Disclaimer – Do I seriously have to reiterate this every chapter? OH! New thing I don't own. Spiderman's enemy. Yes, Spiderman is Marvel and Titans are DC, but I'm much more comfortable with using a baddie from Spiderman. So live with it.

Warnings – Eh, I guess I should have warned last chapter about character death. But why should I give away anything… So here is your warning one chapter too late. Character death. Beware!

Other – Reviews are like Klondike bars. Most people would do anything to get one. ((Would you kill a man? -Gunshot-))

After writing this chapter I realized that this story did not go the way I wanted it to. The ending is completely different than I had in mind, but you'll just have to live with it?

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Robin gazed at the two forms of the female Titans, neither moving. He had been glued to the infirmary since he returned their bodies back, silent. The only thing he'd told Cyborg was that the robbery was successfully overtaken, but Raven and Star had gotten hurt.

And for some odd reason, Cyborg didn't buy it. But he patched up Star's hands and fixed the hastily healed back wounds. All the little scratches would heal themselves soon, if she lived through the night.

All she had to do was pull through the night. If she managed that, she should stabilize in the early hours of the morning. Robin was constantly at her side, watching the small bumps on heart monitor, hour after hour. They rose and fell in shallow ditches. Every moment, he held his breath, praying that they'd rise again.

And, X'hal willing, they did.

Raven was another story. He half hoped she wouldn't make it through. She knew this whole thing was his fault. It would be so easy to make it look like an accident right now. Just borrow her pillow for a moment –

No. That would be admitting he was a murderer.

After pulling Star off the tree with his Bat-A-Rang, he had reluctantly dripped Raven the antidote. Once again, half hoping it was too late to save her. But no, she had to prove him an idiot by keeping a nearly nonexistent heart beat going.

Cyborg said that if she didn't improve in the next day or so, Raven probably wouldn't survive at all.

So Robin banked on the hope that her heart beat would slowly taper off and nobody would be the wiser.

He fell asleep in his chair; his face the very picture of friendly worry over his two comrades. His dreams were filled with death.

Cyborg checked in at six in the morning, and the sound of keys tapping woke Robin from his uneasy slumber.

"Is Starfire ok?"

"Yeah, but Raven isn't looking so good."

Robin glanced at Starfire's monitor and was gladdened to see the heart beat was now more regular and larger, as it should be. She would survive and Robin wouldn't have her death on his hands.

In the end, that's what it came down to. Who to blame?

And when Raven died, he'd make sure no fingers would be pointed at him. He was the caring, loving friend who stayed with her every day while she was in the infirmary. He was the one that cried as her last heart beat fell into a long, monotonous beep. And nobody would think he even had a hand in it.

"I'm going to run some tests, see if she has any toxins in her system."

"Are you sure you should do that?" Robin felt mild panic surging through him, "I'm pretty sure the robbers didn't do anything fishy."

Cyborg fixed his human eye on his leader, "Robin, are you going to sit there and lie right to me? Bank robbers couldn't do this to these two. You know that."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"No, Robin. I'm saying you aren't telling me the whole truth. Please, Rob, I need to know what happened."

Robin put his head in his hands, "Look, Cyborg, I don't know. I had my hands full. I didn't want to admit this, but… I didn't see what happened. I was so absorbed in what I was doing; I let the girls take care of themselves. When I looked back, they were like this. I should have done more… I should have saved them…" His voice began to crack, and a small tear welled up in his eye. If he wasn't a super hero, he thought to himself, he should go into acting.

Cyborg nodded, "You tried, man."

Robin cleared his throat roughly, "I… I need to use the bathroom." He disappeared into the bathroom.

Cyborg closed his eyes, unsure of what to believe. The extent of the injuries on Star suggested she was in a completely different attack than what happened to Raven. And the fact that Robin had only taken Raven with him to attack the robbers ate at him.

But Robin was the leader. He was the honor-bound oaf who would do anything for his friends.

This was all too confusing.

So he ran the tests on Raven and wasn't at all surprised to find a trace amount of a foreign toxin coursing through her veins.

Robin returned to his chair, "When will Star wake up?"

"It could be any time, Rob."

"Great," Robin forced a smile, "More waiting."

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The villain behind the attacks leaned back in his chair, frustrated. He hadn't counted on Robin's true hero shining through. Robin wasn't supposed to save Raven. Raven was supposed to convulse a few times and keel over.

Things were no long going according to plan. At this rate, he'd have to take care of the problem himself.

If you want something done right, you do it yourself. Or you hire a trained professional.

So he picked up his cell phone and dialed a number that he had memorized years before. His best friend worked at Jump City University as a Professor of Occult Studies.

"Hello. This is Professor Thompson. How can I help you?"

"Hi, Dick. This is Dmitri Smerdyakov. I need a favor."

"Dmitri! Good to hear from you. What do you need?"

"I need to capture Death."

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Dmitri Smerdyakov, otherwise known as the Chameleon, used fresh bat's blood on the ground. The bats lay lifelessly at his side, drained of all their liquid. The circle on Dmitri had drawn was a little unshapely, but that wouldn't matter in the long run. The symbols were correct, the blood was in place.

Now all he needed were the magic words and presto-change-o, instant Death Reaper.

He straightened up, grabbing the book the good Professor had loaned him. The words looked awkward and sounded even stranger coming out of his mouth.

"Slakih Shaskio Unchacu." That really was a mouthful. He was just glad he didn't have to say it five times fast.

The circle glowed a deep purple, there was a blinding flash of light, and then complete darkness.

Had it worked?

In the center of his circle lay an unconscious form. He smirked and looked closer; His prey was in his grasp. Why couldn't defeating Spiderman be this easy?

Quietly, he slipped into a Robin mask and costume, changing his mannerisms and speech to match the male Titan perfectly.

"Raven. Wake up."

She didn't stir.

"Oh dear. Our little Death Reaper is exhausted. I should let her sleep, but where's the fun in that?"

He changed the circle ever so slightly to deliver a minor electrical shock to Raven's body. She convulsed hideously, but sat up holding her head.

Her head was pounding like a thousand beavers had decided to slap her around a bit and her body didn't feel any better. As her vision cleared and her head dulled to a manageable throb, she glanced around. Toto, I don't think we're in Titans Tower any more…

Dmitri smiled happily, "Raven! You're awake!"

"Robin? What happened?"

"You fell and hit your head. You've been unconscious for three weeks!"

"So it was… all a dream? Why do I feel like hell?"

"It was a long drop, Rae."

She stood up unsteadily and tried to leave the circle. Magical boundaries leapt up from the floor to stop her.

"Robin, what is this?"

"Hey, Raven, why didn't you tell me you were a reaper?"

She narrowed her eyes, "I'm not."

"So you can't leave the circle because…?"

"Robin, this isn't funny. Let me go."

"I don't think I will."

She fell back to the ground, staring at him, "It wasn't a dream… You tried to kill me."

"Only because you hurt Starfire."

"No! You got her hurt!"

"Raven, Raven, Raven… If you hadn't have killed Mumbo, none of this would have happened."

"I didn't kill him! He was already going to die!" Her voice raised a few pitches, shaking.

"I cannot let you out of there until you come to terms with what you did, Friend Raven." His voice mimicked Star's perfectly, "You must realize that you have hurt me oh so much."

"Stop it! Stop playing with my head…" Her head. The beavers were back with a vengeance.

"You'll get used to the idea eventually. It only took me a few hours. But then again, I was able to realize I didn't kill anyone." Robin/Chameleon joined her on the ground, hands hooked around his knees, "You want to talk about it?"

"NO!" Raven's powers flew towards him and her cloak changed to a red shade. The wall protected him from it all, though it rebounded and plunged back at her.

It was all she could do to dodge the attack. Her cloak softened back to black.

"I didn't… kill anyone! I didn't."

"I can help you, Raven. All you have to do is promise to give me your powers."

"Robin… I can't do that." She rested her hand on her head, shooing off the beavers.

"Please, Rave. I want to help you. I don't like seeing you like this." He cajoled her easily, trying to charm her into believing she could trust him. What he forgot about was that she was an empath.

"No! You only want to hurt people!"

"Raven! I'll let you go if you give me your power."

"No."

His face twisted into pure rage, "Fine. Sit here in the dark." He turned and left her, only to change his posture into Beastboy and return a few moments later.

"Beastboy, you have to stop Robin. He's insane!"

"Raven, how could you kill Mumbo? I mean, he was a bad guy, I get it, but did you really have to kill him?"

"I don't know what Robin told you, but I didn't kill anybody."

"I'm sorry, Rae, I don't know who to believe anymore."

"Help me, Beastboy."

"I can only help you if you don't have your powers anymore."

"Beastboy! I can't give them up! Can you imagine a world without death?"

She forgot that the real Beastboy had no idea she was a walking death reaper.

"Just give them to someone else! Please, Rae. I really like you."

Now that really just ticked her off, "Just because I can reap souls, I'm some sort of evil creature not to be touched?"

His silence was answer enough.

"Get lost, Beastboy."

And he complied. This was definitely not going according to plan.

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The real Beastboy was getting worried. He was visiting the girls in the infirmary when suddenly Raven dissolved. Cyborg was just as confused; Sick people – and healthy ones for that matter – didn't just disperse into nothing.

They were distracted, though, but Starfire waking up.

"Star! You're awake!" Robin was the first to speak. He said nothing about Raven's disappearance. With her gone, he had nothing to worry about.

"Where is Friend Raven? I wish to thank her."

"For what?" Cyborg asked tersely.

It took Star a few minutes to come to her senses completely and tell her story.

"I last remember checking my closets for intruders. There was an odd odor, and then I must have fallen asleep. When I awoke next I was in terrible pain. I was nailed to a tree and my back was losing blood. Raven appeared in front of me and tried to help, but in her Rea—weakened state she could not help me. Friend Robin was fetched and I remember no more."

Robin felt his breath catch in his chest; what if Raven told Starfire it was his fault?

"Did she say anything to you?"

"Not that I remember." Star glanced at the bed next to hers, "She seemed quite ill. Where is she?"

Beastboy rubbed the back of his neck, "We don't know. She was right there until about when you woke up. Poof! Gone without a trace."

Star's face fell, "We must track her down."

Cyborg popped open the mini-screen on his arm, "I put a tracer on her as soon as Robin returned her here with you. It should be easy enough to find her."

A tiny blip on the screen showed them that Raven was fairly far away. Star insisted on coming with them on the rescue mission, and couldn't help but notice that Robin looked… disappointed?

By the time they found the run down warehouse, Raven had been visited by each of the Titan's team, including a bloody Starfire. Each demanded she relinquish her powers. Each time she refused.

So when the real deals stepped into the area of her capture, she screamed at them and hid her face.

"I told you all! NO! Get away!" Her words were accentuated by the occasional sob or hiccough and her voice was hoarse from yelling.

Starfire found her voice first, "Friend Raven. I do not understand…"

"Get away from me… I won't give up my Reaper powers to you filthy humans."

The three boys stared at their fallen comrade, confused.

"Raven, please, we do not wish that you do."

"Of course you don't. That's why you've all been in here one by one trying to force to give them up." She glared at them, wary.

"Star's right." Cyborg put in, "I didn't even know you had Reaper powers, whatever they are."

Raven's face grew angry, "And now you've come to laugh at me. So laugh and get out." She hid in her cloak, trying to ignore them, "At least this time you came all at once. I was beginning to think you were all one person just trying to trick me." A half crazy smile etched across her face. "I can hardly think with these beavers smacking me."

Beastboy took a step backwards. This was weird and creepy, not a combination he liked, and he voiced his concern, "I think she's lost it."

Another voice joined his, a suave voice, "I would agree, except that you can't lose what you never had. She was due for her breakdown any day now. I swear I can't let that girl out of my sight for very long."

All five Titans strained to look at the speaker, who stepped into the dim light. He was tall and immaculately dressed.

"She gets this way once a month or so, claiming she can reap souls. Perfectly insane."

Raven stared at him, and then back at her friends, "I've never seen him before in my life!"

"Raven, dear, I've been treating you since you were five! Don't act like that."

What was left of the color in her face drained, "I…" Tears slid down her face, "I don't know anymore. Just leave me alone!"

Robin recognized the voice, though. It was the man from the alley.

"What should we call you Dr…?"

"Dr. Turner. Malcolm Turner at your service."

Cyborg ran a bio scan on Raven from the distance; she seemed better than she had been before. Maybe this doctor knew what he was doing.

"Dr. Turner, I'm Cyborg. I've been caring for her since the accident yesterday. She seemed sane a short while ago."

"I'm afraid it comes and goes rather quickly and unexpectedly. She may regain her senses in a few minutes or a few days. One never can tell."

Cyborg nodded; it seemed viable, "Can we take her home? Maybe she'll feel more comfortable in her own home."

"I suppose that can be arranged. I'll set up a circle of protection in your Tower so she doesn't destroy anything in her delicate state."

Starfire narrowed her eyes, "Something smells of the diseased fish here."

"I think you mean something smells fishy."

"I know what I mean and this is not right."

"It's for her own safety, until we can reassure her that the reaping is not real."

"Not real? But I have seen her as a Reaper."

"Have you? When?"

"I was nailed to a tree…" Suddenly her story seemed almost surreal.

Robin smiled, "So it's decided. Dr. Turner can follow me back to the Tower. You three stay here and keep Raven company."

Starfire trained her eyes on her broken friend, "Raven, please tell me this is all a joke. You may yell the April Fools now."

Raven's eyes seemed animalistic, narrowed and drawn. There were dark bags beneath her eyes and she seemed abnormally twitchy.

"You're the one who's toying with me…" Raven muttered under her breath, "I wish you'd all just go away."

Robin and Dr. Turner stepped into fresh air, and Robin turned on the good doctor.

"What are you doing to her?"

"Isn't it obvious? Covering my tracks, and yours. If she believes she's insane, she won't say anything. You can go your way, the innocent teen super hero, and I can go mine, sadistic bastard."

Robin thought for a moment, and then nodded, "Let me show you to the Tower."

In the cave, Raven pulled further into herself.

Things were going better than planned.