

I saw a shadow of annoyance cross his face before he turned his head away. "Oh, please. You think I'm a—thief?" He said it like it was something one didn't mention in polite society. "Do I look like a—thief?"

"Appearances can be deceiving," I countered. He sat up and swung his long, jean-clad legs over the side of the bed, allowing me to take in his tempting, attractive male physique. A swath of wavy gold hair fell casually on his forehead. He brushed it away absently and folded his long-fingered hands in his lap, turning his gaze back to me. His jade green eyes were dark and unfathomable as his mouth spread into a thin-lipped smile.

"And you'd know all about deceiving appearances, huh?" he said softly, mockingly.

I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "I don't know what you mean," I responded, giving him an unfriendly stare. "I think you should leave now."

He rose in one fluid motion and straightened his black T-shirt. "You don't even know why I'm here," he said matter-of-factly. He began to move around the room, as though he were taking in his surroundings for the first time.

"I don't care why you're here," I answered firmly. "You're trespassing and you need to leave right now. Or else."

He turned to me and gave a short, scornful laugh. There was a lethal calmness in his eyes as he spoke. "Are you threatening me?" he asked quietly.

There was something in his voice that made me think I should try another approach. "Look, I don't want to hurt you," I said soothingly, returning the lamp to where I had found it. "If you leave now, I won't report this to the police. We can walk away and pretend that this never happened. Okay?"

He went back to looking around as though I hadn't even spoken. "You should really consider redecorating this place," he said casually, running a finger over one of my bookshelves. "Definitely bad Feng-shui here."

I began to grind my teeth at his sudden change in subject. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Who are you?" I asked, a slight edge to my voice.

A thoughtful smile curved his mouth. He strolled forward and extended his hand. "Why don't you call me Lou?"

I glanced at the hand disdainfully. "Is that your name?"

After a moment, he lowered his hand and gave a small shrug. "It's one of them."

I raised my right eyebrow a fraction. "Uh-huh," I responded tentatively. I slowly reached behind me, preparing to open the door and make a hasty retreat. "How about you just take what you need and I'll come back later?"

He laughed as if sincerely amused. "I didn't come here to get something," he told me, coming closer and looking down at me intensely. "I came here to give you something, Raven."

I dropped my hand back to my side and stared at him, baffled. "How did you know my name?"

"I know much about you, Raven." He reached out, cupping my chin in his hand, and tilted my head up. "I've watched you for quite some time now."

His touch was so soft. I could feel my skin tingle. "Why?" I whispered, never taking my eyes off of him.

He gave a faint smile, touched with a bit of sadness. "It doesn't matter," he answered, releasing me and taking a step back. "All that matters right now is that I've come to offer you something. Whether you accept it or not is up to you."

My mind reeled with confusion. He was making no sense. "What are you talking about?"

He looked at me quizzically. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to express your emotions freely?" he asked in an odd, yet gentle tone. "To not worry about what you might blow up if you lose your temper? To not have to meditate for hours on end just to keep them in check? To be normal...like your friends?"

My breath seemed to solidify in my throat. How could he know that about me? My mind was in tumult. "So what if I have?" I finally responded dryly, crossing my arms over my chest to make it look like I was calm and in control. "There's nothing I can do about it."

A secretive smile softened his lips. "You may not be able to do anything, but I can. That is, if you'll let me."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. A complete stranger comes to the Tower to give me the ability to have emotions? I scowled at him. "What's in it for you?"

He thought about that for a moment. "The satisfaction of knowing I did my good deed for the day?" he responded with a mischievous grin. "Or how about that I was able to make your life a little easier?"

I gave him a wry smile. "Yeah, right. Why don't I believe you?"

He stared at me and then burst out laughing. "Because you know that's not how the world works," he replied easily. "Nothing is free. Everything comes with a price, sometimes a price that is too high. But in this case, you're wrong."

"Okay," I said carefully, dropping my arms back to my sides. "Hypothetically speaking, let's say that I'm interested. How do you plan on doing this?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a small mound of dark orange mud. "The only way to define this," he said, bending over and placing the mud on my floor, "at least, in terms that you'll understand, is to call it magic." He came back up, wiping his hand on his shirt.

"I cannot change who you are," he explained. "I cannot physically remove the demon from within you because you were born half-demon, half-mortal. I would kill you if I tried it that way.

"Instead, I'm going to make it so that you can feel emotions through another. Now, I know what you're thinking. Emotions are what trigger the evil within you. Basically, this is all going to be an illusion. Your mind will know that it's not real, but your body won't. Questions?"

"Yes. Are you insane?" I asked sardonically. "It's impossible."

His mouth twitched with amusement. "A little on the skeptic side, are we? You know, a lot of people would say it's impossible for one to be a half-demon and half-mortal, too."

"So, what are you saying?" I asked quietly.

"Just give me a chance." He bent down on his knees, spat into the mound, and began to mix it with his fingers. The mound looked like it was becoming larger, though I figured that was just because it was being spread out.

I was still leery of this idea. "So I'm going to be able to feel emotions through another. Who would volunteer for that?" I asked.

"No one," he responded instantly. He looked up at me for a moment. "So we're going to create someone." He gave a small wink and went back to his work.