Raven and her mother sat in the library together, reclining in bean bag chairs, eating pizza, and drinking tea. Everyone was giving the mother and daughter the much-needed time to catch up with Alfred checking on them every few minutes. "I never thought I would have the chance to eat pizza again," Arella said. "I never thought I'd ever see Earth again. I never thought I'd see you again," she said, gazing at her daughter with all the love in the world in her eyes.

"I never forgave myself for opening that portal-"

"Raven," Arella tried to interrupt.

"I was so incredibly stupid," Raven continued.

"No, you weren't," Arella reached for her daughter's hand. "You were young. You were exploring. You were doing what tweens are supposed to do."

"I just missed you so much," Raven said, trying to hold back tears.

"What happened after…he came?" Arella asked.

"He and his armies wiped out whoever hadn't been turned to stone. He then took me to his hellish dimension, where he trained me. Taught me to do even more with my powers."

"Raven," Arella breathed her daughter's name in remorse.

"It was awful," Raven said, tearing up even more, "I haven't even told Richard everything I saw there, the things Trigon made me do. It was terrifying. I didn't…" Raven's voice broke. Arella said nothing, giving her daughter a minute to collect herself. "But I escaped him. And I came here. I only wanted to warn someone, but then I joined the Teen Titans and ended up staying. And when Trigon came, we beat him."

"Again, I can't believe he's gone," Arella said excitedly.

"I couldn't have done it without my friends," Raven admitted shyly. "There were so many times when I wanted to give up and kill myself. But Richard wouldn't let me. He was willing to go toe-to-toe with Trigon if he had to."

"Richard seems like a good guy, Raven," Arella said.

"Yeah," Raven agreed with a faraway look in her eye. "So, we didn't get a chance to discuss everything on our way here," she turned her body to face her mother's. "How exactly do you know Bruce Wayne? Did you guys date or something?"

"Oh no," Arella quickly said. "No, no, no, no, no, no."

"That is a lot of no's," Raven smiled.

"I was 16, and he was a senior. We had many of the same classes together."

"He was held back?"

"No. I was really…smart. I was a loner. No friends. I read a lot. I read whatever I could get my hands on. But I never paid him any attention. Ever. The day Alfred hit me with his car was my first time speaking to Bruce. He stayed by my side. Even when my stomach was actually expanding while he was in the room with me, he remained level-headed. I was beside myself, but not Bruce. I thought for sure he would have been traumatized, but…he seems to be in his right mind."

"Oh."

"That was the worst 28-30 hours of my life. By the time Constantine-"

"Constantine. You know Constantine?" Raven interrupted.

"Yeah, do you?"

"We've…had run-ins. He's weird."

"Very. But he was the one who took me to Azar."

"And you went with him willingly? A stranger?"

"I had just been raped by a demon. And then a cult tried to hunt me down. I didn't trust Constantine, but I knew he couldn't be worse than the Church of Blood." Raven nodded in understanding. "I wish there was a way I could reach him," Arella sighed.

"There is," Raven said excitedly. "Bruce knows him."

"Really?" Arella almost jumped up joyfully. "Do you think he'll locate him for me?"

"I think he would."

"You do? I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"You won't be," Raven reassured her.


Arella couldn't believe her eyes. She was so proud of the young woman her daughter had become. It was more than she could have ever wished. Arella watched Raven as she slept. Mother and daughter shared the bed, not wanting to be apart any more than necessary. Only, Arella was too afraid to close her eyes; she was afraid this was all a dream; she was afraid she was stuck in limbo. She found herself shedding tears of joy for the umpteenth time. Arella resisted the urge to caress her daughter's cheek while she slept. Raven looked so precious; Arella didn't want to disturb her. Slowly, carefully, Arella crawled off the bed, leaving the room. She tiptoed through the dark mansion, having already memorized the way to the kitchen. Alfred had shown her where the tea was kept before she went to bed, just in case.

Arella began filling the kettle with water, not bothering to turn the kitchen lights on. Whatever Azar had done, it had heightened her sense of sight. Also, she could create portals from Earth to Azarath, something she had accidentally discovered. Grabbing a mug from one of the cupboards, Arella jumped, releasing a squeal when the light to the kitchen suddenly turned on. She quickly turned to see a sleepy Bruce Wayne rubbing his eyes. A very shirtless Bruce Wayne. Arella quickly looked away from him, her face reddening. In high school, she had been loathed to admit how good-looking he was; but now, in his mid-30s…it should be a crime to look that good. "Arella?" he said her name in a husky voice.

"Sorry," Arella looked at him shyly. "I couldn't sleep."

"No, no," Bruce calmed her. "This is…it's fine. I didn't think anyone else would be up at…" he glanced at the time. "3:45."

"I couldn't sleep," Arella admitted shyly. "It's just-" She was interrupted when the kettle began to whistle. Arella quickly turned the stove off and silently prepared her tea. "Richard says Raven also likes tea," Bruce said as he began making a cup of coffee. "I assume she gets her love from you."

"Actually," Arella smiled at him. "I never liked tea until Azarath. The monks there were all about control. The beverage selection was sorely limited. Water, tea, and some weird version of milk. No sugar. No alcohol."

"Really?" Bruce gave her a charming smile, and Arella thought she would swoon. She quietly made her way to the kitchen table, pulled her legs up to her chest, and began sipping her tea. Bruce joined her shortly. "My daughter tells me you know Constantine," Arella said.

"I do," Bruce admitted with a raised brow. "He came to me two weeks after you'd gone to Azarath. I had no idea who he was at the time. I was working on my bike, and he just strolled into the garage, told me you were safe and not to worry."

"And you believed him?"

"There's just something about him at the time…" Bruce's voice trailed off.

"My daughter says he is obnoxious."

"He is," Bruce looked at her. "He is. I'm pretty sure he's a functional alcoholic."

"He does seem like the type," Arella smiled. She then began playing with her fingers. "And the cult?" she asked uneasily.

"Oh. He burned the place to the ground and killed almost all of Brother Blood's followers."

"Right, Azar did mention that being his name. Wait, he killed them?"

"John goes all out on people who harm children, though, he couldn't kill Blood."

"So, Blood is still around?" Arella's face whitened in fear.

"No," Bruce quickly covered her shaky hands with his. "No. I believe your daughter and her friends put him out of commission, permanently." Arella released a shaky breath she'd been holding. She then looked down at her hands covered by Bruce. Bruce slowly removed his hand, and Arella immediately missed the warmth they provided. "So, monks?" Bruce asked. "Was Raven the only child…?"

"Oh no," Arella laughed. "Raven and I did live in a temple, but not all of the monks actually took vows of chastity. There were plenty of children. Unfortunately, Raven never got the chance to…be one of them. Actually, Raven spent her first few years of life surrounded by adults with white masks. Her education began on day 1. I didn't actually see her face-to-face until she was 7," Arella admitted sadly, staring into her tea. Bruce said nothing. "I got to watch her grow through monitors," Arella's eyes glistened with tears, "but…she needed to learn not to feel before learning how to feel. She was so powerful," Arella looked at Bruce, "she was able to sense every emotion and hear every thought in almost a mile radius by the time she was 3." Arella remembered watching one of Raven's training sessions. It ended with her teachers having to sedate her because she was in so much pain. "I had to learn to push my emotions down if I ever wanted to see her face-to-face." Arella took a sip of her rapidly cooling tea, sensing she had said too much. "Well, you have a very strong daughter," Bruce said. "And she has a very strong mother." Arella looked back at Bruce. "Thank you for saying that," she whispered.

"It's true," Bruce said. He breathed out through his nostrils. "Arella," he said, "there's something I need to tell you. It's about when Raven first came to Earth."

"Oh, sorry!" a voice exclaimed from the kitchen's entrance. Richard stood looking very awkward and embarrassed. "I saw the light on, and I just assumed it was – never mind. I'm just going to go-"

"No," Arella smiled at him. "I'm actually feeling rather tired. I think I'll return to bed." Arella walked to the sink, about to wash her mug and kettle. "No, it's okay," Bruce said.

"Are you – are you sure?" she asked. "I don't mind –"

"It's okay. You're a guest," he smiled charmingly.

"Okay," Arella blushed. "Well, thank you for talking to me. I will see you…later." Arella all but scurried out of the kitchen and ran up the steps. She quietly walked into the bedroom suite. Raven was still fast asleep. Arella gently climbed into bed, staring at her daughter's face until sleep finally overtook her. She whispered a quick prayer, hoping this would all be here when she woke up.


Arella shot up in the bed with a gasp. Her heart was racing a million miles an hour; sweat poured down her face. Arella quickly looked around, taking stock of her surroundings. She released a sigh of relief. She was safe. It had only been a dream. "Mother?" a voice next to her called. Arella turned to see her daughter, Raven, watching her intently. "Oh," Arella said softly. "Did I wake you?" Raven shook her head. Raven was sitting up in bed, already dressed. "What time is it?" Arella asked.

"8:00 in the morning," Raven answered with a shrug.

"Still the early bird, I see," Arella smirked. Raven nodded. "I was in the bathroom," Raven said, "when I felt your distress."

"Just a bad dream," Arella reassured her daughter with a tentative smile, bringing her knees up to her chest. "Any plans today?"

"Taking you shopping," Raven stated.

"What?" Arella asked in new horror. Shopping?