The air in Titans Tower was so frigid Starfire could see her breath, clouds of puffy white in the air. A fire, built tediously by Cyborg (and with a lot of cursing) was warming her up, but the alien would have liked to cuddle up with Robin...
Too bad the latter was furious at her and she was the same. She knew it would never work out... a superhero and a superhero? The first (and last) time they dated, she had gotten kidnapped... Starfire sighed and gazed around.
She saw Cyborg and Stephanie, happily sharing a large mug of cocoa with miniscule marshmallows floating about in the warm liquid. Raven had her back to Beast Boy, who was trying in vain to get her to smile with his kitten form. And Robin... she let her lime eyes linger a moment too long and was greeted with a harsh glare. Defeated, Starfire stuck her tongue out and walked away to her pink room of dreams.
Little did Starfire know, romance was the least of the Titans' troubles, as Stephanie was fully aware. Her jittery attitude that was already beginning to worry Cyborg was just a faint inkling of the pre-nighttime nerves she felt. "Cyborg... I have ten minutes," she muttered, quietly enough so that only he would hear her.
Knowing instantly what Stephanie meant, Cyborg nodded. "Be safe," were his last words before she dashed away. "Both you and the others..."
Hoping that she'd be able to heed his words, Stephanie pulled Raven aside. "I need to talk to you," she said urgently, and before the demoness could protest, she had taken her by the hand and dragged her to the bathroom, her other hand fumbling for something in her pocket.
"Stephanie," began Raven in bemusement, "what--?"
The blonde stuck a syringe into Raven's arm. "That's going to rid you of your problem with your powers," she stated. Raven's eyes grew in size.
"How do you know about my problems?"
Stephanie's blue eyes turned downcast at the inquiry. "S-slade..." she mumbled, hoping her words would be incoherent to spare her time.
"What do you mean, Slade? You don't mean..." Raven forced herself not to gasp, gladly maintaining her monotone. "You aren't his apprentice, are you? He badly wants one, anyway..."
Raven was shocked to see tears brimming in Stephanie's eyes. "By force..." she choked out. "If I don't, he-- he said he'd kill Cyborg."
Raven didn't completely trust Stephanie, having only known her for a few short weeks, but allowed her to go on. "He's trying to recruit demons, Raven. Since I was engaged to Cy at the time, he was hitting two birds with one stone in making me his apprentice." Her eyes widened again. Demon? That could only mean...
Stephanie nodded in response to the unspoken question. "Vampire. I'm due to transform in seven and a half minutes. But you need to hear this because... he's after you, Raven. He told me to control your powers for usefulness to him in the future with what I gave you, and I have orders to inject you with this," she withdrew a second syringe, which glistened menacingly in the light, "to fool you into working for him." She wrenched the object of her current loathing into two and dropped the remains into the ocean below. "You have to help me... I don't want to have any association with Slade. Please..."
"I can't..." Raven looked away. "It's too risky... I'm a Titan. He finds me, we're all dead..."
Stephanie sighed. "He'll be after me when I don't return with you. I'm supposed to go back to him in three days. I can't do it alone..."
Raven paused, letting the words sink in. She and Stephanie weren't yet friends, but she did sense certain innocence about her... but before she could even think about replying, Stephanie's already pale skin started whitening, her eyes reddening. It was time to transform... "Go now!" she commanded Raven, but she was paralyzed by shock and fear. A sudden pain on her neck, and all was black.
A few moments later, Beast Boy's voice rang out. "Dude! Where's Steph? I want to beat her at Mega Monkeys... I CANNOT believe a girl beat me at video games..."
He shook his head in disbelief. "Cy! Where's your wife?"
Cyborg caught the hyperactive young adult by grabbing the back of his uniform. "She's sorting out... issues."
Beast Boy chuckled. "You guys just got married and she's already pregnant!"
Cyborg's humanoid eye widened to the size of a dinner plate. "Pregnant?" he exclaimed indignantly. "Do you have any idea how dead I would be if I even suggested something like that to Steph!"
"Uh... so she isn't?" said Beast Boy awkwardly. "What kinds of issues, then?"
"That's her business, not yours!" exclaimed Cyborg in a minimal state of hysteria. "If you really want to hear a rant about feminine issues, be my guest, but I'm not going to be the one giving it!"
"Oh... heh... sorry," mumbled Beast Boy. "I... didn't know."
Cyborg sighed with relief. 'Lucky he believed me,' he thought anxiously. 'I'm not a very good liar under most circumstances.'
Beast Boy dropped the matter quickly, mortified at the thought of more information on the subject. "So, um... want to play video games, Cy? Ready to get beaten sorely?"
"I, uh... I'm turning in for the night," said Cyborg hesitantly, shaking his head as he backed away. "See you tomorrow!" He hurried out of sight, leaving a very puzzled Beast Boy.
'Dude! Something's not right here. Cyborg's refusing GameStation and I have a feeling he was lying about Stephanie, too!' thought the changeling uneasily. 'Who is he to tell us we're being strange when he's being secretive!'
But before he could think another syllable, footsteps interrupted him from behind. Whirling around, ready to ask for a match of video games, he just stuttered awkwardly at the sight of Stephanie carrying an unconscious Raven, obviously in a hurry. "What...?"
Stephanie shook her head. "We need to get her to the medical bay. Quickly!"
Beast Boy looked at Stephanie. "The infirmary? That's the second floor above the lobby… You want me to take Rae? She looks kinda heavy…" Stephanie shook her head curtly, a horror-stricken look in her sapphire eyes. He shrugged and morphed into a cheetah, rushing down. Stephanie set the half-demon on a bed, her pale skin basically pure white.
"What happened, Steph?" he asked. "I-I-I don't know," she stammered, trying in vain to put up a good lie. Thankfully, he believed her. "She just, well, collapsed…" A breath of relief was let out as she realized the bite marks were covered by orchid hair.
"Cyborg would probably know," Stephanie concluded. "I'll ask him, you can go." She shooed the changeling away and Cyborg walked in.
"Steph, what happened?" She turned to him, an apology written all over her radiant face. Cyborg gasped slightly. "You didn't, Steph?"
"I'm sorry… It was so close to transformation and I had to tell her something… I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't!" He walked out the door, leaving her alone. "Forgive me," she said, plunging the second syringe into Raven's arm.