Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Teen Titans or anything affiliated with them… I just like to mess with their heads sometimes

A/N: (ducks behind her computer) Um… hi! I know… I said two weeks and over a month later here I am, finally back with a new chapter! After all my tests were finished, I suffered from a short writer's block period. I must have written five different versions of this chapter before I got it to be something decent. I am SO sorry for the delay! On another note, thanks for all the great reviews for "Let Me Go," the little Raven's version of the prologue thing I posted during my absence from this story. So, without further ado, the long awaited Chapter 8 of DWYHTD! Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Now Comes the Night

Wishing you were somehow here again

Wishing you were somehow near

Sometimes it seemed

If I just dreamed

Somehow you would be here

- Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, The Phantom of the Opera

In that foggy period of time between sleeping and waking, Alette could have sworn she heard the door to Raven's room slide open. Her eyes remained closed as she listened for more sounds, but none came. Allowing a large yawn to escape, Alette rolled over under the silky sheets, preparing to return to the blissful obliviousness of sleep. Just as fragments of her latest dream were returning to her, though, Alette was rudely awakened by a finger poking into her ribs. Being somewhat ticklish, Alette's natural reaction was to laugh, but she suppressed the giggle as the thousands of possibilities of who… or what… might be poking her swam through her head. Holding tight to her mother's diary, which had remained in her arms through the night, Alette took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.

"Hi!"

Alette's surprise was made known as she jumped slightly and several books on Raven's bookshelf flew from their places, hitting the opposite wall before falling to the ground. The cheery greeting was a far cry from what she'd been expecting (for instance, a robed figure grinning evilly as it reached for Raven's diary) and the fact that it came from certain child who was a practical clone of the one Titan Alette could not bring herself to like only made the situation more shocking. The girl was hovering in the air above Alette, her red hair brushing over Alette's face.

Alette sat up, not sure how to handle her current predicament. Wasn't someone supposed to keep an eye on the alien child so as to prevent the meeting of the half-sisters? "Tamara, what are you doing in here?" Alette failed to suppress a yawn as she spoke.

Tamara floated down to the bed, crossing her legs underneath her as she said "How do you know my name?" in an amazed tone. She didn't seem disturbed by the fact that a perfect stranger knew who she was. She rocked back and forth on her bottom, her eyes fixed on Alette as if the older girl was a movie star walking down the red carpet.

"Umm…" Alette's brain was still waking up, and she was having trouble stringing coherent thoughts together. "I guessed."

"Oh," Tamara sounded disappointed. Apparently she had wanted Alette to divulge some top secret method of knowing a person's name without asking. "Well, you're a good guesser."

"Thanks," Alette responded, an amused smile crossing her face at Tamara's look of dissatisfaction. She reached over to place Raven's diary on the nightstand, brushing a pile of dead rose petals aside in the process.

"I bet I can guess your name!" Tamara said happily. She was now sitting on her knees, attempting to get a better look at Alette.

"Okay, give it a try." Alette welcomed Tamara's innocent games. It was a needed release from the pressures and tensions of searching for her mother. "But my name's really hard," she warned playfully as she began to stretch her muscles, tight from sleep.

"I think your name is… Raven!" Tamara grinned proudly, convinced that she had the right answer.

Alette, who had been reaching for the ceiling as she lengthened her arm muscles, brought them down slowly, clutching her hands to her chest as she thought of her mother. As she looked over to Tamara, she hoped she had her sadness hidden. "Sorry Tamara, that's not it."

"What?" Tamara was visibly upset. Her bottom lip stuck out as she pouted. "But that's the name on the door! Why would you be in this room if your name isn't Raven?"

"I'm borrowing it," Alette explained.

Tamara crossed her arms and asked, "Then what is your name?" in a defeated voice.

"Alette," Alette offered, smiling at Tamara. She didn't want the girl's feelings to be hurt.

"Oh," was all Tamara said in response.

Several minutes passed in silence as Alette watched Tamara look around the room. Had it been only a week before that Alette had felt shamefully jealous of the child and her seemingly perfect family? Now thoughts like the ones which had crossed Alette's mind that night at dinner seemed frivolous. Tamara and Starfire could have Nightwing if it meant that she could have her mother back. A life without a father she had learned to deal with, but Alette knew she could not accept a life without Raven.

"Are you a superhero like my mom and dad?"

Tamara's question broke the silence and drew Alette from her musings. A hero was courageous and put the lives of everyone else before their own. Raven was a hero. "No, I'm not," Alette answered, pleased to hear that her voice remained calm and steady, just as her mother's would have. Her legs swung out from under the covers, and she stood, resuming her stretching.

"Then why are you in the Tower?" Tamara, like her mother, did not recognize dismissal. Alette's change in tone did little to deter the child's investigation.

Alette moved to one of the large windows, looking out at the overcast sky. Her back still on Tamara, she said, "Your parents are helping me find my mom."

"Did you lose her?" Tamara's question made the entire situation sound so simple, so fixable.

Alette closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the cool transparent glass in front of her. She had not meditated yet, and she could feel the hot pressure of tears pressing against her closed lids. "Yes," she finally said, her voice sounding like a breath of air.

"Did you lose your dad too?"

Alette felt something then, a shift in the stable happiness that was radiating from Tamara. Nervous energy flooded her heart, but it was not her own. She knew then that she was no longer alone with Tamara. Someone was in the hallway, anxiously waiting to hear how Alette would answer the question that still hung in the air.

Alette turned to face Tamara again, thinking of Nightwing and how he was so similar to Raven and herself and so different from Starfire and the girl in front of her. "No, I didn't. Actually, I found him a couple days ago." It was the truth, and she had managed to deliver the facts without making her life more complicated than it already was. The last thing she needed right now was to try and explain to the girl the concept of 'half-sister.'

"But then why do you need my mom and dad to help? Can't your dad find your mom?" Tamara still sat on the bed, scrunching her eyebrows to show her confusion and frustration with the mysterious stranger who was now living in Titans' Tower.

"Tamara, there you are!" The eavesdropper in the hallway, Tamara's mother, made her presence known as she entered the room with a fake smile plastered on her face. Alette sensed Starfire's desire to get Tamara out of Raven's room and far away from the clutches of the, in Starfire's opinion, awful truth. "I've been looking all over for you. You're going to be late for school if we don't hurry."

"But Mom, I was talking to Alette!" Tamara protested.

"Perhaps some other time, dear. Right now we need to get back to the house." Alette felt Starfire's unease, a product of her previous tension and the desire to leave Raven's room.

"Okay," Tamara said after releasing a dramatic sigh, succumbing to Starfire's request. She hopped off of the bed and followed her mother out of the room, stopping at the door to turn to Alette and say "I hope you find your mom, Alette!"

Alette listened to Tamara's chatter diminish as she and Starfire retreated down the hallway, and whispered into the emptiness of the room, "You and me both, kid."


Alette could think of very few things that made her feel safe. The smell of an aging book, distinctly moldy yet utterly sweet, was one of them. Somewhere in her mind she knew she made this association because her mother carried the scent, but she dared not think of such things at such a crucial time. Raven's diary sat on her lap, calling to her, demanding to be opened. Tentatively, Alette reached a hand to the cover, slipping a finger between it and the first page. The leather binding felt soft to the touch. She lifted cautiously, as if she expected Trigon himself to jump from the ink.

A shiver traveled from the base of Alette's spine to the top of her neck, and the slow progress she had been making was cut off as she slammed the book closed, tossing it to the table across from her as if it was on fire. Alette cursed quietly, the words echoing in the empty common room of the Tower. From her position on the half-circle of a couch, she looked out across the still water of the bay that separated Jump City from the much more complex world of the individuals who chose to protect the city and at times, the world. While Alette sat up in the confines of the T-shaped tower facing apocalypse, the citizens of Jump City continued their daily routines, not even capable of comprehending such an event.

At that moment, the four Titans themselves were part of that unaware world, contributing to the normalcy and, in Alette's opinion, selfishness of the general population. They had left her alone because of their obligations to the lives of their unspectacular alter egos. Beast Boy, rather Garfield Logan, would be at his veterinary hospital until five, and Cyborg, or Dr. Victor Stone, had four different delicate prosthetics operations scheduled, meaning he would be at the hospital with his patients most of the day. Nightwing, also known as Professor Richard Grayson, had a duty to fill the heads of students with information that, up until her mother had been taken, Alette had found interesting. Now she believed all knowledge gained via a school of any kind was useless. Why did they never teach you how to handle situations such as the one Alette found herself in? Not even her godfather, the Batman, had provided her with training that would prepare her to be the key to preventing total annihilation.

Though Alette couldn't be sure, she was almost positive that Starfire was a housewife, and could have easily volunteered to keep Alette company. Alette was glad Starfire had not offered, however, seeing as how she and the alien mixed like oil and water. Starfire's presence made everything harder for Alette to handle.

Alette's gaze left the hypnotizing water and her mind returned its focus to the bound pages lying lifeless in front of her. There was something about the diary that scared Alette, and that was why she continued to delay her investigation of it. Her mother may have come up with a theory about defeating Trigon, but it was sure to be a challenging task, and Alette was afraid that she might not be able to handle it. She was not as powerful as Raven. She was scared of death, her mother's and her own.

What would Raven do in this situation?

Alette, some people say that destiny does not exist, but you must understand that it does. Destiny is like an outline for a book, the basic plot is solid, but the little details still have to be worked out. I am destined to be the portal through which Trigon comes into this world. The question is how can I ensure that he only stays for the shortest amount of time? You have to accept your fate before you can work out the details…

Alette recalled Raven's lessons, which began shortly after she turned ten. Before it had been 'How to fly' or 'How to meditate,' but the last eight years of Alette's life, she now realized, had been moving toward this moment in which she would have to choose between running from fate or allowing it. There was no time to be afraid.

Alette ignored the still very loud voice in her head that cried "Danger!" and flipped open the cover of her mother's diary. When the sky did not begin to fall and it was clear that the end of the world seemed to be holding off for another day, Alette released the breath she would never admit to holding. The first, and biggest, hurdle behind her, she turned her attention to the diary's contents as curious purple eyes fell on an ancient seal drawn in careful strokes.

Alette's fingertips ran over the design, a triangle encased by a double ring of circles. Between the two circles was a message written in the old language of Azarath and in the center of the triangle was a single eye. Alette's eyes read over the lines of seemingly foreign symbols, decoding the cryptic message slowly. As she made the rough translation, she found herself wishing she had paid more attention to Raven during those long hours in which she was supposed to be learning the language of her ancestors.

"To enter you must break the seal. To break the seal you must be of my blood. If you are of my blood, then you are my last hope…" As Alette spoke the entire encryption aloud, the air around her temporarily froze, the foreboding message hanging in its icy clutches. The stillness of the moment was broken, however, when the diary sitting on Alette's lap began the writhe as if it was having an apoplectic fit.

Terror that Alette thought she had successfully suppressed rose up again, escaping through her throat in a shrill scream. She tossed the diary to the floor and flew high up into the air until her head was mere inches from the ceiling. Her powers were erratic from the sudden lack of restraint, allowing black sparks to fly haphazardly from her hands.

"Will you calm down, please?" The voice had no body attached to it, but the all-to-familiar monotone was enough to bring Alette back to her senses. She was definitely losing it, because she could have sworn she had heard her mother at that moment, but that was impossible. Raven could be anywhere, but the Tower was not one of the possibilities.

Alette floated down, landing only inches from the demonic book. She reached to pick it up, but before she made contact, the pages began to fly, flapping uncontrollably. A black aura encased the entire book and Alette watched in astonishment as a head, followed by a body, emerged from the binding stepping gracefully out of the chaos. As soon as the figure was free of the book, the black casing disappeared and the flailing pages halted. The book traveled to the hands of the stranger, and she handed it to Alette saying, "So you're my last hope, are you?"

Alette was speechless, resembling a fish out of water as her mouth moved uncontrollably without producing a sound. In front of her was a girl with violet hair not quite reaching her shoulders and piercing eyes identical to Alette's. Her body was wrapped in a leotard and covered by a long blue cloak. Above the eyes was, perfectly centered, was an elegant gem of red and black. Not even Alette possessed such a stone.

"Oh my god," Alette breathed as full understanding descended upon her. "Mom?"

"Well, I suppose I am," the girl said, a hand moving protectively to her stomach. "Though I haven't been one for more than a couple days…" she trailed off as she noticed the look of confusion on Alette's face.

"If this 'Mom' you are looking for is Raven Roth, then yes we are one in the same. But of course," Raven's eyes traveled over Alette's features, "you're my child. I can see it in your eyes. I knew it would be a girl. Did I name you 'Alette'?" Raven's eyes wandered out of focus, her thoughts temporarily fleeing the situation.

"Yes, you did," Alette confirmed and Raven seemed pleased to hear it. "I'm sorry," Alette said, interrupting whatever Raven had been thinking, "but I'm not sure I understand. I mean, you look like my mom… I know you are… but how are you here? You don't look like yourself and what do you mean you will be a mother?"

Raven sighed, sitting down on the couch as she studied Alette. "I am not anyone you would remember. I am a memory, left here as a guide and a guard to make sure that only the people who are supposed to see this diary are able to."

"A memory?" Alette repeated, disbelieving.

Raven nodded. "The Raven you are looking at right now is sixteen and found out two days ago that she was pregnant. The night she placed this charm on her diary was the night she left the Tower."

"Holy shit," Alette breathed, collapsing onto the couch next to Raven.

"My purpose," Raven continued, not allowing Alette the pleasure of being confused, "is to guide you to what you are looking for in that," she explained, gesturing to the diary. "How bad are things?"

Alette shook her head, looking away from the ghost of her mother. "You're not here. You're… gone… to I don't know where! I can feel you, when I sleep at night and in the moments when I'm lost in thought… you're in pain, be it physical or mental. And I can't help! I'm useless and distracted and I don't know what to do!" A comforting hand on Alette's shoulder quieted her, and she looked at Raven. "Why did she send me to you?"

Raven smiled supportively. "Because I'm the closest to the real thing you're going to have until you get her back."

"Can you help?" Alette asked, fearing the answer.

"Yes. When I found out I was pregnant, I developed a theory concerning how I would finally be able to defeat Trigon and rid myself of his influence. It was the final thing I wrote in these pages," Raven stroked the diary lovingly.

Alette waited for further explanation and when none came, she pursued it herself. "So what's the theory?"

Raven shook her head. "It's not that easy. Don't you think there's a reason that I put it in my diary?"

Alette thought for a second before saying with a frustrated sigh, "Of course there would be a reason. You never do anything without having a reason."

Raven smirked. "Correct. You have to start at the beginning," she instructed, and upon noticing the annoyed look on Alette's face added, "Trust me, there are some things that I would rather not divulge, but it's necessary. Remember, patience…"

"Is a virtue," Alette completed almost automatically, having heard the line used many times by her mother. "I know." Raven had taught her that patience was the key to meditation and because meditation was the key to control, Alette had quickly learned that the longer one had to wait, the more rewarding the end result.

"I've taught you something at least," Raven commented. "So let's begin, shall we?" she said, gesturing to the book in Alette's lap.

"Okay." Alette opened the diary to its first page, which was dated twenty-one years earlier. "I ran away from Azarath to lift my burden off of my people and to find a way to reverse my destiny. Help came to me in the form of a boy who is full of mysteries of his own." Alette read the first few sentences aloud and looked to Raven for instructions to continue or stop.

"The reason I wrote in a diary," began Raven, indicating that she wanted Alette to stop reading, "was because I could not show my emotions. Instead I poured emotion into what I wrote. Meeting me back then, you would have thought I was a heartless bitch. Reading my diary would have told you a completely different story. I had to start when I joined the Titans, or rather agreed to help Robin start the Titans. Being around people who seemed to care so much awakened emotions I had worked for years to suppress."

"The mysterious boy," Alette said, quoting Raven, "was Robin?"

Raven nodded. "He wouldn't take 'No' for an answer. To this day, I'm not sure what made me trust him so completely. Well," Raven said as if she wasn't quite sure her last statement was true, "I have my theories, but they're not based on anything I can really explain."

Alette chose not to discuss the blush that crossed Raven's face. She continued reading, and for a while Raven did not stop her. Alette was amazed by how like a teenager these pages made Raven sound, because Alette knew she had been anything but the definition of anything normal, especially teenager. Occasionally, when she came across pieces of information that she found interesting or amusing, Alette would stop to comment. It was Raven's choice to respond or ignore her.

"Beast Boy and Cyborg have been to Nevermore!" Alette cried indignantly. "I've never even been to Nevermore!"

"They weren't invited," Raven said, a scowl descending on her features. As soon as it came, however, it was lifted again. "But I'm glad they did. That day was the beginning of a long journey for me. I battled with how much I should tell my friends about Trigon for the better part of the next two and a half years."

"What happened when you did?" Alette asked.

Raven shook her head. "You'll find out," she said, gesturing to the diary.

Alette read on, making exclamations like "You switched bodies with Starfire!" and "I can't believe you actually worked on a car!" as she progressed. The mood faltered however as she came upon an entry riddled with fear and anger. "Robin promised me trust and friendship. He promised it to all of us… and now he has failed. He has put us in the impossible situation of fighting him as the enemy. How can I harm the first real friend I ever had?" Alette stopped, looking at Raven's face. It remained unchanged, but her hands clenched her robe. "Robin betrayed you?"

"No. Betrayal comes later in the story, and more than once I'm afraid," Raven said, meeting Alette's gaze. "For the majority of our crime fighting days, the Titans' biggest enemy was Slade, a psychotic criminal who sought power and control. He became obsessed with things very easily, and his first target was Robin. Robin was blackmailed into serving as Slade's apprentice."

"But everything must have turned out fine," Alette speculated.

"Yes, it did. But it would not be the last time Slade came between the Titans."

Alette was now engrossed in her mother's story. It was as addicting as any good book. She read Raven's worries and fears, and the insight that came from each experience. Perhaps that was what amazed Alette the most, Raven's ability to look at everything she had been through and understand that there is always something to be gained… knowledge. When she lost control of her powers because she did not admit fear, Raven discovered that accepting her emotions was the only way to manage them.

Terra, the earth mover, also had a profound effect on Raven. I want to be mad at Terra. She took the trust I gave her and buried it with the same mud she tried to suffocate me with. She infiltrated our team and she hurt all of us, especially poor Beast Boy. In the end, however, she saved us all. As we grow older, one of the hardest lessons the Titans have to learn is that there is no black and white, only shades of grey. We are supposed to be fighting the "bad guys," some of which, like Slade, are easy to spot. What happens when we cannot determine good from bad? What happens when they find out that one of their own is host to the worst evil their world has ever seen?

Alette knew Raven was referring to Trigon and the prophecy that had yet to be fulfilled. "Was it hard keeping it from them?" she asked, looking at Raven.

Raven nodded silently. "So hard," she whispered.

Not wanting to press any farther, Alette returned to the diary. However, it was not long before she came upon entries that needed to be explained. I did something today I swore never to do. I permanently melded my mind to that of another being, forever binding us to each other. But his life was on the line, and saving him was more important than anything at that moment… Alette read this entry to Raven and watched as something changed in her countenance.

"Robin was being haunted by a ghost that was killing him more each minute. I put myself… my soul… into him so that I could help him understand." Upon seeing the shocked expression on Alette's face, Raven chuckled sadly. "I know it was dangerous. But it's like I wrote, I had no other choice. I think…" Raven's voice trailed off. "No never mind, this isn't the time for that."

"No," Alette said, desperately wanting to know what Raven was about to say. She was like an audience of a play, left at a cliffhanger as intermission was called. "Tell me, please."

"That day," Raven began, not looking directly at Alette, "was when I knew. I knew that Robin meant more to me than the other Titans. It wasn't that I didn't care for the others, because I did. They were my family. But I trusted Robin with my mind that night, and for me that was a big deal."

"What you're saying is," Alette began, "that at the same time you gave your mind to Robin, you gave him your heart." It felt very romantic to her, and seeing Raven blush made it even more so. "But then why the next entry?" Alette questioned. "If you knew you loved Robin, why did you choose to love Malchior?"

Raven visibly grimaced. "You're old enough to realize that nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Love was an emotion I did not fully understand at that time. I was still exploring its facets when Malchior came along. I was confused because Robin seemed to care much more for Starfire than he did for me. Malchior was everything I could not be sure Robin would ever be. Of course," she brought a hand to her chest and clenched the fabric of her leotard, "I let myself get hurt. I trusted too easily, and it had been love's fault." Alette saw a tear snake its way down Raven's porcelain face. "It would be a long time before I ever let that emotion in again."

Alette felt the mood in the room change. Raven was growing up in the pages she was reading, and the entries became increasingly troubled. There was the occasional entry concerning silly things such as Raven being turned into a bunny, but Alette sensed that Raven, at the time, felt that she had little to celebrate. Just as she began to wonder what Raven feared so much, she came across an entry decorated with the same demonic symbol that had been engraved into her right hand, the mark of Scath.

Raven noticed the worry and sensed the fear in Alette. She began to explain before Alette had even read the diary entry. "He came on my sixteenth birthday. The future that I had been running from suddenly caught up with me, and the pressure became too much. He disrupted my meditation, making it harder for me to control myself. I lost sleep because he haunted my dreams. I became so desperate that I left the Titans, sure that they would be better off without me and that I would be better off in Azarath. But he got to me there too. He had destroyed Azarath, and I realized then that I could not let him do the same to Earth. He had killed the people I cared for in Azarath, and I would not allow him to do the same to the people that I cared for on Earth."

"So you came back?" questioned Alette.

Raven nodded. "And I finally told them everything. That was the night when things started to change for me." Alette noticed a faint smile playing on Raven's lips. "Robin knew that I tried to leave. I guess it was from the connection our minds had. He came to my room and started yelling at me, asking how I could have thought of doing something so selfish. He wanted to know why I was always running from things- first from Azarath and now from the team… from him."

Alette felt the warmth of tears building up in her eyes and blinked furiously to remove them as Raven continued. "That night was the beginning of the most wonderful time of my life…" Raven looked over at Alette and considered the fact that having and raising a baby must have been equally as wonderful, so she added "up to that point, anyway. Robin and I chose to hide our relationship from the others, and when we weren't together we were searching for a way to defeat Trigon and prevent my inevitable destiny. One night, about five months after Robin and I had confessed our love for one another, we gave into passion and the uncertainty of not knowing when I might not be around anymore. It was a mistake…" Raven's eyes widened as she realized what she'd said and looked at Alette apologetically. "Not that you were a mistake, it's just that we were so young and we just…" Raven faltered.

Alette sighed, releasing frustration and sadness all in one breath. When she had figured out that Raven had been a teenager when Alette had been born, she also realized that she was probably not supposed to happen. "I understand," she told Raven. "I'm just glad you didn't give me away or anything."

Again, Raven's hand went instinctively to her stomach. "How could I? I loved you from the moment I knew you were inside me." Raven reached a pale hand to Alette's face to wipe away falling tears. "I'm sorry I didn't handle the situation better."

Alette stifled her crying, sniffing and rubbing her face dry. "So," she said, her voice strained, "this is it? I turn the next page and I'll find out how I can save my mom… you, I mean."

"Yes," Raven said, her eyes locking with Alette's. She took Alette's hand in her own. "But listen first. You had to read this diary because you needed to know me, all of me, not only who I am as your mother, but who I was as a girl. You must understand me because you will have to find me in chaos and pull me out. You can save me by throwing out a lifeline, even though it may be the death of both of us."

"You're scaring me," Alette admitted, her voice shaking.

"Turn the page," Raven ordered.

Alette did as she was instructed, taking a deep breath before she allowed her eyes to travel over Raven's final message. She read it once, twice, a third time, and only then did she look up to the memory sitting next to her. "I can't do this," was all she managed to say. "I'm not strong enough."

"If you are my daughter, Alette, then I know you are powerful enough. If you are Robin's daughter, then I know you are determined. I trust you."

"This is not guaranteed to work," Alette observed. "There are so many things that can go wrong."

"Yes, every plan has flaws," Raven mused. "But it's the best you have if I am not mistaken. The others will help you, Alette."

"It's not their fight," Alette said, shaking her head.

"I used to think that way," Raven agreed, "but what I failed to realize was that my fight with Trigon was about more than avoiding my destiny. It is about stopping him from hurting innocent people and that is where the Titans come in. It is their job to protect, and they know it. That is why they will not let you give them no for an answer."

"And if I fail?" Alette asked.

Raven's eyes clouded over with the pictures of Earth burning and people reduced to stone statues. "Robin will know what to do," she answered cryptically. "But my job here is done," she said, standing up. She pulled her hood up over her head as she said, "It is your task now."

Alette felt a lump form in her throat and as she fought back tears she said, "Can't you stay? I miss you so much…"

Raven shook her head back and forth. "You know I cannot. My place is in this diary, in the past."

Alette choked on her tears and ran to Raven, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. "Thank you for everything," she whispered into Raven's ear.

Raven kissed the top of Alette's jet black head. "I am so happy I got to meet you, Alette. You are everything I wanted you to be."

Alette felt the solid of Raven's body become warm and she stepped back as a familiar black aura encased the memory, sucking her back into the stale pages of the diary. So she was gone, and Alette was left feeling tired and empty. Setting the book aside, Alette leaned back onto the couch, letting her body relax into the soft cushions as she gazed up at the high ceiling.

"How the hell am I going to pull this off?" she mumbled. Her eyelids drifted downwards, and Alette fell into an uneasy sleep.


For the second time that day Alette woke up to the sight of bottle green eyes staring intently at her. This time, however, she was not surprised. Tamara's happiness had disturbed her chaotic dreams, effectively waking her up. "Hi Tamara," she said as she sat up, wincing as her back sung out in various pops and cracks.

"You sleep a lot," Tamara observed.

"Yes, I suppose I do. What are you doing back at the Tower?"

"Mom picked me up after school and brought me over. She says we're eating dinner over here tonight."

Alette searched for a clock and found one on the far wall. It was nearing five o'clock. Assuming that the others didn't even get off work until five, Alette was going to be alone in the Tower with Starfire and Tamara for at least forty five minutes, and probably longer. "Great," she managed to grumble, hoping Tamara did not catch her disappointment. "How was school?" she asked as a cover.

Words began to fly from Tamara's mouth as she detailed her day for Alette, but Alette was not listening. One look behind the orange alien to the table in front of the couch revealed that Raven's diary was missing, and Alette panicked. "Hey Tamara," she said interrupting the little girl. Tamara let out an exasperated "What?" obviously upset about being disrupted. "Did you see a book on the table when you got here? It looked really old and had a leather cover and…"

"Oh yeah," Tamara said, her eyes lighting up when she realized she could help. "My mom said she was going to put it away for you."

"What!" Alette cried, jumping off of the couch. "Where'd your mom go, Tamara?"

"Um…" Tamara's eyes shifted to a corridor on the left. She was obviously confused by Alette's reaction. "I think she went to her room for a second. She told me to stay with you until you woke up."

Anger boiled in Alette's stomach, and she clenched her fists as she muttered "Azarath Metrion Zinthos" to calm herself down. Tamara was looking scared now, and Alette looked at her, hoping her lips were working their way into a smile. "Tamara, stay here, okay? Watch some TV or something. I'll be right back."

"Okay," Tamara said in an unsure voice. She sat on the couch and watched Alette fly down the hallway that led to her mother's room.

Alette did not know what she was going to do when she reached Starfire's room, but all too soon she was standing in front of the door with the name STARFIRE etched into the metal. She brought her fist to the door and pounded hard. "Starfire, where is my mother's diary?" she yelled. When no answer came, Alette reached out with her powers and found that Starfire was in the room, feeling guilty and needy at the same time. "Starfire!" Alette called. "I know you're in there!" When Starfire still did not respond, Alette placed her hand on the cold steel slab that was the door and phased through. "I want my mother's diary back," she said as she entered.

Starfire yelped, standing up from her sitting position on her round, pink bed and trying desperately to hide the book behind her back. "You're trespassing!" she scolded.

"So are you!" Alette said. She used her powers to wrench the diary free of Starfire's grip and held it to her chest possessively. "How could you? This was her private diary, and you decided you had the right to snoop around!"

"I wanted to know!" Starfire yelled back. "I wanted to know about her and Nightwing, but the thing is blank! It doesn't have anything in it!"

Puzzled by Starfire's statement, Alette flipped open the diary and sure enough the only thing on any of the yellowed pages was the ancient seal on the first page. Starfire had been unable to break it and therefore could not enter Raven's diary. "Unfortunately for you," Alette said, "my mother knows how to protect the things that mean something to her."

"Get out!" Starfire demanded, pointing an orange finger at her door.

"Gladly," Alette spat, placing a hand on the door and allowing her body to melt through the metal. What she stumbled upon as she reentered the hallway was enough to make her anger disintegrate into shame.

"Why were you yelling at my mom?" Tamara asked, her eyes wide and innocent. "That's not very nice of you!"

"No, it probably isn't," Alette agreed. Ignoring Tamara, she lifted herself into the air and floated back to the comfort of Raven's room. She stayed there, ignoring the dimming light in the room as the sun set, thinking. She thought about what she was going to have to do to save her mother, and she wondered why it was that she felt such hatred for Starfire, when her mother seemed to tolerate the alien.

She heard Beast Boy's voice at her door an hour later, saying that dinner was ready. She tried to tell him that she wasn't hungry, but being Beast Boy, he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Making sure that Raven's diary was safely stored in a drawer in her desk, Alette followed Beast Boy down the hall, wincing as the bright lights of the common room fell upon her eyes.

Dinner was a tense affair. Alette stayed very quiet, focusing on her food and ignoring everything else. She knew Starfire had not said anything about their earlier fight, because that would involve trying to come up with a good excuse as to why she had Raven's diary in the first place. Tamara occasionally shot questioning glances at Alette, an uncertain look on her face. The others carried on with small talk, but Alette could sense their unrest. They wanted to know what the diary had told her. They wanted to know how to save Raven.

After dinner, Cyborg and Bumblebee cleaned up while the others migrated to the living room area of the common room. Nightwing approached Alette as they walked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What did you find out?" he whispered.

Alette shook her head, glancing over at Tamara who was laughing at Beast Boy's antics. "Not now," she said, gesturing to the child. "She shouldn't be around to hear."

"Right," Nightwing agreed, smiling at her. He went to join Tamara and Starfire on the couch and Alette suddenly felt very alone. She wanted Raven more than ever as she watched the family, feeling empty, sad, and angry all at the same time.

"You okay, kid?" asked a soothing voice from behind her.

Alette turned to face Cyborg's wife, Bumblebee, who had a concerned look on her face. "Yeah, I'm…" Her eyes traveled to Tamara's happy face, and she stopped. "No, not really," she answered honestly. "I think I'm going to go get some air, actually. Will you have someone come get me when Tamara goes to bed?"

"Sure," Bumblebee said, smiling sympathetically. "Stay strong, Alette. We'll get Raven back."

Alette nodded, not voicing her true opinion. Getting Raven back was going to be a near impossible feat.


Raven did not know where she was or how long she'd been there, and she was scared. The room they kept her in had no windows or other source of light. They would walk by her cell and chant the same, awful mantra again and again. "The gem was born of evil's fire. The gem shall be its portal…" Every time one came in they called her "Gem" and talked to her of the great things she would be allowing Trigon to do once he inhabited her body.

Thinking about other things kept Raven sane. She thought about Alette and Nightwing and Bruce and Alfred. She remembered the smell of coffee that lingered in her small bookstore in Gotham. She recalled the pain of birth and the joy afterwards, holding the tiny baby in her arms. She thought of her days with Robin and how beautiful she had felt around him.

"Knock, knock," came a slimy voice as someone entered her cell, disrupting her thoughts. "Thought I'd come and pay a visit to the precious gem."

"Keahi," Raven said, searching for his aura to no avail. They had placed a hex on her upon her arrival, draining her of her powers until they were necessary. "What do you want?"

"Nothing special," he said, and though she could not see him, she knew he was smiling a crooked grin. "Thought you might be lonely."

Raven ignored him, trying desperately to return to her memories. Alette, Nightwing, the Titans, the Tower…

"I wonder how Ali is doing. I do worry about her sometimes. If she sets her heart to something, such as saving her mother, she doesn't stop until she has absolutely no where left to turn. Even if it gets her killed." Keahi laughed hollowly.

"Alette knows what she has to do, Keahi. She will not fail me."

"Such a shame it will be if I have to kill her," Keahi said playfully. "I was hoping she'd join me, but you've turned her against me for good, I think."

"Ali does not need me to do her thinking for her," Raven said, hoping that he would leave soon. "She hates you."

"She loved me once though, didn't she? Poor innocent Alette actually thought I loved her when all I was doing was playing her for a… Damnit!"

Raven's rage at hearing Keahi taunt her daughter, reminding her of her own heartbreak in the hands of Malchior, took over and she had pinned him to a wall, her hand pressing against his throat. "I will kill you," she hissed.

Good Raven, you have succumbed to your rage.

Raven inhaled sharply at the sound of the voice, deep and threatening, as it reverberated inside her head. Her hand dropped from Keahi's neck and she took a step back from him, trying to ignore his sickening laugh.

I believe it is time to begin.

Without warning, Raven fell to the ground as her head was assaulted by Trigon. He began to tear through her defenses, purposefully slow so as to prolong her suffering. Clutching her head, Raven screamed and thrashed. "Get out!" she cried, pulling on her violet locks. "You bastard, get out!"

But it was no use. Raven had been weakened to the point that she could do little to fight back. With no powers to help her and no strength to fight Trigon, she could only flail helplessly as he began to penetrate her body. Her markings, signally the coming of Trigon, glowed a brilliant blood red, illuminating the surrounding darkness.


A shrill scream reached the ears of the Titans in the common room, and Nightwing shot up from his chair. "Alette," he whispered so that the others could barely hear him. They quickly dropped what they were doing and started for the door that would lead them to the roof. Before they could get there, however, Nightwing let out his own horrifying cry, falling to the floor and clasping his head.

"Bee, take Tamara to Star's room!" Cyborg ordered as he bent down to tend to his thrashing leader. Bee did as she was told, scooping a frightened Tamara into her arms and shielding her from the sight of her father as they left the room. "You two stay here," he said to Beast Boy and Starfire. "I'll go get Alette." Cyborg ran up the stairs, taking three at a time. When he got there he was greeted by a sight very similar to the one he had left below. Alette was screaming and clutching her head, tears running down her face. "No!" she was shrieking. "Stop! Let her go!"

Doing his best to soothe Alette, Cyborg cradled her in his arms and took her back to the common room, laying her on the floor beside Nightwing. The three Titans did not know what to do to calm the two tortured souls in front of them, though Starfire tried desperately. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Alette and Nightwing both shot up from their positions on the floor, looking desperately at one another.

"Oh my god," Alette breathed.

"Raven…" Nightwing was shaking.

"What?" cried Beast Boy. "What happened?"

"It has begun," Alette said cryptically. "Trigon has broken my mother's defenses. It is only a matter of time now."

"I could see her. She was," Nightwing reached a hand into the air in front of him, "right there."

"Alette," Cyborg said softly, and Alette looked at him, her eyes dulled with pain. "What just happened?"

"My mom's mind is an unstable and powerful thing, and it is where Trigon must first penetrate in order to have any hope of using her as a portal. He accomplished that tonight, just now. The reason it affected me and," she looked over to her father, "me and Nightwing is because we are a part of her mind. Because I am her child, we have had this connection since my birth. Nightwing's was formed many years ago, I believe… in an attempt to save his life."

Cyborg helped Alette to the couch while Starfire assisted Nightwing. Silence permeated the room, no one knowing what should be said next. Alette, however, was finally ready to tell them her plan.

"The city needs to be evacuated," she said evenly, looking only at Cyborg and Beast Boy, choosing to ignore Starfire clinging to Nightwing.

"What!" Beast Boy cried. "Do you know how hard that will be?"

"It will be easy compared to cleaning up thousands of burning bodies, which will be what you'll do if they stay here. Trigon will come to Jump City first. He'll come to me because I am the last threat against him. If the citizens chose to be difficult, I will forcibly remove each and every one of them," Alette added, her fists momentarily glowing black.

"And then what?" Nightwing asked, not caring about civilians at the moment. "How can we save Raven?"

"It will fall to me," Alette said. "Though Trigon will have taken control of her body and mind, her spirit will remain strong. It will be faint, but I will have to locate it. Once I do, I have to transfer my power to her and hope that it is enough for her to break free of her prison."

"Will you survive that?" Nightwing asked.

"I don't know," Alette said, grabbing fistfuls of her jeans in her uncertainty. "I don't even know if this will work."

"What can we do to help?" Cyborg asked her.

"Trigon won't come alone and I won't be able to fight his cult while I'm transferring my power. Essentially, I'll need you to protect me, at least until I've finished what I have to do."

"So, after you do the power transferring thing, what happens?" Beast Boy questioned.

"We have to trust my mother," Alette said. "It will be up to her to defeat Trigon. He is, after all, a part of her."

"And what if Raven fails?" The question cam from Starfire, and Alette wanted to be angry with her for voicing doubt, but she was too tired and the truth was that Alette had many doubts herself.

Alette looked over at Nightwing, recalling something the memory had told her earlier in the day. "She said Robin would know what to do."

Nightwing's eyes widened as he recalled a conversation he had had with Raven all those years ago. He tried desperately to steady his voice as he said, "Then we do everything in our power to bring Trigon down, even if it means Raven's life."

Alette nodded and looked out at the moon, picturing her young mother's determined face. "I thought so."


A/N: So there it is. It's getting closer to a climax every second. I hope it was worth the wait, and I apologize if it isn't. Like I said in the beginning, I've been suffering from a little bit of writer's block. Did you catch my references to 'The Prophecy'? I'm so happy new episodes are on! If you know me at all, then you know that I love reviewers! Please let me know what you think!

Ashlyn