"..." Talking

'...' Thinking

(...) Authur notes

Italics Flash Backs/Dream Sequence

New & Old

Raven rested her head against the cool tile of the shower as a warm spay of water washed over her. "Was it over?" she wondered in disbelieve. She had run from her destiny all her life and it had finally caught up with her. Now it was hard to wrap her mind around the concept that the fate she had been doomed to fulfill had been avoided. But the time of reckoning was fresh in her mind. The empath could vividly remember the burning feel of fire as Hell burned her body from the inside. Her muscles tensed as the weight of the world fell onto her shoulders again. Unbearable pain erupted when her soul was shredded as Trigon clawed his way into the mortal plane.

Her amethyst eyes shot open as she wretched away from the wall and fled from the shower and the scorching stream. It took her some moments to ease her labored breathing and calm her pounding heart. Her rationalization returned after she forced the images of the apocalypse from her eyes. With much mental effort she carefully wrapped herself in a dark blue linen intending to escape the steam clouded bathroom and take refugee under the covers of her bed. She stopped short.

Raven was not sure why but something drove her to wipe the fog off the mirror and stare into her reflection. She saw herself as she had been before her fate had been inflicted upon her. The symbols of scath had faded away and every bloody abrasion had healed leaving her pale grey complexion unmarred. There were no more physical signs of her battle with her destiny, except for her hair. The lavender locks had grown out once more to reach her mid back, exactly as it had been when Slade had shown her the hellish future she would promote.

The scissors lie conventionally on the sink and she reached for them without compulsion. Holding her long hair between her fingers she brought the blades to snip level to her chin. She was about to destroy the last reminder of what had happened. That's what she longed for, to be able to escape and forget all that had happened. For all the hurt that haunted this day to be cast away into the unreachable darkness of her mind. But even though the day she face her destiny was perhaps the most painful event ever to devastate her life, it was also a triumph. It hadn't happened, she'd stopped it. The world was intact and Trigon had been sealed into the fires from whence he came. The destruction she had been prophesied to do, the dark world of molten lava she had seen had not come to reality. The powers she possessed that were meant to cause death had been used to persevered life. Maybe she shouldn't erase the memories of her destiny.

The images were horrifying and reminder her of the demon she had been sired by but they were the lesson she would be wise to learn from. Her past was dark but the only way to not be engulfed by that darkness in the future would be to embrace and understand the shadows of her past. There was hope that even though she can never out run her destiny she could choose it by first shaping herself. She had to remember what had happened today to prevent it from occurring again. Steadily she put the scissors down.

Suppressing a sigh, Raven looked at her long hair. Yes, she could live with the length but there was no way she would leave it loose. Trowing the lavender mane over one shoulder she transformed the mass into a neat braid. Some of the shorter strands fell loose and cupped her face. The dark teen grimaced momentarily but wasn't truly annoyed at the set back and upturning her dark amethyst eyes she studied her new image. Her past combined with the future looked back at her.

"Dude you cheated!" an enraged Beast Boy cried. The green changeling was covered in a thick green slime as he glared at his cybernetic companion.

"Sorry BB, anything goes in Stank Ball. If ya can't take da heat get otta da street." Cyborg gloated doing a victory dance as the smaller Titan began to fume even more. As the two glared at one another the boys failed to notice the orange Tameranian who had appeared between them.

"Friends!" an ecstatic Starfire greeted. The sudden outburst caught the two fighting teens off guard and succeeded in refocusing their angry stares at the happy alien. "Do you two wish to part take in the breaking of one's fast? I assure you that I have ample amount of mustard to share!" Beast Boy and Cyborg's looks became incredulous as they took in Starfire's invitation. Her joyous mood dampened by the utter silence of the room after her request Starfire's grin faltered and she opened her eyes. "Does that not sound..." the orange teen never finished as her nose picked up on something. One full sniff and slapped her hand over her offended nose. "Friend Beast Boy, you are saturated in a foul odored substance!" Curiosity irked, Robin peeked over the top of the Jump City Times he was reading at the table to see just what was going on.

"Thanks for noticing, Star. It's all Cyborg's fault!" the green changeling screamed. Irritated by Beast Boy and Cyborg's early morning argument Robin when back to scouting the new paper as Starfire tried to calm the squabbling team mates.

"Was not!" the mechanical teen yelled back.

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was n..." Cyborg's eyes widened to about the size of dinner plates as he looked over the shorter Titan.

Beast Boy completely thrown for a loop by Cybrog's shocked expression forgot his anger. "Cy, what?" Waving a hand in front of the cyber teen he received no verbal reply. Cyborg only grabbed the changeling by the shoulders and spun him to face the opposite direction.

"Man, wha...Holy TOFU!" Beast Boy exclaimed as his mouth fell open out from disbelief.

Starfire beamed. "Oh Friend Raven, you appear more appealing than usual!"

"Uh... Thanks, Star," Raven said slowly in a careful monotone. She wasn't sure if Starfire's complement was suppose to sound like an insult, but then again the Tameranian's speech was rather unorthodox. Calmly, she continued to prepare her morning tea.

"I didn't know you had treads like that," Cyborg commented with a nod toward her clothes. Flickering her gaze downward Raven looked at the dark navy sweater she wore along with the faded blue jeans. Her last costume had been extensively damaged in the battle the day before. And since the dark empath refused to leave her room wrapped only in a towel she had just two options, the sweater and jeans or the gym uniform left from Mad Modd's crash course high school. She picked the civilian clothes, the lesser of two evils.

"My suit still needs some repairs," she offered with an indifferent shrug. All their attention was grating on her nerves. She was use being invisible and the half demon was proficient at it. It was testing her discipline to keep her icy cool with their eyes boring into her with such intense shock. Her companions' projected thoughts and feelings bombarded her empathic abilities. If felt as though obnoxiously loud whispers were being said right by her ear. It was distracting.

Raven was taken aback when the Boy Wonder materialized beside her. Robin had a lock of her hair fine hair between his thumb and fore finger as he examined its extended length. He gave a curt nod before dropping the tendrils, "It suites you." Raven felt indignation flare a moment before stifling the emotion. ' Why would I care if he approved?' she thought blankly.

"D...d...dude Raven ... She looks... NORMAL!" Beast Boy was starting to withdraw from the paralyzation the shock had submitted him to. Raven turned a dark look on the stuttering changeling. He normally would have realized the danger in this warning but he was still a little immobilized by surprise. A mug shattered under the pressure of dark energy right beside Beast Boy. The shrill sound of breaking glass snapped the green changeling out from his stupor. He transformed into a dog which turned tail and ran with the appendage tucked between its legs. Cooly, Raven poured herself some tea and seated herself beside Starfire who was ingesting inhuman amounts of mustard, across from Robin who was lazily thumbing through the paper, and far from Cyborg who was laugh his head off.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos, Ararath, Metrion, Zinthos, Azarath, Metr..."

"Friend Raven," Starfire ventured. Raven cracked one eye but did not turn. She remained in her levitating mediation state as Starfire approached her. "Friend Beast Boy has opted that we as a group should go out for the eating of pizza. We believe it would be fun."

"No," Raven replied deadpan as she closed her eyes to resume her meditation.

"But, we all wish you to come with us. It would..."

"No."

"Al right, I will return to the others and inform them of your rejection," the saddened alien turned to make her retreat.

Feeling the tingle of remorse caress the barrier of her calm state Raven sank from her levitation. "Star."

"Yes, Friend Raven," Starfire turned with a flicker of optimism in her lime green eyes.

"Thanks."

Starfire's face dimmed but her smile return. "You are sure that wish not to join us in our outing?"

"I'm sure. I'd like to rest tonight."

The Tamaranian was struck with understanding. Raven would be spent after the battle yesterday. Nodding enthusiastically she turned to leave.

Raven took her restlessness out on the helpless punching bag. It swung wildly as her fist and kicks beat at the sand pouch mercilessly. The pounding rhythm of rain and the thudding of her attacks created and eerie beat against the rusty creak of the practice targets swinging. It was the only sounds to echo through Titan Tower. Falling into the pattern Raven numbed her mind by placing her full concentration on the force of her movements.

Being lost in the chaotic beat she immediately noticed the out of place crash from above her. Without reservation she used her power to transcommute up into the upper level of the tower. The fury of the storm howled outside snapping the power line and killed the back up generator. The whole Titan Tower was left without power, no alarm system and no lights. Still the empath's eyes adjusted easily to the new environment. She caught sight of a shadow cut out from the very darkness as it slipped around the corner.

She followed the silhouette's trail, her dark energy sparking her balled fists as she crept toward the shadow intruder. There was a show of blue sparks in the blackness. A door began to open with a hiss only to be forced closed by a claw of black energy. The Shadow turned and a flash of lightening illuminated the darkness. Raven stood face to face with a very familiar thief in a skull mask slashed with a red x outside Robin's bedroom.

Reveiws are nice and I would like to know what you think.