Raven's POV

There's no point denying it anymore; I, little miss monotone, Goth supreme and all-round "creepy" member of the famous, crime-fighting Teen Titans, am in love.

Gone are the days when I would live each day as though I was a drone or an android, rather than a person, never fully experiencing the pleasures of life and concentrating only on the annoyances. I never once stopped to smell the flowers or relish the summer breeze playing merrily with my hair.

Azar... just listen to these thoughts... If my mind now spoke without apostrophes and stuck in a few words like "joyous" and "glorious", I'd be welcomed with open arms on a certain planet we all know.

Heh, that was pretty funny... Oh, wow, I'm smiling. If anyone I know sees me doing this they'll be pretty freaked out for sure, especially the one I'm sure would have been a class clown in school.

Anyway, I'm doing a very un-Raven-like thing right now; I'm painting my nails. True, the nail polish is black, but even that is weird for me.

I never thought I'd be able to love, being the daughter of a demon and all... but it's not the demon side of me that's feeling so affectionate... in fact, it never will be that side... it's the human side. Oh, thank you for these wonderful feelings, Mother; I feel on cloud nine right now.

Well, actually, I'd have never believed it was true if one particular emotion hadn't told me herself.

I was beginning to feel a strange sensation in the pit of my stomach whenever the person was near and it confused me... Wisdom seemed the most logical choice to visit because, even though she's a part of me and, therefore, my insight, more often than not, she informs me of things I'm unaware of myself. With all my emotions constantly bottled up, even the two smartest emotions get hidden away sometimes.

I guess I might as well go over the memory...

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I entered the mirror with the intention of speaking to Wisdom, only to come across an emotion I had never seen before in my life. She wore my customary black leotard and her own purple cloak and boots... though no emotion I possessed had a cloak and boots that shone and sparkled as much as hers were doing.

She made one swish of her cloak and, suddenly, the whole area lit up with the seven colours of the rainbow. I gawked, while she merely smiled.

"Who are you?" I asked.

Her eyes filled up with warmth. "You remember Affection, don't you?" she inquired.

"Uh... yeah?"

"Well... you can call me Love." She threw her arms out, presenting herself to me.

I was gobsmacked. "You're joking!"

She shook her head ever-so gently, a broad smile still upon her face. "I'm afraid not, Rae; you're in love."

I blinked in astonishment. Me? In love? "Wh-Who am I in love with?"

She leaned on one leg, one hand on her hip and one finger on her chin, pretending to think. "Hmm... I would've thought it was obvious."

I frowned. "Well, it's not. Who am I in love with?"

"How about a clue?"

"No, I just want the answer."

"The person fights to save the city they live in... and their home is a giant T-shaped tower."

I began to get annoyed; normally, I'm a patient person, but not when someone's dodging around an answer I really want them to give me.

"Okay, so we've established that it's someone in this tower."

"Ah, ah, ah!" She waggled a finger at me. "It could be someone from the other tower!"

My eyes widened considerably. "It's someone from the Steel City Titans Tower?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you-"

"It could be."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine then... who is it?"

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you."

She walked up to me and whispered the name in my ear, all the while suppressing giggles... and to say I was a little surprised would be the understatement of the century.

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Well, now that my nails are almost done, I think I'll check how I look in the mirror. Uh huh... the completely out-of-character blue bandanna and braided violet locks look great. One last look at the nails and... mmm hmm... perfect.

I still can't believe what Love told me... It's hard to get my head around it... I didn't think it was possible to fall in love with anybody... all because of Trigon... Ugh, I can't even stand to call the guy "Father"... plainly because he isn't a guy and isn't exactly a father to me.

Oh well... it's almost time to get moving... the New Years' Eve party will be starting soon. The Teen Titans and the Titans East are all gathered together in Titans Tower, waiting for the big event, while Kid Flash and Jinx patrol Steel City... meaning my "beloved" is in the living room this very moment.

Deep breaths, girl, deep breaths... Okay... I'm alright... Heh, I have Love to thank for the nails and hair; she suggested I "dress to impress" and, well, I guess it's time to see if it works.

I'm still standing in front of the mirror, straightening my cloak and clearing my throat... Now I'm fiddling with a braid... Ugh, why do I have to be so nervous? Okay, time to practice my line.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I say quietly to my reflection. "Look, I know this sounds weird, but... No... Come over here a sec; I need to tell you something. I... No... Hey, you may not believe this, but... No!"

My hands are now pulling on my hair as I debate what to say. Why can't I get this right? It needs to be perfect the first time!

Ah well... maybe I'll have some fun with a mock phrase I know I'll never use. After all, a rejection is less embarrassing in private than in public. Another clearing of the throat and I'm off.

"Everyone, I have an important – and somewhat embarrassing - announcement to make." There is a slight pause before I continue. "I, Raven of the Teen Titans, have fallen madly in love with-"

Argh! What the-? What's that noise? Why's the room glowing red? Oh, wait... it's just the alarm... There must be trouble in the city.

Yep, there's the voice of our team's leader... followed directly by the voice of the other team's leader... calling for me.

Typical.

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Author's note: So there you have it! Who do YOU want Raven's secret love interest to be? It can be anyone from the Teen Titans or Titans East, so you can either make it a Rob/Rae, a BB/Rae, a Star/Rae, a Cy/Rae, a Speedy/Rae, an Aqua/Rae, a Bee/Rae, a Mas/Rae or a Menos/Rae! It's your choice!

Of course, I have my own preference (don't we all? Lol.) and anyone who's read my stories will know what it is, but what's yours?