The Raben Project

By

Agent X

The Spurious

A/N: I could make excuses about the time away, but I won't. Let's just get back to the story.

Moment: [Original] Everything is better when done together. Even suffering.

It had taken half the night, but the Titans had finally settled down. After stealing Robin away from Terra's clutches, Raven was finished. The pounding in her head, the aching of her body, and the burning in her chest prevented her from using her powers any further. The Titans had had to make their own way out of the grave she'd dragged them into.

And now they were situated within the cave network that ran along the cliffs of Jump City Bay. It wasn't the most defensible or the safest place, but at the moment they didn't care. It had fresh air and starlight, and they were too wretched to want for anything further.

With a minimum of discussion (really more akin to a susurrus of indecipherable mumbles and grunts) they'd organised a rotation and dropped off like flies to sleep. Starfire was spread akimbo across a low rock ledge. Her head and neck dangled over the side in a manner that looked supremely uncomfortable, but she was snoring happily away. She had no blanket but as usual didn't seem to feel the cold.

Cyborg was nearby, propped up against the rough rock wall. Running low on battery, he'd powered down so much he looked almost as grey as the stone behind him, and only a faint hum and the reflections off of his glass plates distinguished him from his resting place.

Beast Boy lay on the opposite side of the passage from them, curled on the floor with his face to the rock wall and his back to the cave and the rest of the team. Though his breathing was slow and steady like the others, he was not yet asleep.

And by the mouth of the cave sat Raven, a refreshing breeze helping to cool the painful throbbing in her head. She was unable to dream despite the weariness of her mind and body, or rather because of it. She was just too tired. And cold. The chill of the rock, the night and the sea breeze made it hard enough to stop her teeth from chattering, and impossible to stop the miniature shivers that ran up and down her body, but she could not bring herself to try and be rid of the numbness that was sparing her most of the consequences of her overexertion.

Stationed where she was, Raven was able to pick out movement on the rocks above them, and she straightened as a familiar form slowly and silently descended. Robin had left earlier to go and get some supplies: rations, sleeping rolls, extra batteries. For the latter he'd had to go to the Tower; it was a currently delicate stealth mission, and one that he was most capable of accomplishing.

With a muffled thump he dropped the last few feet from the overhang, and for a long moment peered into the dark of the cave. Taking stock of his team, she presumed. Then he turned to face her, and as he approached she could see some of the tension and worry leave the line of his shoulders.

He dumped the lumpy drawstring bag he carried in front of her and crouched down, rifling through it with one hand. Raven waited patiently in the hush that followed.

"Here" He began unceremoniously, and extended something to her. "I thought you might want this."

She gingerly accepted it. Smooth purple cloth met her hands, smelling faintly of lavender soap. It was a uniform. As she delicately ran one thumb over the unmarred fabric Raven strangely felt warm. She had been trying not to think about her current state, but the itching sensation of dried mud peeling from her skin was difficult to ignore, and her uniform itself was covered in it. She felt filthy. She didn't even want to begin to imagine how she looked.

She should thank him.

"Robin," she said, her voice rough. "Where did you get one of my uniforms?" He blinked, obviously thrown. "You went into my room?"

"Uh…" He started nervously.

"Did you?"

"…Yes?"

He moved back slightly as she met his gaze. "Thank you."

He breathed in relief, and his lips quirked as he replied, "You're welcome."

With a mixture of shuffling and dragging, he settled himself against the rock next to her. She observed out of the corner of her eye, too tired to turn her head, but she did manage to work up enough energy to venture, "Is there any tea in that bag?"

"No," He grimaced. "I'm afraid not. I'll remember it for –". But swiftly cut himself off. She knew they were thinking the same thing, albeit from different angles. There should never have to be a next time.

In the comfortable quiet that followed, she was unable to tell if hours or minutes were passing by as they stared out at nothing, listening to the snores of their friends and the waves washing against the rocks below. Robin's hand idly drummed against his leg, and Raven closed her eyes. She was reminded of mornings in the Tower; of silence and company in the comfort of the kitchen; of watching the sun rise. (The Tower they'd lost; the safety they'd lost; the world they'd lost.) Mornings with a bruise coloured sky. Purple, like her room. Purple, like the cloak. (But there are no bruises on her body. Just mud. Just dirt. Just things that won't wash away.) The birds were calling, high up, and she could hear the waves crashing and the earth was moving coming up to swallow her dragging her down the cold dark burning scrabbling she couldn't breathe she couldn't breathe screaming and–

"Raven!"

She jerked awake as she heard her name. There was Robin: a familiar hand on her shoulder, and an unpleasant frown on his face.

"You need to sleep." He told her.

"I thought I was." She admonished grumpily.

"Properly." He brooked no argument and stuffed one of the sleeping rolls he'd recovered into her arms. "I'll finish your watch."

Raven shook her head. "Cyborg goes after me; we already agreed on the roster."

"It's not time to wake him yet."

"You weren't here when we discussed this."

"They need as much sleep as they can get. They're exhausted."

"Everyone's exhausted."

"Exactly, so go to sleep."

"Robin," Raven said, irritation seeping into her voice, "everyone includes–"

"–I'll do it."

They hadn't even noticed Beast Boy get up, let alone move over to join them. Both Titans froze and turned to him in confusion. He shrugged.

"I can't sleep anyway."

Robin seemed as if he would say something, but then conceded with a nod and a sigh. "Go ahead," he told Raven, passing her another sleeping roll, "Get them set up. I'll be through in a moment."

Raven turned and shuffled her way into the cave with as much grace as she could manage. It wasn't much. She was concentrating hard enough on putting one foot in front of the other that she shouldn't have been able to hear the whispered words behind her.

"Beastboy– "

"Don't."

A tense pause.

"Hey, so where's my uniform?"

"Uh... I didn't bring one."

"Jerk."

With an infinitesimally lighter heart, she trudged away.

Because really, how does Raven suddenly have clean clothes?

Next we should finally be closing the Terra Arc. Let me know what you think. I know I'm a bit rusty.