17. Same old, same new.

The battlefield was still dark, it was too early for the sun, the mountainous ground to the left produced long icy fingers of shadow, and nearby to the right the sea reflected the pale light coming from the eastern horizon, and the mist, the mist that seemed to cling to everything, dampening the soldiers clothing and steaming up their armour.

Chris shivered inside his chain mail, the metal was being chilled and he was feeling the cold, he didn't know why, but for some reason he felt like what was happening around him didn't matter, like he could do anything he wanted, shrugging of the foolish feeling he concentrated on the empty landscape before him.

There was silence, even the birds it seemed were keeping quiet out of respect for those who were about to die. Across the barren valley the rise of ground seemed to shimmer as the sun came close to cresting its top. The bright neon light temporarily blinded the grimly waiting figures.

But then they saw them, at first just a few black dots appearing out of the mist, but then more, more and more, like an endless tide they crested the rise and began their deathly quiet advance. They were there in their thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, their forest of spears seemed to block out the very sun, which was still very low in the sky. They could hear them now, chanting, chanting for the defenders deaths.

They would not be disappointed. Soon a similar scene had developed behind those few who remained to hold the pass, they were surrounded, and surrender was not an option. Soon the thundering footsteps could be heard, like an old steam train slowly ascending a steep slope, it was a sound that brought only death, yet they welcomed it. The massed enemy ranks were closing now, they were within shouting distance, and the silent unmoving defenders could now hear the taunts of the enemy.

The footsteps were deafening now, like rolling thunder it came closer, but still the defenders remained still, calm, collected. Chris hummed to himself.

"Come death come."

The enemy were speeding up, breaking into a mild jog, eager for the coming slaughter.

Silently the defenders levelled their pikes towards the now charging Persian army, and prepared for the inevitable. Chris pulled his helmet over his bare head, the act reducing his world to a pitch blackness perforated by two blinding slits of vision.

Contact was coming, from both sides the irresistible numbers of attackers charged towards the motionless but ready defenders.

It was coming.

Any second.

ALMOST.

"GOOD MORNING JUMP CITY, yes that's right, good morning all you happy campers, how ya feeling this fine cold October morning!"

Chris rolled over to see just who had broken the silence and was surprised to not see the rest of the Spartans but instead his radio alarm blaring away at him in its usual loud frenzy, desperate to awaken him. Groaning as he realised he had just been denied quite a show by his loathed alarm he did what he always did, he retrieved his piece of wood he kept for that exact reason and beat the alarm until it no longer showed any signs of audio resistance.

Content that he had shown that particular inanimate object just who was boss, Chris rolled out of bed and with a surprising spring to his step prepared for a brand new day. Five minuets after he had been dragged from his coming battle Chris was showered dressed and wide eyed as he padded his way silently towards the main room without his shoes. He was content, although he had now learned not to read his borrowed book just before going to sleep, that was the third night in a row that he had dreamt of ancient conflict, and he still hadn't finished the ancient Greek's chapter, he shuddered to think what would happen when he reached the Dark ages section.

While musing this unpleasant thought he arrived in the main room, and was thus surprised to find that he was not alone, despite the early hour and gloomy almost pitch black darkness. Raven sat on the sofa with a book, while behind her in the kitchen a kettle boiled, sending steam dancing into the could morning air.

At his arrival she half turned, too quickly and jumpily Chris noticed, and then shot her head back away from him. Chris continued to move closer, raising an eyebrow as he did so.

"Hey."

He said, having for some reason decided that 'morning' was far too unoriginal and unfriendly. There was a moment's pause, in which the back of Raven's head stared at Chris like a dyed 'Cousin It'.

"Hey."

She eventually responded mimicking his accent, although far less enthusiastically. Chris rolled his eyes but smiled anyway, he was used to it, he had for a moment thought there was something wrong, but Raven's customary if slightly annoying impressions of him were a sure sign that everything was normal, in fact Chris would have probably been more concerned if she had not responded in such a manner.

Skirting round to the kettle he noticed to his delight that there was plenty of water in the kettle, more than enough to give them both a cup of their respective tea. He did ponder for just a moment why Raven was down here at this time in the morning, getting up at six had never really troubled Chris, it was just his way, and admittedly out of all the Titans, except perhaps Robin, Chris agreed that Raven was highly likely to get up early, but this, this was too early, something was definitely amiss.

Without speaking Chris watched the kettle boil and then making the necessary actions made Raven and himself a cup of tea, careful to make sure that hers was her favourite. Not that that was difficult, as they had acquired a surplus after the last eventful trip to the mall.

The memory of that day brought a smile to Chris's face as he headed over towards Raven with their tea, he had discovered a lot that day, and in the end he had been left a much better person because of it.

There had been the actual excitement of the day, as well as his first official 'heroic exploit' as Starfire had put it, there had been the unpleasant moment of his near death experience, but Raven had put an end to that, and he felt closer to her because of it, which was most definitely a plus in his opinion. What had shocked him the most was that after they had returned home, admittedly after a very uncomfortable visit to the gloomy bookshop, Robin had given him the most contradicting talking to in all of recorded history, coming close to outstripping Beast Boy in his ability to confuse.

In short Robin had left Chris feeling, confused, foolish and proud, a peculiar mix but an acceptable one in his opinion. Chris had afterwards only then begun to realise that he had not panicked, and more importantly he had not let his friends down, it was a good start in his opinion, and the feeling that he could be more than a drag to the Titans had left him wondering just how far he could rise, certainly above his usual lowly opinion of himself.

Amazingly, as far as Chris was concerned, the day had been far from over.

Thoroughly embarrassed and in no mood to talk to anyone after his initiation, Chris had retreated to his room for the rest of the day, secretly glad that he was now a real member, and nobody could say any different.

That had been a week ago, and now Chris had settled into the life with no real problems, Robin was happy because of Chris's apparent eagerness towards the entire lifestyle, Beast Boy and Starfire were content just with another person to spend some of their time with, Cyborg had been overjoyed when Chris had found his way into the workshop and then given his all in that line for an entire day, and Raven simply acted as if nothing had happened, which was apparently how she always acted.

He had thrown himself into the life with a relish that had bemused those more accustomed to it, in combat practice he had always been eager, and had been steadily improving on his skills, now being able to openly dispute Robin in single combat, though the end result was always the same. Where his true skills had shone though was in the field of marksmanship, while the target range was usually only used rarely by the Titans when honing their projectile skills, Chris had spend close to two hours a day with practice weapons that they often used in training, and had proven himself to be one of the most excellent snipers the team had ever seen. Cyborg and Chris had begun creating a line of equipment to fit in with these newly discovered skills, something that they were both enjoying doing to no end, mainly because it gave them the excuse to play with all the newest hardware that they could lay their hands on, something that often sent Cyborg misty eyed.

His willingness to rise early do whatever was necessary and then work long into the night had been a most welcome boost to the teams manpower. He had gone on three patrols with either the entire or just part of the team. While nothing of particular interest had happened and nothing considered an emergency had called out the Titans since the bomb Chris had nevertheless been eager to get out and get going. Something that Robin especially had commended him for.

So here he was, in his new life, walking towards the secret centre of his affections with two cups of tea that contrasted awfully with each other, Chris's being a large mug with a brightly painted Union Jack on the side, and the inscription, 'Tally Ho, it's a brand new day!', adorning it which was more than a miner clash with Raven's smaller elegant simple white tea cup. The heat from the drinks caused their steam to rise visibly into the cold air that surrounded them.

"Play it smooth now Chris boy, remember, smooth, swathe and sophisticated, got it?"

Said David inside Chris's head, Chris was almost glad of this mental invader, for he had become almost acceptable during the week; subconsciously Chris agreed and then made his way to the sitting Raven. He was intent on not making any foolish mistakes this morning, he would act the gentleman and not freeze, he had been getting better all week, even if there had been others present to help ease his embarrassment, but now he was alone, this he thought was his baptism of fire.

Chris prepared to sit, and held out Raven's herbal tea, fully ready to deploy his new sophisticated demeanour. Unfortunately for Chris fate had once again conspired against him, he would be the first to admit that he often said things on impulse and without thinking, especially if the incident in question took him by surprise.

Unfortunately this one did.

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What would he say, would he laugh, would he just take it in his stride, would he begin asking awkward questions?

These were the thoughts that flew angrily around inside Raven's tired and troubled head as the tea wielding Englishman came closer.

It would be a lie if she had said that she wasn't nervous, while she had no fear of what Chris might say or do the fact that she had no idea was something that she felt more than a little uncomfortable with.

The reason for her apprehension was simple, she had had a very troubled night, she had meditated late into the evening, and then had dreamt of horrors yet to come. Waking in a cold sweat she had done what she always did on those increasingly frequent occasions, she had come to the main room for a cup of her favourite refreshing herbal tea. Content in the knowledge that the others wouldn't be up for hours.

In her tired and slightly scared state she had not reckoned with Chris, and now she was paying for it.

Here she was, in all her glory, not properly dressed in her usual attire; instead she was wearing her silken pyjamas and had a blanket half wrapped around her petite body, no shoes or socks and with what could only be described as an extreme hairstyle. How she now wished that she had taken the time to shower, dress and straighten herself out before coming down to the main room, it wasn't in her nature to make a huge effort or even to care a great deal what others thought about her appearance, but there were limits.

Chris sat down and held her tea out towards her; he looked her in the eye with the faintest hint of a smile on his face, and then stopped.

He seemed to realise that something was wrong with the picture before him, he looked her up and down, then his smile grew and seemingly before he could stop himself he said in mock shock.

"Oh my goodness, its princess Leia"

Raven rolled her eyes and snatched her tea; Chris smiled and looked slightly reproachful.

"Sorry, first thing that came to me, bad night?"

He wasn't being as bad as she had thought he could be, indeed his sarcasm was somehow comforting, in the way that he like her would inevitably avoid the real issue if it was only going to be troublesome, and of course that he like her, just didn't really care, but then again, that would depend on just how far his questioning went.

"Something like that."

She replied, not quite managing an angry voice as the images of her most disturbing dreams and fears came flooding back. Chris frowned.

"Bad dreams?"

He was closing in on the truth, dangerously close, Raven took a subconscious vote on just what to disclose. Unfortunately the rest of her wanted in.

"Go on, tell him, tell him and he will laugh at you're pathetic misery!"

Shouted one voice, most definitely scoring on the negative side. Then another, clearly that of Brave pushed its way to the surface.

"Go for it, he seems like a good guy, plenty brave and plenty trustworthy."

Raven agreed slightly, but then it wasn't like Brave didn't always say something along these lines for almost everyone, in fact, hadn't this gung ho green cloaked version of herself not that long ago told her to tear him limb from limb.

Before Brave could reply another voice, that of her Timid side somehow found its way to the fore of the clamouring crowd.

"Don't do it Raven, it will only cause us pain, and besides, it's not like you have ever been particularly nice to him, why should he be so to you, despite his nature."

Though only a split second had passed Raven felt as though she had been sitting there for whole minuets listening to herself battle it out, all trying to get their own point of view across. Finally Smart came to the rescue with her usual piece of level headed tactically perfect advice.

"Don't lie, you know he will notice, just tell the truth up to a certain point, then end it, that's all you must do."

It made sense, and in fact if she had been thinking straight then it would probably have been what she would have done anyway. Chris, correctly assuming the pause to be some sort of internal indecision said.

"You don't have to tell me, you can just tell me to get lost, but for the record, you can trust me, I owe you for saving my life, twice, and I will undoubtedly have a very hard time repaying that debt, so the least I can do is keep my mouth shut should you so wish it."

Raven was taken aback for a second, it was a very open comment, one which gave her options and also left the entire conversation to follow on her terms, she liked it, he was making this very easy, she liked that as well. Inside Brave summed it up.

"See, good guy, salt of the earth."

She gave the tinniest hint of a smile, then remembering herself put on her usual face and voice.

"Yes Chris, I had troubled sleep."

Sipping her tea she wondered just how to answer his next question without giving too much away.

"So they were bad dreams?"

Deciding that admitting to a normal human phenomena was no real sign of weakness she nodded as she sipped her tea, which she noticed with a tiny shudder of pleasure was her favourite, he was useful that way it would seem.

"I had a bad dream last night as well, or at least I would have had one if my alarm hadn't woken me up, I was quiet eager to see it through though, shame really."

He said blowing on his tea to cool it. Raven was surprised with this apparently 'free' confession, she could sense and feel through her abilities that he was uncomfortable with her, though this showed that he was trying at least to be friendly. Something she was always secretly glad of, but would never tell anyone who was trying to get close.

"What about?"

She asked, trying, and succeeding to sound very unconcerned. He looked at her with a momentarily quizzical expression and then apparently deciding that he could trust her said.

"It was a battle, an ancient battle; courtesy of that book I borrowed no doubt."

Intrigued that he should dream of the book he had read, as she had very often done Raven decided to push for more details.

"Know which battle it was?"

She asked, making it sound like a challenge to his knowledge, knowing that his attitude towards his new life would force him to accept it and thus give her the best shot of learning what she wanted to know.

"Thermopylae."

He said simply, as if he had just mentioned an obvious fact. Raven thought, she had heard the name before, it was Greek she knew, but apart from that the rest eluded her, she had studied history and all manner of other things in her hours upon hours of reading and silent contemplation, but she had a sneaking suspicion that she had heard of this from the television, perhaps a documentary. Apart from horror films they were the only other real type of programme that she watched with any particular interest.

Chris looked through the steam from his tea and apparently seeing the thought provoked look on Raven's pretty face decided to elaborate.

"It was a battle between the Greeks and the Persians, the Greeks were terribly outnumbered, but they held off the enemy at a tiny pass, a place called…"

"Thermopylae."

She supplied helpfully. He nodded and took another gulp of his tea.

Raven hated to admit it, but she was beginning to feel better, which was good, but what was perhaps not good was that the main reason she felt better was because of Chris. While he had started rather badly he was now no longer enquiring about her dreams, nor was he trying to get her to open up, in fact he had opened up himself, which had spawned a conversation about ancient Greek history, an interesting and very 'un Beast Boy' topic even she had to admit.

Content that as long as the conversation remained interesting, entertaining and above all, just a conversation, she would allow herself some company and hopefully be able to put those most disturbing dreams of what was to come behind her.

"So, you're turn, what was yours about?"

The question was a surprise to Raven who had been lulled into a comfortable feeling of security. As a result, it was not until she had uttered some immortal words that she realised just what she was doing.

"It was about my father…"

She didn't look at Chris, nor did she even feel angry, she simply continued to stare into the hot liquid of her tea and pray. Pray that she had in fact not just said what she knew she had, pray that Chris would not have heard what she knew he had, and above all, that he would not discover that which she knew they all must eventually.

Chris looked at her, she could feel his eyes all over her body, looking, searching, probing for answers, and then.

Nothing.

Chris looked away and took a sip of her tea, it was a tense moment before he finally said.

"Biccie?"

She looked at him, her beautiful face noticeably paler, even for her, she glanced at his outstretched hand, and there, sitting comfortably in his palm, were two animal shaped biscuits, one a bird, the other some sort of dog.

"I was saving them until we could eat them in front of Beast Boy, but I guess there's no harm in scoffing a few now."

Raven smiled openly without even meaning to, Chris actually recoiled slightly, as if he wasn't quite sure what the smile could mean.

But she didn't care, he hadn't questioned her, and he hadn't found out her most closely guarded secret, a secret that, would, destroy the world.

He couldn't know how close he had come to destruction, at her momentary laps in concentration she had revealed more than she would ever wish to, and mentioned someone that she wished had never existed.

Her emotions had run wild, for a second they had threatened to take control and explode outwards on the physical world and the sitting Englishman to her right. But they had not, Chris had broken the spell, all with the simple one English word 'biccie', she couldn't believe it, he was lucky, even if he didn't think so. Realising that she was staring at her part saviour and almost destroyer with a great smile on here face, she took the two small animal shaped biscuits and looked at them. They were plain and the animals could have been anything, but she fancied that the bird could just have been a Raven and the dog perhaps a fox of some sort.

She consumed the small animal recreations and looked at Chris, who was looking at her contently, with a daydreaming type smile.

"Yes?"

She asked, her composure and customary monotone now returned.

"Nothing."

Chris answered quickly, turning away and going faintly red for a brief moment.

"So anyway, er, um, Thermopylae."

He said, Raven wasn't sure whether he was trying to avoid the awkward moment he had caused with the mention of her farther, or something else, either way, she was content to move on, she had dwelled on that particular part of her past far too long that morning.

The conversation continued pleasantly for approaching forty minuets, until the early morning darkness had receded to give the promise of a cold and wet early winter's day, but eventually and rather to the now much more content Raven's disappointment, it ended. The conversation had ebbed and flowed, it had changed subject several times, first changing to the bookshop which they both visited, to its somewhat strange owner and her even stranger daughter. Raven felt much happier as she listened to Chris regale the amusing story of his rather unsettling first encounter with the shop and its staff member. She in turn told him of how she had first spotted the shop while looking for a place to hide from Starfire on a trip to the mall a long time ago, and how she had liked the idea of somewhere she could go where the people who hanged out there were even more disturbing than her.

Finally however it was approaching seven o'clock, and while the rest of the team would at the very earliest begin to surface at around nine, it paid to be prepared, besides, Raven had no intention of being discovered alone with Chris in her pyjamas and an 'extreme hairstyle' as Chris had so eloquently put it.

Chris stood and taking her empty cup from her went to the kitchen area to begin making something to eat. Declining his offer of an early breakfast and saying that she was going to her room to prepare for the coming day she stood and left, though she did pause momentarily at the door to glance back at the now busy Englishman and say.

"I will be back in a while; we can have something then, if you are still here that is."

Chris looked up and smiled.

"Where else would I be, besides it will take me about three hours to beat this little sod into submission."

He said indicating the interior of the fridge. Raven smiled as she remembered the previous efforts to evict the loathsome substance. She turned to leave hiding a smile by turning. As the door opened she looked back and watched Chris as he did battle with the now very 'rowdy' remnants of Starfire's week old pie, which was physically resisting every effort to remove it from its cold abode.

She smiled to herself as Chris, giving up, slammed the fridge door shut and instead went over to the sink where he procured a large frying pan, he tested its weight, and then grinning evilly he made his way stealthy way back to the fridge.

Raven realised she was staring and decided to leave, as the door slid shut behind her she could hear the distinct banging of a metal object and some mild cursing.

In a way that was becoming more familiar of late she pondered existence in itself. For example the past hour had seen her waking up terrified and sweating in her room to walking back there contently with a slightly amused grin on her pale face. It was strange really, little in this or indeed any world ever made sense, but it seemed to Raven that she was forever going to be pondering the point of it all.

This incident in particular had her questioning the strange pranks that fate played on them all.

Chris had, even if unknowingly, he had comforted her after the disturbing nightmare; he had done this without any need to, even though she, the person who he had comforted would inevitably be responsible for his and every other living thing in this dimensions death. To confuse the issue even further, by comforting her in the way in which he had, he had inadvertently come that tiny bit closer to unleashing the evil which lurked within her, something which she would never allow, though unfortunately and not through her own choice would inevitably happen. Then as an even more complicated twist there was the strange fact that he had been helping her to forget a dream in which she had killed not only him but all those he had grown to hold dear.

It didn't make much sense to Raven, and she doubted it ever would. The entire thing just seemed an endless circle of annoyances and puzzling problems, but she had avoided disaster, and Chris remained oblivious to the destruction that the future held, he would find out obviously, they all would, but not yet, and that was a very very good thing.

She was right, Chris didn't know, and also he would eventually know, just sooner than most.

Sighing heavily she remembered she had left her blanket on the sofa, she would retrieve it later.

With a tiny giggle she continued to her room, as in the background a triumphant cheer declared that Chris had finally ended the week long siege in the fridge.

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"Is it dead?"

"Certainly looks it."

"Smells it too."

"Well there's no difference there then."

The pan descended once more on the unsightly object with a loud bang.

"Well that makes it official, I suppose."

"I don't know; give it one more for luck, and then one for me."

Seeing no real harm in it Chris gave the loathsome pie remnants another whack, and then making sure to hit it extra hard the last time repeated the process. Unfortunately the truly heroic struggle of the alien pie had left it a swollen mess and this last impact proved just too much. It burst with a ferocity that sought to revenge itself on its destroyer. Chris simply sighed and wiped his face clean.

"Well now it really is dead."

Said David with an insightful tone.

Disposing of the mess he had just so gracefully created, he went to his room to change his now sludge covered clothes.

All was normal it would seem, or at least as normal as this new and wonderful setting would allow.

"Hmm, same old same new."

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Opinions please.

That's all I want, is it too much to ask, really?

So anyway, please review, thanks to those that have, and please feel free to send me any ideas or anything else of use.

I would appreciate it greatly.