Disclaimer: Please stop making me write these... I start crying when I have to realize that I don't own Teen Titans.
Warnings: This fic takes place before Betrayal and all following episodes. Terra's true nature will be revealed next chapter (and there will be bashing). ...And time goes by... is a line break.
Pairings: If I told you now it would ruin the plot... So just hold on!
Chapter One: Downward Spiral
Slade's hand wrapped around her throat, effortlessly holding her above the floor. The lack of oxygen started to kick in, stars and black clouds crowding her vision. Raven clawed at his hands, mouth opening in a futile effort to breathe. The eyes behind the mask were hard, relentless as she felt numbness spread through her struggling, thrashing body. Her eyes were wide as unconsciousness swept in, and as she felt her power coil to unleash, they flashed black. Slade's eyes narrowed and he jerked his arm, slamming her into the wall. Her power dissipated and he smirked, throwing her into the opposite wall like a rag doll. She hit it and slid down, eyes closing as Slade's boots stopped in front of her crumpled heap.
...And time goes by...
"We're home!" Beast Boy opened the door, stepping into the common room as Cyborg, Robin and Terra tottered in with giant stacks of grocery bags. Starfire was rummaging around in one, tongue stuck out in concentration. The sound of eggs breaking as a grocery bag hit the floor made them look up. Beast Boy had dropped his bags, standing stone still, horror in every line of his tense body. They froze too when they saw the state of the room.
There was glass everywhere. Anything that could be broken, was. The couch was ripped apart, wood slivers littering the floor among metal shards. It hadn't been a tornado- it had been a maelstrom.
"Raven?" Robin's voice was the only sound.
Starfire gasped, hand going to her mouth as the other pointed shakily. There, in a shadowed corner, was a crumpled blue cloak.
Beast Boy was there in a flash, crouching beside it as he reached out, and stopped. "Raven?" The cloak was draped over her still frame, arms and legs tangled and limp, eyes closed. "Rae?" Cyborg picked her up, the cloak wrapped around her, and brought the empathic teen to the middle of the room where there wasn't too much debris. The five huddled around her, fear for their friend evident.
She threw her torso upright, gasping as violet eyes saw some horror invisible to them. As she threw her arms up, the cloak was pulled away from her frame and they stared. Carved into her body was a sharp, brutal S.
Black power collected around her, swirling as her eyes flickered to red. Her arms blocked most of her face, but fear, and anger, were plain. "SLADE!" The scream ripped from her, power blasting outwards.
"Raven!" Cyborg's voice cracked her delirium. She shuddered, lowering trembling limbs. Raven looked around, not seeing them for a moment, and then focused.
"He's-he's gone." She whispered, strangely vulnerable. Robin grabbed her shoulders and she flinched. With one hand he turned her head up. A large, hand shaped purple bruise was spread over her grey skin.
"Slade got in?" She nodded, waiting to move until he took his hand away. "But there were no alarms, no signs of forced entry- how did he?" The Boy Wonder got up and went to the last salvageable computer left in the room. Typing furiously, he frowned at the screen.
"Security cameras confirm he was here," Cyborg said, looking at his scanners. "But how?" Raven grabbed her cloak and drew it around her.
"I don't know. But he was here- and he took me by surprise."
"We have to go after him," Robin said, shutting off the computer. Beast Boy glared at him.
"We can't leave! Does Raven look like she's in any condition to fight?"
"She can stay," Robin snapped, the hint of concern softening the sharp reply. "But Slade is making trouble on the other side of town." Raven brushed off Beast Boy's hand and rose shakily, nearly collapasing. Terra grabbed her arm to help her and Raven didn't resist, just kept walking to her room. A moment later Terra returned and they took off.
...And time goes by...
The Slade-bots were destroyed, all except for one. It twisted Beast Boy's arm, whispering into his ear.
"And how is Raven, Beast Boy? Has she given into her dark side yet?" Starfire's starbolts blasted it before it could say anything else.
"Are you okay, man?" Cyborg's face shoved itself into the spinning sky.
"Uh… yeah. I think so." Terra helped him up, her warm presence distracting him from the troubling thought. Has she given into her dark side yet?
That night Raven didn't come to dinner, but Starfire brought her some soup and said she was okay, just tired.
It was another day before she came out and anything happened.
Raven stepped quietly out of her room, tired but ready to emerge. Walking near soundlessly down the hall, she was about to turn down another corridor when she heard Terra speaking softly to someone. Frowning, she came closer to the blond teen, who had her back to Raven.
"Why didn't you get rid of her?" Terra hissed vehemently.
"Because, dear child, it will be much more enjoyable this way. And more final than killing her outright." Raven's eyes widened. That was Slade Terra was talking to, over some kind of communicator. She froze.
"But she's so annoying! Sometimes I think she can really read my mind. And so creepy." Terra's whining voice was cut off as Raven's power enveloped and crushed the thing in her hand to dust. Terra spun, surprised by her appearance.
"Traitor. Bitch. You've been with Slade all along!" Raven's normally monotone voice rose, anger flaring. The blond smirked.
"So little Ravie figures it out, huh? And what if I have? At least he's better than your pitiful little friends. What are you going to do about it, Satan spawn?" Raven's eyes widened and turned red, the betrayal hurting as she turned on the girl who used to be her friend.
"I TRUSTED YOU!" Terra didn't even flinch as Raven grew, black tendrils reaching for her. At that moment, roused by the commotion, Beast Boy and the other Titan's raced to their corner. All they saw was a demon Raven, Terra struggling in her power. Changing into a rhino Beast Boy rammed her and Raven, thrown off balance, faltered, black glow dropping Terra. Starfire grabbed the falling Titan as Beast Boy turned human, standing in front of Terra with his arms outstretched.
"Get lost Raven! And don't ever come back!"
Raven shrank, shaking herself once as her eyes turned back to violet. She saw Beast Boy protecting Terra, the other Titan's distrustful and angry glares. Lost for words Raven stood, Terra's smirking face mocking her from behind Beast Boy.
"Beast Boy, she's really-" The fury in Beast Boy's snarl hit her like a whip.
"I saw you attacking her- giving into your dark side. Get lost, Raven. I don't want to see you again." Stunned, she started to stretch out an arm but was stopped by the glow of Starfire's starbolts. Sick at heart, the dark teen stared at the girl who was like a sister standing ready to destroy her. Soul deep agony filled her next words, laced with bitterness.
"Then be happy, Beast boy. For my sake." With that her cloak twisted around her, black and white disappearing.
Beast Boy dropped to his knees next to Terra, turning to her scared, helpless face.
"It's okay. She won't hurt you again." He pulled her into a hug. Terra smirked into the air where the former Titan had been.
"I know."
...And time goes by...
Raven sat, back against the rocky wall of the cave. Her hood pulled up, the anguished teen huddled underneath her cloak in the cave where they had found Terra. Irony was only a vague thought to her now. A single tear slid down her cheek and into the dim light coming from the cave mouth.
"Be happy, Beast Boy. For my sake." The whisper echoed dully in the winding depths if the cave.
Moments, minutes, hours passed before the crunch of gravel interrupted her silence. Slade stood in the inky depths of the cave, one eye glinting dangerously.
"Raven." Black fire sprang into existence around her hands.
"Slade. You bastard." She lunged, passing into the air where he would have been. His hand connected with her back, knocking her aside. She dropped and rolled, coming up on her feet, Facing him, Raven felt her anger rise. "Son of a bitch- you've ruined my life. Why the hell did you have to do that? And now you're going to make them-him- hurt!" Rocks tumbled down onto him, assisted by her power. Hair flying, she took a page out of Terra's book and started to bring the whole mountain down on them. Slade appeared beside her, foot kicking her into a stalactite. A cry escaped her lips before she yanked, the power choking him in bands. His fingers flicked a bomb at her and Raven dived out of the way, eyes searching for him in the dust from the explosion. "Why couldn't you just leave us alone!" A hand grabbed her wrist and snapped it back. She cried out as he held her in the air.
"Such a troublesome little girl, Raven. Tsk tsk." Fingers gripped her other hand and broke the wrist efficiently. "A bird can't fly without its wings, can it? Perhaps I should clip yours…" Raven hung limply from his hands. Lifting the out cold girl onto his shoulder, Slade walked out of the cave and towards his lair.
A/N: Okaaaay. That's a wrap.The rating might go up in later chapters; I'm not sure right now. Now... I need to go do the next chapter. Please review. Every and all opinion is wanted; constructive criticism most of all.