A/N: And now, we're at the end of this sordid tale. This chapter, and then an epilogue in a week or two. ((sighs)) I enjoyed it. Did you?

Props to Vinnie, the beta extrodinaire, and Greg, who put me in a fluffy enough mood to write this. Enjoy! .

Honesty

Chapter 10

"Where is Robin?" Starfire asked Beast Boy, biting her lip worriedly. "The curse should have worn off by now."

"Chill out, Star," Beast Boy said, trying to calm her. "Robin'll be here soon."

"But when is it that he will be here?" Starfire said.

"I don't know," Beast Boy admitted. "Hopefully, so- hey! Speak of the devil!" he exclaimed, as Robin descended the stairs from the hallway.

"Robin!" Starfire exclaimed.

"Hey, Sta- Oomph!" Robin's breath was suddenly extinguished as Starfire tackled him in a bone-crunching hug, smiling widely. "How's it going?" he said weakly.

"Oh, Robin! I have missed you so!" Starfire said excitedly, squeezing him even tighter. "This week has been most un-fun without your leadership! And I was most worried! No one has seen you since the morning, and it is almost twilight!"

"Star? You're choking him," Beast Boy said, noting the bluish tinge on Robin's face.

"Oh," Starfire said, blushing, letting him go. A great gulp of air rushed into his lungs while Robin lay prostrate on the floor, his color slowly returning. "Sorry," Starfire said faintly.

"I missed you too, Starfire," Robin said, smiling weakly, as he slowly got to his feet. "Raven get this same welcome?" he asked, smirking.

"You can count on it," Beast Boy laughed. "Raven managed to escape by dissolving and rematerializing a few feet away, though."

"Where is Raven?" Robin asked, looking around. "I don't see her or Cyborg, as a matter of fact." A cold fear that maybe Raven had changed her mind and run off with Cyborg flew into his mind, which Robin quickly squashed, knowing it was only his own insecurities speaking.

"It was the strangest thing," Beast Boy remarked. "Raven came in this morning with two tickets to a Demolition Derby and gave them to Cyborg, who grabbed Jinx and ran out. It was weird."

"I think our friend Raven is merely being kind towards Cyborg's plight," Starfire sniffed. "Jinx is leaving soon, and Raven knows that Cyborg will miss her terribly, and the versa of vice. She is only trying to help them out with a nice outing of lastness. There is nothing 'weird' about that."

"It's not like Raven to do things like that," Beast Boy shot back. "Come to think of it, she had a long talk with Jinx yesterday, too, in her room, no less, which no one ever goes into, so that was weird too."

"I have gone into Raven's room!" Starfire said hotly.

"Well, you're her friend," Beast Boy pointed out.

"Maybe Jinx is her friend as well!" Starfire said forcefully.

"No way!" Beast Boy denied. "There's no way that Raven would make friends with her!"

"You are just saying that because you are 'sulky' that Cyborg has been spending more time with Jinx than playing the games of videos with you!"

"I am not!"

"You are too!"

"Am not!

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Guys! Guys!" Robin interrupted loudly, holding his hands up. Beast Boy and Starfire stopped their heated argument to turn to him, fire still sparkling in their eyes. How did they ever last a week like this? he wondered to himself, internally smirking as they shot one another glowering looks.

"As interesting as all this is, it still doesn't answer my question about where they are," Robin pointed out.

"Cyborg's out with Jinx at that derby," Beast Boy scoffed, dismissive. "I don't know where Raven is."

"You are being childish," Starfire informed him. "You are still upset about Terra, and now that everyone else but you has another of significance, you are being mopey."

"Me? Mopey?" Beast Boy objected. "I never-"

"Raven is in her room," Starfire interrupted, addressing Robin. "She has been in there for most of the day."

"If you ask me, she's hiding from you," Beast Boy told Robin. "Or from the press, maybe. They keep asking for 'clarification' on her statement."

"Please note that nobody did ask you," Starfire said coolly.

"Hey!"

"Hang on," Robin said quickly, intrigued. "Raven made a statement to the press?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in pleasant surprise.

"Yeah," Beast Boy said. "None of the rest of us knew what to do, so she took care of it."

"It is most likely still playing on the major stations of news," Starfire said. "They have been playing it over and over for several days."

"Want to see?" Without waiting for an answer, Beast Boy leapt over the back of the couch, promptly plopping down onto it and snatching up the remote, turning the TV on with a skilled flick of his wrist. The TV blared to life, the huge face of some random reporter swimming into view.

"-the only Titans there. Slade has since disappeared, but the events of that night remained unexplained. Raven has made a statement, we take you to it now..."

Robin watched as the TV camera switched over to one taken from on the Titans' island, judging from the angle and field of vision.

"The Titans have been working on an advanced cloaking technology meant to give us the advantage over villains through stealth," Raven said flatly, her irritation clearly evident in her voice. "Luckily, this worked when Robin and I initially tested it out at the recent jewelry store break-in, but it had some rather ill after-effects."

"We're working on cloaking technology?" Robin asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Beast Boy smirked. "Cy had better get started on that soon."

"Actually," Robin said, considering, "that's a brilliant idea. It'd give us a great advantage over the enemy, and wouldn't be too difficult to accomplish."

Beast Boy just rolled his eyes, turning to focus back on the screen, where Raven was addressing another reporter.

"Yes, we were sick," she said curtly, scowling at the questioner. "I just said that. But if words with more than two syllables confuse your miniscule mind, perhaps I should revert to simpler terms to suit your pathetic vocabulary..."

Robin smirked. That was the Raven he knew.

"I wonder why the journalists keep coming back, even when Raven is so mean to them.," Starfire wondered aloud, making the broadcast difficult to hear.

"Because Raven's the only one who'll give them their story," Beast Boy said, his eyes still fixed on the TV. "Now be quiet. This is my favorite part coming up."

Robin watched as a reporter finished a question, and Raven's eyes flared.

"I am not pregnant!" Raven said furiously, glaring at the offending questioner. "So there is no point in bothering to answer your inquiry as to who the father is..."

"Raven!" another foolish reporter called, interrupting her. "Is it true that your sensitive reaction to today's questions is to be blamed on sexual tension between you and the Titan's leader, or are you PMSing?"

"I am not PMSing!" Raven snapped, her eyes taking on a decidedly reddish sheen. "And I am not being irritable because of sexual tension towards anybody! I'm simply getting frustrated from answering your stupid questions!"

"Raven, we have heard reports of an affair being conducted between you and Sla-"

"That's enough!" Raven yelled, her eyes glowing a harsh red as someone's TV camera blew up off to the side. "Get off our island! Now!"

The next few few seconds were footage of mass panic as Raven used her dark powers to throw various reporters off the island into the river, the others running around in mass panic, screaming, before someone ran into the camera, knocking it over, sending the signal into nothingness.

"Clearly," the TV broadcast woman said, returning to the screen. "Something about the mistake of their cloaking technology's failure has the Titans very ups-"

"Turn it off," Robin said loudly, above Starfire's giggling, laughing himself. "I've heard enough." Beast Boy obediently turned it off, before joining Robin and Starfire in laughter.

"Somehow, her press conferences always end like that," Beast Boy pointed out, laughing.

"Raven once told me that it is a calculated deliberate intimidation tactic, designed to keep the press from harassing us more than necessary," Starfire revealed, still giggling.

"Or an excuse for her to freak out on the press," Beast Boy added, grinning.

Robin chuckled, before turning to Starfire again.

"You said Raven's in her room?" he asked. Starfire nodded.

"I'll see you guys later," Robin said, turning to leave. "I have something to talk over with Raven."

"You might exercise caution," Starfire warned him. "Raven has been very sensitive lately, and very raw in dealing with her emotions. We have just replace the 17th light bulb she has broken, and she might be meditating, or sleeping, or performing some demon ritual..."

Robin smirked. "Don't worry, Starfire," he reassured her. "I can handle her, no matter what she's up to."

Starfire smiled as he turned to go, walking down the hall towards his destination.

I wonder what Raven is doing right now, he wondered to himself. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

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Surprisingly enough, at the moment, Raven was not meditating, sleeping, performing a demon ritual, or doing any such thing.

She was doing the daily crossword.

Having scanned the first page's headlines 'Raven ruthlessly hurls reporters into chilly bay waters') and glanced at the weather report (sunny weather, mid 70's, no unexpected storms), she had taken out the puzzle page. Having already completed the jumble, she was now diligently working on the crossword.

Four letter word for 'frolic', she thought, sucking on the eraser of her pencil thoughtfully, before filling in 'romp'. She smirked, and looked to the next clue. Four letter word, 'not to be confused with lust', she considered, before filling in 'love'.

Speaking of love...

Raven scowled at herself, and shook her head violently, trying to refocus her attention on her puzzle. She would not waste her time mooning over Robin anymore. It was obvious he didn't feel the same way, so what was the point?

Maybe he does... a hopeful voice whispered in some dark corner of her mind.

Raven snorted, remembering his shocked expression when she had yelled her feelings at him that fateful night.

Maybe he just wasn't expecting it...

Like anyone would've expected that, Raven shot back at the voice, rolling her eyes. That's no excuse.

There's still a chance...

"Shut up, Hope!" Raven snapped aloud, annoyed. Sitting back on her bed, irritated, she realized the little voice had vanished.

Raven sighed. After hoping that Robin would send her a message through Jinx, give her a letter, or some other such futile romantic notion, Raven had firmly stomped down on her feelings, not wanting to deal with pointless hoping or the pain of rejection, instead choosing to focus on her mangas, her sketching, and her crossword puzzles.

It was working rather well, actually. If she kept herself busy, her mind would be focused, and not wander off to dream about Robin. The only problem was that he kept popping up in her thoughts when any little thing reminded her of him.

Like when she had been reading Godchild, Cain's dark hair, slightly over-protective nature, and way of solving dark mysteries kept conjuring Robin's face into her mind. When she had been sketching a wolf, she was reminded of when Robin had been so worried for her when Beast Boy had gone psycho and turned into that man-beast thing. And now, when she was trying to do her bloody crossword puzzle, the word 'love' had to come up.

So? the little voice piped up again. The curse wears off him today. He might come and see you...

Cut it out! Raven mentally admonished herself. Robin doesn't like me, he's not coming to see me, and I don't care! End of story!

Rolling her eyes, Raven picked up the crossword puzzle again, and scanned the grid, looking for possibilities. A knock came at her door.

"Come in," she called absent-mindedly, wracking her mind for a 3-letter word for Indian weight. The door slid open, and Raven glanced up, before doing a double-take.

Robin was standing in her doorway.

He glanced around, looking at her decorations and furniture, observing the open curtains to let light in, before fixing his masked gaze on her.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Sure," Raven heard herself say, automatically moving over on her bed to allow him a place to sit down. Speak of the devil... she thought, astonished, as he sat down. He's actually here...

"So..." Robin said awkardly, clearing his throat. "The curse wore off," he offered.

Raven bit her lip to stop from responding sarcastically. "I can see that," she said delicately.

"Oh! I saw your statement to the press," he told her. "Cloaking technology is a brilliant idea! It would really give us an advantage over criminals"

Raven sighed internally, disappointed. "I got the idea from when we were fighting Red X," she said flatly. "It was your original idea, I just evolved upon it."

"Just think: we'd be able to creep up on a criminal in action without them ever knowing; the element of surprise at its best. Not to mention them not having a clue as to where we were during the fight..."

"Do you think you'd be able to do without saying some line before the fight?" Raven drawled, sarcastic. "A noise would give our position away."

Robin laughed. "I'd learn to do without," he said, shrugging.

Raven sighed. "Robin," she said, looking at him. "Why'd you really come in here?"

Robin stiffened slightly. "What do you mean?" he asked, fooling no one.

"You may not have to answer anything truthfully, Robin," Raven said, looking at him with her violet gaze. "But your emotions are splayed across your face."

Robin looked away guiltily.

"Robin," Raven sighed, turning to glance out the window at the setting sun dejectedly. "You don't have to tell me anything. I already know."

Robin whirled around to look at her. "You do?" he said, a strange note that sounded like excitement in his voice.

"Yes, I do," Raven said, her voice a masking monotone. "I'll deal with it. Don't worry about me."

"How do you know?" Robin said, his voice now sounding doubtful.

"You may not want anyone to know who you are, Robin," Raven said, watching as the sun sank further from the fiery sky behind the horizon. "But I know you."

Raven turned to look at Robin, who was watching her carefully, his face measured and blank.

"Despite your hidden identity, despite your aloof nature, even despite your mask, I know what you feel," Raven said, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm sorry I yelled at you that I loved you. You don't need that on your mind."

"Raven..." Robin said, but Raven continued on, looking down.

"I know that I said I love you, and I know that you don't feel the same, but can't we forget it ever happened?" Raven said desperately, her raw emotions flickering across her face and in her eyes. "I couldn't bear to lose your friendship, and I'll be able to deal with it. I mean, I've had my heart broken before..."

"Raven," Robin said, his voice a little louder.

"We don't ever need to mention it again," Raven continued, unshed tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. "You can forget all about it, and we can go on just like it was before..."

"Raven."

"What?" Raven said, finally looking up at Robin, who was smiling softly at her.

"What?" she said again, his smile making her immediately suspicious. "Why're you smiling at me like that?"

Robin just smiled at her, not responding, his figure illuminated in the colors of the sunset issuing from the other window.

"Why're you smiling at me like that?" she demanded. "Are you mocking my feelings? Are you getting some sort of sick enjoyement from this?"

Robin just sat there, smiling, unmoving, his face not betraying anything except that queer smile.

"What's wrong with you?" Raven yelled at him, getting angry. "Cut it out! You're putting futile notions of hope into my mind! Stop it!"

Robin just smiled at her.

"This isn't fair!" Raven raged at him, her emotions raw and exposed, her tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I can't see what you're feeling! You're keeping your face blank, and I can't see your eyes!"

Robin just smiled at her.

"Quit it!" Raven yelled at him, tears flowing freely down her face now. "Are you mocking me? Are you laughing at me? What's wrong with you?"

With a burst of fury, Raven reached up and ripped the mask from his face, and gasped at what she saw.

Robin's eyes were greyish blue, silver flecks sparking in the irises, looking like a stormy sky. There was wisdom and knowledge in their depths, and Raven found she wasn't able to take her own eyes from his beautiful ones.

That wasn't why she was so astonished, though.

For deep in those grey depths, hidden far behind the pupil and iris, was a familiar emotion.

Raven knew it well.

It shone in her own eyes whenever she was with her friends.

It had been in her eyes when she was with that dragon, Malchior.

And now it shone in her eyes whenever she thought or looked at Robin.

Robin looked at her, smiling gently, sensing what she had just realized. He shifted slightly, fixing his eyes on Raven's violet ones, wide with shock and astonishment.

"Raven," he said. Robin heard her breath catch in her throat.

"I love you," he said.

Time seemed to stand still.

Robin and Raven just sat there on the bed, unmoving, Robin looking at Raven, who just looked back at him, both painted by the fiery light of the setting sun. To an outsider, it might have seemed that they had both gone into shock.

But to them, a whirlwind of understanding and love had passed between their eyes.

With a loud cry, Raven threw herself on Robin, embracing him tightly. "I love you too!" she cried, though with relief or happiness, she didn't know. "I love you!"

Robin wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him tightly.

"I love you too, Raven," he said, holding her against his chest. "I love you, too."

Raven looked up at him, happiness, joy, and love shining in her eyes. Before Robin knew what was going on, Raven's lips were pressed against his in a heated kiss.

Instinctively, not needing to think about in the least, Robin kissed her back, returning her passion.

Raven had been waiting for this moment for what seemed like her entire life. It may have been a long wait, it may have been a long time in coming, and it may have seemed an even longer time in anticipation and hope, but Raven knew that all that waiting had proved worthwhile.

Raven was kissing the love of her life, pressed up against him, holding him tightly, reveling in the sensation of one of his hands cupping her face, the other entwined in her hair.

As Robin ran his tongue across her lips tentatively, a moan escaped Raven's throat, and she opened her mouth, her tongue wrestling frantically with his. As he gently pushed her to the bed and rolled on top of her, their mouths still connected, a slow, lazy thought drifted though her mind.

Being this frank with each other, being this open with the other, showing emotions so freely to the one they loved...

This was true honesty.

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((smiles)) I feel like I've accomplished something. Over 500 reviews is quite an accomplishment :).

Think we can break 600 or 700? Please, review!