Teen Titans
Fragile Dreams

A/N This episode is largely a flashback by Raven. It will also be shorter than usual... sorry. I'll make it up next chapter, I promise.

Disclaimer - Think about it. If I owned the Teen Titans, I wouldn't need to be rewriting the show, now would I? I think I've made it clear Dune is likewise not mine.

Fragile Dreams Chapter 4 - Forces of Nature
Raven lay in bed the very next night, shivering. 'I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. I shall conquer my fear and let it pass through me, when fear is gone there shall be nothing: Only I will remain.' Raven repeated this mantra over and over in her head. Unfortunately, just saying it didn't make it true... Raven was indeed afraid. 'Still afraid,' she disgustedly corrected herself.

Trigon…

She had convinced herself that he could not follow her here. She had made herself believe that she was safe, and the prophesy of her birth was nothing but superstition. She no longer could believe it, as her trembling clearly showed. Try as she might, she couldn't banish the memories of tonight from her head.

Flashback-
It had started very simply… just a simple problem to be remedied before sleep. Two destructive teens had arrived along with the storm, seemingly the incarnation of the forces of thunder and lightning: the names they bore. In a showdown on the bridge the Titans had lost badly, allowing the brothers to escape. BB and Star had tracked them to a park, but they again escaped with the help of an old man and some strange technology.

Raven would give a great deal to know that man's identity... even more than Robin would. All they knew for certain was that the old man was just a disguise... a disguise for Slade. Raven kept silent about it, but she knew more than that. Whoever he was, he was linked to Trigon... Probably a worshipper. How could any human be foolish enough to worship a demon with a goal to end humanity?

When the team next caught up to the brothers, they had far larger problems to worry about. A colossus of fire had somehow been summoned into existence... the Titans could only guess. Raven, however... she knew. She had seen things in her short life that no mortal should ever see, but what she saw made her blood run cold, and she froze up with fear.

There was a symbol emblazoned on the demon's forehead. Raven couldn't believe her eyes, but the irrefutable evidence was spelled out in front of her in fiery lettering. It was a demonic symbol, in the style of a combined S and 5. It was the symbol of Trigon.

Raven's birthmark.

The stunned demoness was shaken out of her trance by the demonic fire locking eyes with her. They stared at each other for an eternity, and Raven was unable to look away. Finally, the beast roared and headed straight for her. She cursed. 'If Trigon didn't know I was here, he sure as hell does now.'

All the Titan's efforts to stop the construct accomplished nothing. It was only when the brothers intervened that the demonic force was defeated.

End Flashback-
Raven couldn't help herself. All the fear and pain coalesced around her, and she started sobbing softly, crying despite her revulsion at the weakness it implied. The young empath, so strong but so delicate, cried herself to sleep, oblivious to the mess she was making of the room and wondering if she would ever be free of Trigon.

Robin stood outside Raven's door, trying to build up the courage to knock. Something was wrong with her, of that he was sure. Ever since her sudden pledge of allegiance to him, Robin had found himself caring more and more for what the dark Titan thought, even as Starfire's affections started to grow on him as well. She had frozen during the battle tonight, and the... the... WHATEVER it was had gone directly for her. The girl was, at least to Robin, obviously shaken after they had returned to the tower, and anything that worried the stoical girl was enough to concern him.

He thought he heard something from her room. Robin pressed his ear against the Raven lettering, and heard... sobbing? Raven was CRYING? 'Go see what's wrong, you fool!' Robin paused with his hand just inches from the door, and then turned and ran down the hall, disgusted with himself.

'Coward.'

End Chapter 4
Next time on Teen Titans: Fragile Dreams:

-Robin on a date?
-Robin has a girlfriend?
-Why does this bother Raven so much?

Next Episode - Date with Destiny

A/N Yeah... so far I've been mostly faithful to the chronology and plot of the original... now it's time to throw it out the window. I'm REALLY sorry about this chapter being so short. I'll make up for it with the next chapter, I promise. Nothing changed in the entire forces of nature episode, it was just important for you to know exactly what Raven was thinking.

And yeah, I'm a Dune fan. Sue me.