A/N: No you don't get to find out who Slade's latest apprentice is, just yet anyway. However to compensate for that, I have put in some more Gar and Rave fluff. So enjoy.

Chapter 5: Admirers

A week went by and things calmed down around the tower, for the most part anyway. The team stopped teasing Gar after Vic's arms and legs went flying out a window without him. Everyone had forgotten about Blood, and his son, not to mention the criminal Tim warned Nightwing about. Except for Nightwing, who now spent most of the day patrolling the city, the Titans' lives were becoming extraordinarily peaceful.

Gar and Raven sat on the couch simply talking. It was so far the longest conversation she had ever had with the changeling. He told her about how he got his powers: the Sakutia virus, the weird machine his dad used on him, and even his parent's death, everything. Gar had never told any of the Titans that, for all they knew he was some weird ass alien.

"I just noticed something, Rave," Gar said after a period of silence, "you haven't meditated all week." She hadn't noticed it till now either, but now that she thought about it he was right. She hadn't felt the need lately. "In fact you stopped meditating after we first kissed." He was right again; Raven was starting to wonder if that was no coincidence.

She was silent, taking in the implications of what he said. "Perhaps this is why Trigon was afraid of my feelings for you," she said before kissing him. When her lips touched his, it was almost as if she could feel his love for her over powering the darkness in her heart and mind. She closed her eyes and could even see the emotions in his heart.

Gar suddenly became aware of her emotions as well. As their hearts became a cocktail of love, compassion, and even anger, Beast Boy felt something else, something dark. He brushed it off as just his imagination, but he pulled away all the same. "Hey, Rave, you know something I've never told any one," he said with a grin on his face.

"You want me to tell you a secret, don't you?" she asked anticipating what he was getting at. He nodded, and she sighed. "Fine," she stopped to think for a while before coming up with something to tell him. "I have a tattoo."

"You're kidding me!" he said in disbelief. Out of all the things he would have expected her to say, having a tattoo didn't even make the list. Sighing, she stood up and pulled the back of her blouse up. Right below the small of her back was a tribal design of a raven.

"I got it last year," she said anticipating his next question. He stood up and walked up behind her. Gar wrapped his arms around her waist and she let go of the top.

"I think it's beautiful," he whispered in her ear. As she heard this, she reached up and placed her hand behind his head and kissed him again.

Sebastian sat upon his darkly ornate throne looking at pictures that he had uploaded off of his father's computer. Specifically the ones featuring Raven. Ever since his ceremony he couldn't stop thinking about her, even though he knew practically nothing about her. He was completely infatuated.

"You could make her yours," said a voice that seemed to emanate from within his head. It was the same voice which had laughed at the end of his empowerment.

"Master?" he asked the voice, unsure if it was his "god".

"Yes, it is I, Sebastian, the eighth devil," it responded to his pawn. "You could have her, with my power you could take her by force." Sebastian grinned as his pestilent mind spun with the thoughts of sinful delight. A thought suddenly came to his mind, 'The H.I.V.E.' His grin widened and it became apparent that he had changed not only mentally but physically since empowered, his teeth were sharper and longer. He produced a sinister cackle which his master's voice echoed, as if pouring pure evil from his mouth.

Simon Jones had just settled into his new position as H.I.V.E. Academy Headmaster. The students, however, referred to him exclusively by his nom-de-crime: Psimon. A large portion of his head was transparent, exposing his brain to the naked eye. "Brother Sebastian, what brings you to my humble facility?" His lips didn't move.

Sebastian chuckled from his place far out of site of the psychic. "I inherited control of the H.I.V.E., remember," he said not in the least bit surprised by Simon's skill. "I have a job for you, brain boy, a kidnapping to be precise."

"Sounds interesting, who may I ask is the target?" He honestly did not know the answer for Psimon's power unfortunately did not extend to telepathy, however he possessed a plethora of other psychic abilities, including mind control.

"Bring me the Titans, by any force necessary, but please try to keep them alive. They are of no use to me dead," Sebastian told him.

"That would not be a simple task. I assume we will be compensated for our trouble?" his psionic voice asked.

"If by compensate you mean, oh say, keeping all of your internal organs inside your body," he said and licked at a red stain on the blade of his clawed gauntlet, "then yes, you will be greatly compensated." Psimon knew he was no match for newest Brother Blood, and it showed all over his face. Sebastian walked forward and placed his mouth level with Psimon's ear and whispered in his duel voice, "Besides, you still owe us for your powers, or would you have preferred to remain helpless, pathetic, normal, Simon Jones." Sebastian obviously hit a nerve; Psimon enjoyed having his powers too much to let anything threaten them.

"As you wish," he said weakly. "Brother be praised."

"Good, please begin immediately," he said, quite pleased with himself. A red field of energy formed daemonic wings, and they covered him as if shielding himself. The glowing red for fell into the floor and disappeared.

Psimon turned to a young red haired girl at his side. "Selinda," he said, getting her attention. "Gather the others, we're going hunting."

"Right away, love," she told him in a heavily Australian accent. "I've been achin' to kick some Titan arse, it's 'bout time," she said as she walked out the door.

A/N: yes I love keeping people in suspense, and no "Selinda" doesn't love Psimon, she just calls everyone that. Anyone want to impress the author and tell me who she is? Well even if you don't, review and tell me how I'm doing.