The rocky ground of a desolate desert and the starry night sky were all that Robin could see. The wind whistled loudly in his ears and chilled him straight to the bone while the rough caress of sand bit at his skin.

Even as he took step after labored step, the wind would not relent, and the mild gusts soon turned violent, as if to keep him from reaching his goal.

He undid the clasps of his cape and wrapped the yellow and black fabric around his face to keep the stinging sands from cutting him any further.

A trail of quickly vanishing footprints were the only way to prove that he was making any progress, and eventually they led to a small circle of rock formations that pointed skyward. The closer Robin came to the formations, the easier it became to walk.

Slowly, the wind died down, until all that remained was the Boy Wonder, surrounded by rock and a star filled sky.

"I've been here before...," Robin muttered to himself as he unfurled his cape and set it about his shoulders once more. He hadn't dreamed of this place in a long time, but he would never forget it.

"My, aren't we the detective," an ominous voice filled his ears.

The last time he had been to this dark corner of his mind had been over a year ago, when his obsession with Slade had nearly boiled over and consumed him. He had nearly betrayed his friends for the second time in his career as a crime fighter, despite wrestling with his inner-demon, the monster inside his head.

"What do you want Slade," Robin shouted to the four corners of his subconsciousness.

"It's your head, you tell me."

Robin's eyemask narrowed, he was in no mood for games.

"Get out of my head..."

A shadow fell upon him from behind, massive enough to block out the light of the stars.

"Make me!"

Robin turned and let loose a wide haymaker punch straight for his assailant, but his knuckles met only air. Whatever had made the shadow vanished, leaving only the sound of cacophonous laughter.

"A true warrior learns from his mistakes Robin, yet you seem to keep on making the same ones...Such a pity."

"Say whatever you want, your not taking over again. I won't make the same mistakes."

"Ah, but you already have...Or should I say, WILL."

"Shut up."

Robin reached for his utility belt to draw a bo-staff, until he realized that it was gone. The Titan remained calm though, and tried to focus. This was only a dream, the sooner his brain caught on, the sooner he'd wake up from this nightmare.

Another fit of laughter rang in his ears, "And unprepared as well. No wonder you couldn't save her."

"I said shut up!"

"Ah, temper temper, wouldn't want me to take over again, now would you?"

The wind picked up just a little bit against the surface of Robin's neck. The shadow had been all around him, encircling him, waiting for the right moment to strike. This time Robin would be ready for him.

As a tendril of shadow whipped out of nowhere, the Boy Wonder crouched and arched an elbow to his rear, rising into the blow with all he had. The loud crack of elbow against jaw was about to be followed up with a kick, but as soon as Robin's eyes fell on his attacker, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"...Raven?"

The dark sorceress grinned beneath her hood as she floated cautiously away from Robin, rubbing her bloody lip with pale fingers. She was different though, for her cloak seemed to melt into the darkness of the sky, instead of the iridescent sheen of her usual leotard. It was as if she had arisen straight from the shadows.

"Took you long enough," the voice of the goth girl replied.

"What are you doing in my head?"

"You make it sound like I don't belong here."

"You don't," Robin snorted, getting into a ready stance just in case.

"Silly little boy, when will you realize that your still dreaming," the shadow smirked, pale tongue lapping up the last of the blood around soft lips. This time the voice was not hers, but masculine and deep, with an edge of venom and sharp wit, the voice of Slade.

Before Robin could respond, fiery arms clamped down on his limbs, holding them fast. Four flaming demons had snuck up on him, and now held him in their burning hot grip.

"Let me go!"

Raven, or something that appeared to be Raven began to inch closer to him, a vicious smile planted on her lips, "Your slipping, Dick. That's your problem. You can start strong, but you can never finish, at least not without help. What's going to happen when those who depend on you suddenly need YOUR help, hmm?"

Robin's protests went silent, his gaze unflinching as it fell on the sorceress.

"We already know the answer to that don't we?"

Silence.

"They're all going to die."

"I'm not going to let that happen," Robin finally managed to shout, even if his voice was shaky at best.

"She's going to die."

"Over my dead body..."

The pale girl grinned, "I was hoping you'd say that."

With a snap of her fingers, the demons began to pull at the Boy Wonder with all their might. Deep inside Robin could feel his joints popping and his muscles beginning to tear, the sharp burning on his arms penetrating through his skin. They were going to rip him apart.

Even as the pain became unbearable, Robin steeled himself by gritting his teeth and tensing his body, if only to hold out a little longer. The intense heat that burned at his skin only increased, as a maelstrom of flame descended upon him, the night sky becoming hot like the flames of hell.

He couldn't hold out much longer against the fire, his skin bubbling beneath demonic fingers. His lips began to part in agony as he let out a scream of anguish.

Slade's voice continued through Raven's lips, "You can't fight fate Robin. In the end I will destroy everything you hold dear. You can't stop this."

A loud battle cry mingled with a shriek of pain was Robin's reply as one of his badly burned arms broke free of the demon hold, strong fingers grabbing the front of Raven's cloak.

"Watch me!"

With newfound strength, Robin managed to free his other arm, and even as the two remaining demons pulled at his legs he struck hard and fast.

A fist to the face left a large bruise on the girl's pale features.

Another punch left her and her demonic allies reeling.

A swift front kick to the gut brought Raven to her knees.

Even as Robin continued to deliver blow after blow, Raven continued to laugh maniacally with Slade's voice. A roundhouse kick sent the cloaked girl flying onto rocky ground, the flames dissipating into thin air. Robin welcomed the cool air against his scarred flesh, but had no time to relish in it.

"...Well now, it seems there's still some fight in you after all."

"Like I said before Slade, get out of my head...I'm not asking, I'm telling."

"...Like I said before Robin, make me," the figure of Raven rose and charged at full speed.

Robin reached for his utility belt, which had somehow found its way back around his waist, and drew two bird-a-rangs, locking them together to unsheathe his long sword.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

In one swift motion, Robin twirled the yellow gleaming blade, and drove it into the belly of Raven, practically lifting her off of the ground with the strong thrust. Blood leaked out from her wound and down the blade of his weapon, dripping on the pale dark and purple ground below.

"R-Robin...," a trembling voice whispered at him.

The Boy Wonder shook his head in disbelief as he looked under the hood of the cloak, "Starfire?"

"W-why?"

Robin swallowed the lump in his throat, as he struggled to catch his quickening breath, "I didn't mean-Raven-she...Slade. It was Slade he-"

Shining read locks fell out from beneath the hood as the Tamaranean fell into his arms, blood pouring from her lips. Green on green eyes glistened with tears as they stared into his mask, tilted in a deep sadness, as if her heart had been broken in two. Orange fingers tried to pull the blade out, but only succeeded in grabbing the weapon beneath quivering fingers.

"No...Starfire, don't try to move it...I'll get help," Robin tried to say, but his words were choked and constricted as he fought to hold back tears.

The alien girl beneath him didn't reply, his eyes still gazing up into his.

"Starfire...No, don't do this..."

There was no life left in her, the usual warmth of her skin replaced with ice. All around him, the flames that had died down ignited once more, slowly closing in on him. The unique smell of burning flesh filled Robin's nostrils, as he fell against the one he loved, as if to shield her lifeless form from the consuming fire.

"STARFIRE!"

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T

Robin's body jerked up from his bed as he screamed her name, his voice ringing against the walls.

It was a nightmare.

His voice had fallen back to silence, as cold sweat tingled against his bare skin. He ran a hand through his dark hair, the spikes falling over his mask.

"A dream..."

He repeated the words, as if trying to convince himself that was all it was. Deep inside he had known that it was just a nightmare, but alongside those feelings came the same ones he had felt the night before.

Robin shook his head vigorously to drive those thoughts out of his mind. He had never been one for deep introspection.

He glanced over at the alarm clock on his nightstand, which read Four A.M.

His muscles ached, crying out for action instead of sleep. Whenever the Boy Wonder's mind was troubled, the only way to deal with it was by exerting himself. There had been many a night that he had worked himself to complete exhaustion, both when he was in Wayne Manor and Titan's Tower.

Robin dressed as carefully as he could, avoiding the bandages that held him together. He wouldn't push himself too hard tonight, but he had to do something. He had to expell all the negative energy in him, and the only way to do that, was to train.

It was one of the few things that could keep his inner-demons at bay.

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T

"Couldn't huff sleep huff either?", Cyborg smirked as he lifted a barbell of massive weights up to his chest, curling them up and down with an accompanying grunt. He was sporting a shiny new chest plate, although some portions of his body were still scratched from the day before.

"I don't think anyone has...", Robin remarked.

Beads of sweat trickled down the brown skinned portion of the Titan's face as he planted the equipment down at his feet, "Really?"

"Well, we did nearly get our butts handed to us," the masked boy said as he found a red punching bag in the middle of the massive training room. He threw a few punches at it, but he didn't put too much strength behind his strikes just yet.

"You surprised? They ARE Titans...," Cyborg chuckled.

Robin didn't let Cy see the slight smile of pride as he began to pick up the tempo of his punches, adding a kick here and there, "I suppose..."

"But the bigger question is, who's Titans are they?"

Robin's eyemask arched at the riddle, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, think about it. Seems like they were under your command...Or at least had been at one point. Some of them even look like us. Doesn't that mean a few might be related too?"

The Boy Wonder nodded, "Of course it does. The green skinned one, Menagerie, is a dead giveaway."

"Think BB knows?"

"How could he not figure it out?"

"I mean how the mother is Raven..."

"..."

"They came back here to kill her...And she probably did more against us than any of them. Sure as heck threw me around."

Robin hurled a back fist at the punching back, jerking it hard to the right, letting the bag swing free for a while, "I know...It isn't exactly a comforting thought. What about their leader?"

"The Tamaranean looking one?...Yeah, yeah. Definitely yours."

"Vic...don't even start...," he shot back, not liking where this was going.

"Rob...She's almost a spitting image of you!...Except for the height thing. She's got her mother's legs," Cyborg remarked thoughtfully.

Robin blinked, "And just how would you know about that?"

"...No comment." The tin-man laughed.

Robin burst out into laughter, "Just don't hit on her while she's here! God only knows what kind of time paradox that would make."

The room erupted into even more laughter.

"I really couldn't risk it, seeing as how the one with the braids is mine."

"Bee?"

"Nah, just good friends."

"Sarah?"

"Let's not go down that road right now."

"Jinx?"

"Kid Flash, remember?"

A pause.

"...Your a pimp Cy."

"And don't you forget it," Cyborg laughed.

"Sure," Robin said, rolling his eyes, "Now, the other two are a mystery to me. Geoforce and Superboy. I got no idea where they came from."

The black boy shrugged as he picked up his barbell for another set of repetitions, "Maybe they're straight from the future."

"Possibly...Something about Geoforce caught my eye though..."

"What?"

"Doesn't he remind you of someone?"

The mechanical Titan closed his eyes, lifting the weights to help focus his thoughts. When the realization hit him, he dropped the weights with a loud CLANG.

"You don't think...?"

"I do. Terra."

"How can you be so sure?"

"The yellow aura, the hair, the eyes...There is definitely something going on."

The two remained silent for several minutes at the prospect. Robin broke it by walking over to his friend and second in command, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Whatever happens, we don't tell Beast Boy. If what he told us is true, about the Slade drone and Terra, than this is the last thing he needs on his plate right now."

"We're his friends...We shouldn't hide something like this from him."

"We won't, at least not forever. He'll have to come to terms with it gradually."

"I guess...," a sigh from Cyborg, and he began his set once again, lifting a little quicker now.

"Superboy?"

"Superdick more like it..."

"...Okay, that was blunt."

"So's he...Fair trade."

"Honesty is a good quality...Even in a jerk. Guys like him can be useful."

"As a punching bag."

Robin snickered at the thought.

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T

"So...The Boy of Steel, eh?"

"Aren't you supposed to be on guard duty?"

Beast Boy didn't feel like telling him that he had been chased out of the infirmary by an angry Raven. He was still confused as to why she had done so. He hadn't done anything to her...lately. Could it have been something he said?

The elf sighed and rested against the wall of the hallway, gazing into the cell that held Superboy and Geoforce, "I felt like talking to someone. 'Sides, I can make sure you guys don't do anything dumb 'till we've decided what to do with you."

Superboy rolled his eyes as he raised himself up into another sit-up. After about an hour of trying to sleep, he settled for working out. At least it killed time.

Geoforce rolled over on his bottom bunk, "It's still four o'clock...," he grumbled, slamming the pillow over his head. The clock on the wall had told him the time, almost as if mocking his feeble attempts at getting some shut eye.

Superboy suddenly snapped up to a sitting position, "Hey...waitaminute...what time does the sun rise?"

Beast Boy scratched his short spiked hair, "I think...Around 5 or 6, why?"

"I've never actually seen one before."

The green Titan gasped, "You've never seen a sunrise?"

"Nah..."

"Really? What about you?"

Georforce propped himself up on an elbow, "When I was little yeah...But that was a long time ago."

"Little? Dude, you can't be much younger than me."

The geomancer seemed to shrug his shoulders, "It's...Complicated."

Beast Boy didn't press the issue any further, even he knew when to let things go. He couldn't help shaking the feeling that he had met the blond-haired kid before. There was a sense of familiarity, of closeness that he couldn't place.

Superboy on the other hand, he couldn't figure out at all. The night before, he seemed like the rudest guy on the planet, but now, it was as if he was almost...Normal.

Well, as normal as a teenaged superhero gets. Sunrises...Who saw that coming?

The dark-haired teen grinned, a slight gleam in his blue eyes. Beast Boy could only wonder at the muscled Titan of the future, maybe there was a nice guy underneath the big jerk.

"Maybe if your good, Robin'll let you guys out ear-", Beast Boy was cut off, by a bright red flash that erupted in the cell. A well placed blast of heat vision on the ceiling...More specifically the small nodes of the Tower's sprinkler system.

Alarms blared all over the Tower as the sprinklers went to work, spraying foam everywhere. The hallways, bedrooms, and most of the facilities in the tower became saturated with extinguishing foam.

The green Titan was in complete shock. His mouth would have hit the floor if it could for he couldn't believe Superboy did what he just did. On second thought, yes he could.

Beast Boy should have remembered.

He sucked at guard duty.

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T

"He did it!", Beast Boy accused, pointing at a certain muscle-bound teenager.

Seven Titans had made their way to the roof, the dark sky beginning to shift into a shade of light blue. The sun was coming up early this morning, as if to welcome and calm the small group of teens...Six of them most definitely needed it.

Sentinel rubbed the space between his eyes with shackled hands, his face a mix of suppressed frustration and confusion, "What the hell did you do this time?"

Superboy merely grinned triumphantly.

Six pairs of eyes glared at him.

"...What?"

Six heavy sighs followed.

The foam spread through the Tower as quickly as a fire would, and thus most of the Titans had to evacuate to the roof. It would take about a half-hour for the foam inside of the Tower to dissipate. They couldn't afford to have sensitive equipment become damaged from water, so they chose a system that could put out a fire and dry in a short amount of time.

It had saved the Tower on more than one occasion. This was not one of those occasions. Many of the Titans were still in their pajamas and night clothes, and none too happy about it.

The only room that didn't have a foam system was the infirmary, which instead sealed itself off from the rest of the building. Cyborg had quickly rushed to the medical wing to check on Raven and Menagerie.

Nightstar felt like beating Superboy senseless, "What possessed you to ignite the sprinkler system?"

Superboy's eyes widened as he gazed onto the horizon. He pointed with both hands held in cuffs, "That..."

Beyond, the white light of the sun began to rise above the skyline. Gradually, the warm sun came into view, casting an all encompassing brightness over Jump City and the orange gleam reflected in the cool blue waters of the bay.

"I had forgotten what a sunrise looked like," she whispered. Geoforce and Sentinel nodded in solemn silence, Superboy's rash actions completely forgotten.

Well, not completely.

A bandage-wrapped hand on Kon-el's shoulder brought him out of his trance, "It is beautiful is it not?"

Superboy turned to see Starfire standing beside him, smiling at the sight of the sun.

"Totally..."

"On my home planet, we have a word for things such as this. The dur'han."

"Goodie...More funny alien talk. What's it mean?"

Starfire turned to the Boy of Steel. He was a little surprised to find that she was almost as tall as he was. He wasn't used to that.

"It is more of an expression. The gist of it is that things like this should never be taken for granted, for they are so hard to come by."

Kon-el blinked and shook his head, "No...I mean, I'm not trying to insult you or anything...CauseI'dgethitagain. What I mean is that. Well, ah...I was never good with words."

Robin answered for him, "There are plenty of sunrises, but only one sunrise we can all see it together like this."

Superboy nodded, "I guess..."

The Boy Wonder nodded, the slight curve of a smirk on his lips, "Good answer..."

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T

"I wanna see! I wanna see!", a squirming Menagerie whined as she tried to get up out of her hospital bed. She was currently lying on her back, her head facing away from the window, and the bright sun outside. Cyborg had strapped her down to keep her from moving as he ran a small metal device over her lower back.

A large bruise was apparent on her green skin, but his device told him that the spine was intact, with little damage.

"In a minute! Can't let you get up until I'm sure it's safe," Cyborg pleaded as he placed the small machine on a rack, scanning the room for another instrument.

The young girl stuck her tongue out at him, or at least, in his general direction.

Raven found the whole scene to be rather amusing, although childish.

Apparently, Menagerie didn't like medical facilities too much. Once the anesthesia had worn off she had sprung to life like a monkey on pixie sticks, and the sirens that suddenly went off did not help. Luckily, Cyborg had came in just in the nick of time to calm her down.

"Raven, your healing powers are really amazing, there's practically no damage...," The tin-man commented. Raven immediately picked up on the hidden meaning behind it.

"Don't even start..."

"You know, Robin said the same thing. I'll never get what it is about you lone wolf types, always wanting to deny that you feel for someone, even though EVERYONE can see it."

"Cyborg?"

"Mmmh?"

"It's Beast Boy."

"Yes, it most certainly is! What's wrong with Beast Boy?"

"It's Beast Boy."

"Hey, he's not so bad! Makes me wonder why you two hook up in the future to begin with though."

Raven rolled her eyes.

"It's the ears isn't it?"

The dark girl didn't respond. Cyborg turned and walked over to her, ready to remove the many bandages she had.

"Hey, are you blushing?"

Raven turned her head.

"Ooohh! I knew it! It's always the ears!" he squealed.

"Nah-unh!" Menagerie shouted, "It's because he's funny."

Raven balked at the thought, "Beast Boy is most definitely not funny."

"But you always laugh when he's around."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow as he slowly peeled the bandage covering Raven's side, "No, little one, this is Raven we're talking about. She doesn't do-"

A glare from the goth Titan silenced him.

"No...On the inside," Menagerie said, her voice low, coming from a depth of understanding that neither Cyborg nor Raven could comprehend.

Raven thought for a moment, and tried to come up with something. Anything. A scathing remark, a witty comeback, or just something to dismiss the revelation.

Nothing.

It was a rare moment for Raven, she was at a loss for words.

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T

Once the Tower had dried, the Titans made their way down to the commons room. Robin decided to hold off on breakfast for the moment, partly because he wanted all of the Titans present...Partly because he was craving Cy's famous waffles.

He'd never admit it though.

It didn't take long for Cyborg to enter, Menagerie walking beside him, albeit a little shaky in the legs. Her platform shoes didn't help.

Raven had resorted to floating, her legs still aching from the night before.

Superboy and Sentinel were already at their comrade's side, easing her onto a comfortable swiveling chair that allowed her to recline and rest. Her back was healing, but she wasn't going to be fighting anytime soon.

Raven found a seat at the kitchen section of the commons, preferring to keep her distance from the future Titans. Even though she had spent the night sleeping next to one, none could blame her.

A long silence fell. If a flea had broke wind, it would have been heard. All of the events of yesterday; the ambush, the ensuing fight, the race to save the life of Raven, and the capture of the Titans of the future. It had all come to this crucial moment.

"So, you guys ever hear the one about the Premiere of China and the Jar of Mayonnaise?"

Raven's head fell to the kitchen table, "Oh God..."

Beast Boy never was good with timing.

"Or was it a duck?"

Robin cleared his throat, rather inconspicuously. Beast Boy got the hint and kept the duck jokes to himself.

The masked boy stood up and glanced around the room. Four familiar faces, five strange ones.

"I think a few introductions would be good at this point."

Nightstar nodded, and stood to her feet. Her blue eyes fell on Robin, then briefly over to Starfire. She still couldn't look her in the face. "I guess I should go first. My name is Nightstar. I am the leader of the Teen Titans, Alpha squad. Neo Jump City Branch."

Robin raised a brow, "Alpha Squad?"

"In the future, the Titans have set up different squads, consisting of five members. We are alpha because we are one of the first...And one of the best."

The masked leader nodded as he took in her words, "I have no doubt you are. What's your real name?"

"...M'ari...M'ari Grayson. Red Robin was my father." She anticipated what he was really wanting to know. Even though he suspected it, it still was a shock.

Not quite as shocking as Starfire though, who had immediately risen from her seat and presented poor M'ari with a dreaded hug of doom.

"I cannot believe it! My little bumgorf! Oh it is so good to see you! There is so much we have to discuss! Why do you not share such jubilation?"

"AIR," Nightstar managed to squeak out.

An apologetic Starfire let her go, but her emerald eyes were lit with joy. It was all she could do to keep from bouncing up and down where she stood.

"I am just so, how do you say, Giddy?"

Robin smiled, "Good choice of words Star. There is much we have to catch up on. For now though, let's continue."

The two girls sat down, leaving the floor open.

The blond-haired Geoforce raised a hand meekly, "Brion Markov...My hero name is Geoforce. Nice to meet you all."

Starfire, still bouncy from meeting her daughter, greeted him, "We are glad to meet you young Geoforce."

The skinny boy turned a deep shade of red.

"Your cheeks are red, is it the blush?"

Brion curled up in his seat, a little too embarrassed to look at the beautiful Tamaranean, "NO! I mean...No Miss Starfire."

"coughFanboy!cough," Superboy smirked.

Geoforce's blush had spread to his ears, but he felt that he had put his foot in his mouth enough for one day and stayed silent.

Sentinel ruffled the young boy's hair with a dark hand, "Don't mind Brion, he's just a little shy around his idol."

Cyborg scratched the human side of his head, "Idol?"

"Yes, most of the superheroes of old have become legends. It's like meeting Gandhi or Roosevelt in your terms."

The cybernetic teen nodded, "Or Mr. T?"

Sentinel blinked, "Sure, why not."

Raven seemed to perk up at the remark, "And you are?"

"My name is Sentinel...Real name, Xander Stone."

"Xander? Unsual name."

"My mother named me."

Cyborg leaned over to Beast Boy, "She's totally cute by the way."

"Duuuude, who is she?"

A vein bulged in Sentinel's forehead in annoyance, but he decided to indulge them, just this once, "If you must know, her name is Sarah...Sarah Simms."

Beast Boy grinned, "I knew you and Sarah would hook up, I'm always saying you two were made for each other...Who's Sarah?"

Cyborg laughed, "She's an old friend of mine. She works at the Disabled Children's Center downtown. We met after I start mentoring the kids there."

Starfire's eyes lit up, "You have a significant other Cyborg? Why did you not tell us! What does she look like?"

"Oh she's gorgeous...Blond hair, blue eyes...Silm, kinda like Star, but petite...Kinda like Rae. Nice legs that won't quit and a butt that-"

Two things suddenly hit him; one, he was drooling, two, everyone was watching him drooling.

"Yeah, Soshe'scuteandallthat...Continue!"

Superboy stood up, flexing an arm as he announced himself, "I am none other than the Boy of Steel himself, Superboy. Real name's Kon-el. Conner, or Connell works too."

No one said anything to him.

"Hey, come on...The entrance doesn't work unless you all go "oooo" and "ah".

"Ooooo...Aaaah. Will you shut up now," Raven said, deadpan.

Geoforce winced, "Burn..."

"Wha? I haven't done anything ba-...Oh wait, yeah I did...Well I haven't said anyth-...Wait...Crap."

Raven sighed, "Just quite while your ahead."

"Is it too late for an apology?"

Robin gave him a small salute, "Never too late to say your sorry. Go for it."

"Yeah...well...I'm sorry I tried to kill you and stuff. I suppose we all are. Really. I mean it," it was a sincere gesture, even if it was Superboy. His eyes softened as he lowered his head, as did the rest of his companions.

Raven looked at him, emotionless. Robin jerked his heads towards the group of future Titans, hinting that she should say something.

"Fine...Apology accepted. Now sit down."

Superboy complied, discovering that he was still on thin ice with the group. At least no one has hitting him.

Robin gave Superboy a small thumbs up, as if trying to reassure him that he'd eventually fit in.

"That only leaves...Her."

"WEEEE," Menagerie was currently spinning around in the swivel chair, oblivious to everyone around her.

Robin blinked,"...The best, huh?"

Nightstar sweatdropped, "She has her moments."

A sharp whistle from Beast Boy brought her back, "Hey kiddo, your up!"

She stopped her chair, "Oh! I'm on! Okay...My name is Menagerie. I was named Tracy Roth Logan, sounds like a rock star doesn't it?"

Beast Boy was in tears from laughing so hard, "It does doesn't it! I'm so naming my kid like a rock star."

Everyone stared at him incredulously.

"...What?"

Raven's eyes were the size of sun, "You haven't figured it out?"

"Figured what out?"

"...Azar above...He truly is an idiot."

"Hey, I'm not stupid...What's everyone looking at me like that for?"

Cyborg patted him on the shoulder, "She's your daughter BB."

"How do you know?"

Robin sighed, "The green skin, the pointy ears...How could you not see it?"

He glanced at Menagerie, then at himself. The elf stood from his seat and walked over to a window to view his reflection. After what seemed like minutes of contemplation he turned to her suddenly.

"HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN GREEN?"

Cyborg sweatdropped, "Is he being sarcastic or just stupid?"

"AND WHY AM I COVERED IN BEADS!"

Raven rubbed her temples, "I don't know anymore..."

"Okay, okay, so if I'm her dad, who's her mom?"

Nightstar sighed, "Raven."

"Really?"

Robin nodded. Beast Boy turned to Raven, who buried her head beneath her hood with pale hands.

Silence.

"REALLY!"

Everyone in the room nodded, even Menagerie. At this point everyone was flabbergasted but understanding. He was probably joking...probably.

Robin sat down in his chair, running a hand through his black hair, "Well now that we have at least introduced ourselves, it's time for us to come to a decision."

Nightstar nodded in his direction, "Agreed. We have to come up with a solution to our problem. Apocalypse will come. Maybe not now, but in a few years, it most certainly will arrive. The only way we deemed fit to stop it was by eliminating Raven. Now, I'm not sure that was the best option."

Cyborg raised a hand, "I'm thinking that maybe we could...I dunno, just fix what happened to Raven."

Raven shook her head, "It isn't that simple. I've had plenty of opportunities to betray my friends. Why then?"

Sentinel blinked his silver eyes and stood up, "None of us from the future know the specific events surrounding the transformation. Apparently, Raven fled, and returned several months later as her darker self."

The dark girl walked over to the window, gazing out onto the bay and skyline solemnly, "So I knew..."

Beast Boy went to comfort her, but couldn't bring himself to do anything. The situation was already awkward enough, "Raven..."

"I knew it was going to happen, so I tried to run away...To keep myself from hurting you all."

It was quiet, as the Titans struggled to find a way to bring some hope into the room.

Geoforce was the one that stood with a stomp of his foot, "Then don't run away."

Everyone watched him intently.

"Instead of running, let us help you. Why don't we help protect you from whatever it is that caused this thing to explode inside of you."

"Brion...I appreciate you trying to help me. Really, but this is something I have to face on my own."

"Says who? You've all fought for Raven in the past right?"

Cyborg nodded, "And we'd do it again."

Starfire perked up, "In the beat of a heart!"

The blond kid walked over to Raven and placed a hand on her back, leading her to the rest of the group, "Come on then. Let us help you."

For the first time that day, Raven smiled, "Third time's a charm I suppose..."

Beast Boy gave Geoforce a soft punch in the shoulder, "Good thinkin'..."

Geoforce placed a hand behind his head, grinning from ear to ear, "Don't embarrass me."

Superboy smirked, unable to resist himself, "Yeah, that's Starfire's job."

The blond boy turned beet red once more, his eyes bulging. Any larger and they would have fallen out.

Suddenly, the Boy of Steel's chair was yanked out from under him, wrapped in mysterious black energy. Kon-el fell straight to the floor, landing on his butt.

"Brain fart...", was Raven's only reply.

The room burst into laughter.

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T

Across the bay, far atop a building, a figure stood. The same figure had watched the fight between the two groups of Titans the night before, and had watched Raven flee for her life. It had tracked her shadow straight to Titans Tower.

In his hands was a small set of binoculars.

He was menacingly tall, close to to seven feet in height. His suit was red and blue, lined with ammunition and weapons. Knives, grenades, and pistols lined his uniform, and a long deadly sword rested on his back. All over his suit, the emblem of a narrow skull was seen.

He was built like a juggernaut, a body that seemed invincible. On his hard face was a red mask that went up to the bridge of his nose, leaving his evil dark eyes revealed.

They burned with a fire that could frighten the devil himself.

"Perfect."

The figure slide the binoculars into a pocket on his utility belt, turning to face the city.

"Soon I will have my revenge...I am so close."

He began to laugh, maniacally, a sharp laugh that had a gravel edge to it.

"Soon, Slade Wilson...Your head will be mine."

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T