Here's chapter two. I really had no plan for this chapter, and kind of made it up as I went. Which is always a good time, if nothing else. I had 42 hits on this story in a day, and only three reviews. I'd like to thank my reviewers so much; your reviews helped me to pump out this chapter. This one is dedicated to the three of you. Thanks so much!

In this chapter, I introduced a new character, who I'm probably going to take a ridiculous amount of liberties with, because I've only read "The Terror of Trigon" arch in which she appears, and it doesn't give a whole lot to go on, as far as character goes. Help me out of if you think it seems too far-fetched.

I totally forgot to make the traditional disclaimer in the first chapter, so this one goes for both chapters, and all chapters following this one. I don't own Teen Titans in any way, shape, or form. If I did, I'd have money, and that would be amazing.

Read on!

Raven didn't wish to use her powers in case one of the Titans was nearby to see, and she certainly didn't want a defeated villain reporting to the police that a strange purple-haired girl had used dark energy against him. She may as well hold up a sign saying, "I'm over here, guys! Come get me!" to the Titans. Through all her squirming, her attacker held on. He was obviously strong, and she began to worry who had found her. Lifting a knee up high, she stomped heavily on his foot.

With a grunt of surprise he released her, and she turned and ran deeper into the alley, hoping to lose him by tipping over some garbage cans and the like. But he sidestepped every obstacle. Raven wasn't so lucky, and hit the ground hard after tripping on a black trash bag, nearly invisible in the dark. She groaned, but was up almost immediately.

Seeing his opportunity to get her attention, he called out to her. "Raven! It's me! Stop!"

She stopped immediately, keeping her back to him. She was flushed from the chase, from the moment of fear she'd experienced. Her cowl had fallen down while she fled, and she used her power to pull it back up. Hanging her head slightly, she spoke softly, sadly. "How did you find me?"

"We've been looking for you since you left. Tonight I was on patrol here, and saw you in the park. I was a squirrel."

Raven cursed herself silently. She'd been so lost in her own thoughts she'd never thought to empathically scan her surroundings for anything not consistent with a squirrel. If she truly wanted to vanish, she'd have to be much more careful. But maybe she didn't want to vanish. Not really.

Beast Boy took a few tentative steps in her direction. "Please Raven, we're worried about you. Come back to the Tower with me. Tell us what's wrong." He pleaded with her, wanting nothing more than for things to return to normal.

Raven knew that no matter how much she wished for it, things would never be normal at the Tower again. They would find out, whether she told them or not, of her blood, of her destiny, of her unpredictability, instability, power. They would hate her, they would shun her. This way at least she had control of how and when she left. It was on her terms, not anyone else's. And to a woman clinging desperately to whatever control she can have over her life, it was better than nothing.

"Beast Boy, please, trust me. This is for the best. I will cause you nothing but agony if I stay. I beg of you, let me go. Please don't do this to me."

With what little savings she'd had, Raven went to the area she figured the Titans were least-likely to look for her. It was a small area on the outskirts of Jump City, where the Titans' reach was less pronounced, and crime considerably higher. It was not a nice neighborhood; neighbors avoided neighbors, not out of anti-sociality but out of necessity. One never knew who was a robber or a thief here. She'd found a small apartment, and had enough to rent it and still keep enough money to live for a while until she found a job. Or until she moved on to something else, whichever came first.

The apartment was a miserable hole in the wall, nothing compared to the majesty of Titan's Tower. But it had a bed, however rickety; a small, dirty kitchen; and a bathroom that had been cleaned once in its twenty year existence.

Okay, so it's a fixer-upper, she thought wryly upon entering. She had teleported quickly to her room in the Tower, knowing as soon as she did so the Titans would get a lock on her signal. She had time only to throw a few of her clothes over her shoulder, and leave again. At least she had clothes, and she was used to a diet of pizza and Chinese because of her life at the Tower. She purchased a few candles, incense, and a pillow, all necessities for her meditation.

Not that it had really helped. Wishful thinking, maybe.

After a thorough cleaning, the small apartment looked considerably better, and Raven had felt somewhat resolved to her new life, even convincing herself every now and then that the quiet was nice.

But in her heart, she yearned for the bickering of Cyborg and Beast Boy over breakfast, Robin venting his frustrations in the gym, and Starfire humming a tune as she cultivated blue fungus in the kitchen.

Maybe I should get a pet, she thought sarcastically. With a wry smile, she had attempted meditation once again.

His mind screamed, Please don't do this to you? What about the rest of us, Rae? We just want you to come home! But something about the look on her face told him not to voice his opinion. She was hurting, and he could see that. What bothered him most was not knowing why, what they had done to cause her to flee, why she didn't trust them to help her. Cyborg and Starfire were as worried as he was, while Robin sulked around the Tower in a mix of depression and anger. It was easier for Robin to focus on his feelings of betrayal and anger than to admit how worried he was about his fellow Titan. He said Raven was to be found at all costs, citing Beast Boy's story of her four glowing eyes. Robin felt she was a danger to herself and others, and what Beast Boy didn't know was that Robin was right.

There was a soft thud! from behind Raven in the darkness, and she spun around almost instantly, but she wasn't fast enough. She gasped when she felt a sharp sting in her upper arm, and realized idly it was a needle. Why wasn't Beast Boy helping her? She wondered dazedly before she became unable to think through the fog. Her knees caved underneath her, and she felt herself pitch forward. Strong arms caught her in the darkness, saving her from a nasty collision with the pavement. Blackness enveloped her, and she lost consciousness.

Beast Boy watched Raven's eyes widen, her face set, and her swift turn to face a new attacker. The panic written on her face was what had scared him the most. He saw her slump forward, with little resistance, and a man catch her. Eyes hidden behind a black mask turned toward him, catching his own green eyes. "Good job, Beast Boy. You found her. Now maybe we can get to the bottom of this."

With a swift motion, the Boy Wonder stooped, keeping his left arm beneath Raven's neck, and gently moved his other arm under her knees, before standing and sweeping her into his arms smoothly. Her head lolled like a sleeping child, her breathing was regular, and she appeared peaceful. Both men knew better, however; when this bird awoke, they'd be lucky to keep their worms.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Robin? What did you do to her?" Beast Boy's anger could no longer be controlled. His stress from Raven's departure was boiling over, and Robin was as good a target as any.

The Boy Wonder eyed his green teammate calmly. Speaking slowly, as if to a child, he tried to calm him. "Relax, Beast Boy. I injected her with thiopental. It'll knock her out for about half an hour, then she'll be good as new. In the meantime, we can get her back to the Tower."

"Dude, you just drugged Raven. Raven. Remember her? One of our teammates? Was it really necessary to drug her?" Oh God, they were both dead when she woke up.

Robin narrowed his eyes. "Considering the story you told me, I'm not sure if it's necessary or not. I didn't want to take any chances. Raven has always been stand-offish, but never rash. Leaving the Titans was rash, and right now I don't know what she might do." He gestured with a movement of his head and eyes to indicate Beast Boy should take Raven. After an awkward transfer of the unconscious girl into Beast Boy's arms, Robin pulled out his communicator. "Cyborg? You there?"

There was a moment of static before the machine man's voice rumbled, "Yeah man, you find her?"

"Yeah. Head over with the T-car. I'm sending you our coordinates now."

"Cool man, be there ASAP. Cyborg, out."

The communication was ended abruptly. Beast Boy looked down at Raven, and wondered idly what she was hiding. Robin's reaction had irked Beast Boy, the steps he was willing to take to find Raven when really she hadn't been in any danger. What if there was more to this than he had thought? What if Raven really was hiding something none of them could fathom? She shifted slightly in his arms, her mouth twitching slightly into a frown.

"Robin, dude, we better hurry the hell up, because she's movin' and if she wakes up we're all gonna die."

Being a superhero had it's advantages, if nothing else. Fortunately, it was the beginning of the fall semester, and Raven hadn't missed too much class. Needing some kind of plan, she had decided to take courses at the University of Jump City. The decision was also made easier because she knew the dean. The Titans had once foiled an armed bank robbery, saving the dean's life. Afterward, the blonde had begun taking self-defense classes, and Raven had kept in touch with her to an extent that surprised her.

It seemed random to Dean Lilith Clay that Raven would wish to see her, and wondered in the moments before her meeting what it could possibly be about. Something in her mind nagged that it was not random at all. Raven and Lilith had shared an instant connection after the robbery, despite Lilith's inability to read Raven's well-guarded mind Lilith can often see the future in short bursts of surprising clarity, just by looking at someone. Her ablity was not trained, and she had limited control over it, but it irked her that as interested as she was in Raven, she could get nothing. It was as if the girl had no future.

"Dean Clay? There's a Rachel Roth here to see you." Lilith recognized the alias from her earlier phone conversation with Raven, and didn't hesitate to instruct her secretary Jean to send Raven in.

The door opened, and a somewhat ragged looking black-haired girl entered the office. Violet eyes met Lilith's face, and found questions written all over it.

The four Titans gathered around a sleeping Raven. Cyborg had arrived in the T-car, and Beast Boy had sat in the back seat making sure she was comfortable. Now she was in the medical wing of the Tower, mostly because Robin insisted on running several blood tests, "just to rule out some possibilities for her recent behavior."

Raven groaned. The four Titans around her jumped, and braced themselves for her confusion, and possible wrath. Abruptly, the dark Titan sat straight up in bed, violet eyes wide with fear and confusion, her arms moving into a fighting stance, dark energy engulfing her fists. Instinctually, the Titans shifted to fighting stances, not intending to fight, but their reaction was what they were trained for. Just as quickly they relaxed. However, Raven was confused an additional moment, before nausea swept over her like a tidal wave, and she felt herself give in to gravity, crashing with a soft plop back into bed. One pale, delicate hand lifted and pinched the bridge of her nose, and her face scrunched up.

"You guys suck. What the hell did you do to me?" Upon realizing where she was, Raven felt safe, if nothing else. At least, as safe as any doom-bearing demon can feel. She put two and two together, figuring Cyborg's medical knowledge and Robin's suspicions had led to her sedation and return to the Tower. She'd been sedated before, and knew the feeling. Should have known she was found as soon as Beast Boy grabbed her. Raven cursed herself mentally.

Robin responded, while the others shifted uncomfortably. "A dosage of thiopental, injected." He hesitated, and scratched the back of his head with a gloved hand. She felt his nervousness, and his guilt. "Sorry Raven, I felt we had to get you here any way we could."

"Super." She decided to let the burden of conversation rest on the four heroes before her, and resolved to wait patiently through the ensuing awkward silence. Their emotions radiated off them: concern, worry, guilt, and was that fear? Even Starfire was subdued. Raven suppressed a sigh, chanting her characteristic mantra in her head.

"Friend Raven, why do you wish to leave us? Are we not your friends? Have we done something wrong? Oh please, tell us! Do not go!" Starfire emotionally burst forth with many of the questions the other Titans had.

Raven hesitated. What should she say? To tell the truth would be to potentially realize her worst fears of rejection. To hear them say she had lied to and betrayed them would be the sharpest knife in her heart. However, to come clean would be to potentially gain her best chance of defeating Trigon. But if they allied with her for this last battle, what would become of them? Could she bear to see them tortured, looked for specifically by the incarnation of pure evil, all to fight what she felt was a lost cause? If she left them now, perhaps Trigon would overlook them; maybe she could still find a way to save them from afar.

Or, she could betray them verbally. Really lie to them, in words and in silence. Claim she felt she didn't belong, their differences were irreconcilable; she left because she felt nothing for them. Would they believe her if she did? This path, she knew, would lead to the greatest hurt for Beast Boy. She felt closest to the changeling, and in order to convince herself and her father of her indifference, she would be forced to hurt him the most. Potentially the biggest threat of all, did she have the control to not only hurt them and keep a straight face, but to live the lie alone until her final day?

All this flew through Raven's mind in a moment, and at once, however painful for her; she knew what she must do.

What happens! You know what? Your guess is as good as mine at this point. I think I know how I want the story to ultimately end, but how it gets there I'm not entirely sure of yet. Yay for pumping out a second chapter though. I love not studying for exams like I should be. And I know I try to play the independent, "I write because it's fun" author, but I do so love hearing from my readers about how to improve. hint hint Thanks for reading!