Hello people. It's rather late as I'm writing this so it might be a bit fuzzy. I've been reading some totally amazing fanfics and I was inspired to try and write one of my own. I'd first like to thank the people who have reviewed the last chapter, I am ever in your debt (bows).

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans

Chapter 5: The Plot Thickens

As Raven flung the last of the boulders she'd summoned at Mumbo she reflects angrily on the last hour and a half. Each time they had flung the crazed magician down he'd only pulled some new and vexing trick from his hat. Over and over again she'd telekinetically thrown everything in sight from stones to whole busses at him only to have them turned on her by the magicians "magic". His last one was a true testament to his warped sense of humor. He'd transformed her makeshift missiles into a flock of overfed pigeons. Her cloak had rapidly changed from indigo to green/white. She was not amused.

Adding to her list of woes was the fact that two of there supposed members were out of commission. Or rather one and a half. Shar had lain pruning her fingernails for the entire time the other Titans had been in battle, totally oblivious to the struggle going on around her. To Ravens personal chagrin Robin had sat fawning over her the entire time, still in the thrall of her spell, the ends of which tugged at her mind filling her vision with brief flashes of ruby red.

Beastboy landed in retreat near the ignorant couple. He was panting having just been repulsed as a rhino from the cackling villain. "Sorry to interrupt you to lovebirds but could you maybe HELP US." Though Robin didn't flinch in his adoring gaze at Shar, the changelings words seemed to have penetrated what small amount of grey matter which was currently active. Looking around as if waking from a dream Shar sighed "you could have asked". Raven was momentarily cut of from the green boys look of blatant amazement of how this girl had not noticed they were in need of help by the sight of Cyborg running backwards, a train of animated candy in his wake and the sound of faint "not again, not again!" coming behind him.

Gracefully rising to her feet Shar took a hard look at Mumbo who until now seem to not have noticed her. Reaching into a small pouch at her side she pulled out a handful of fine silver sand. Bringing it to her lips she whispered a small spell " Silver sands shining so bright, I bid you now to please take light; Into your arms this madman take, create a prison non may break." Raising her arm straight up she let out a long sigh. In her palm the sands began to shift and glow. Rising up they became a stream of sliver flames which slid fluidly through the air towards the astonished Mumbo. As the flames encased him in a corona of liquid silver his last few words drifted through Ravens ears "Who's the new girl?"

A few moments later when the light had receded and the flames where once more a sprinkling of bright sand lying on the road, a small translucent glob stood where Mumbo had last been. Picking it up Star grinned at the tiny magician who was pounding on the walls. "Most amusing!" she said animatedly walking over and enfolding Shar in a bone breaking hug. Rubbing her new bruises happily Shar smiled at the alien girl.

Raven was less then pleased. "What did you think you were doing!" She asked enraged. "First of all you sit around painting your fingernails for and hour, then you decided to help after all the rest of us have gotten the bruising of our lives, not to mention that you've enslaved Robin." Her last phrase was emphasized by her swinging gesture at the boy wonder who appeared to be groveling at Shar's feet. Shar grinned, catlike, "Not jealous are you Rae?" Her last leer and the use of her hated nickname driving Raven over the edge. "Just undo it" She shrieked before shrinking back into her hood at the amazed looks of the other Titans.

Shar smirked before pulling out a vial of... "Chap stick?" Raven asked incredulous. "Pistachio" she said smoothly applying some "Breaks love spells". Before Raven could intervene Shar grabbed robin by his chin and pulled him in for a Kiss. Not just a kiss but a Kiss, with the capital. It was long, it was passionate, it had Tongue. "Whaaa?" Robin said in a stupor his masked eyes clearing. "There are you happy" Shar said turning to where Raven was standing. Or had been standing. The last end of her soul-self Raven could be seen flying out over the lake veiled in moonlight.

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Raven lay flat on the roof of Titans Tower her hood drawn down to hide her tears from imaginary observers. Her mind in turmoil she thought back to when she'd fled the seen. It had been the hallway all over again, except this time there was a sharp snap somewhere deep in her heart. Seeing Robin liked that had hurt her deeply, the shock of it causing her mind to reveal something she'd been desperately trying to conceal. Love. The word was unfamiliar to her, it was something that she wasn't sure she comprehended, but she knew it made her think of Robin.

The sound of the iron door clanging open caused her to jump into a fighting stance, prepared to fight whatever new opponent had come to challenge her. She stayed like that even after she realized that it was only Shar. She was the last person she'd wanted to see right now. A view of masked eyes jumped out at her…or second last. "Hey" Shar said her voice echoing slightly over the vast expanses of the roof. "What do you want!" Raven snarled her voice dripping poison. "Come to torture me some more or maybe you've got it on tape and would like to play that great make-out seen over and over. Hours of fun."

Swinging around, not waiting for a reply she stalked over to the edge of the roof and perched there in the air her violet hair flinging itself around her face, streaks of black flames flashing out as her fury and hurt vent itself out through her powers. Shar slowly walked over and sat beside her. "Raven, please look at me" she said her voice lined with a sadness Raven hadn't realized was there. Sighing she turned and almost gasped out loud at what she saw. Gone was the mask of over confidence and energy, before her lay the real Shar, her face shadowed with a great sadness and maybe…regret?

"I'm sorry" Shar whispered her eyes radiating her sincerity. "I'm sorry" she said slightly louder this time "I just saw how much it would bother you and I didn't think" She frowned and looked away "I've been doing that a lot lately." Ravens anger cooled and she even felt the beginnings of pity forming. Her empathetic senses were reeling from the amount of pain in that one phrase. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before.

"What did this to you?" she asked, unable to contain herself. Shar turned back to her, eyes sparkling as she gave a weak attempt at a smile. "I never told you guys why I came to the city" she said softly. Raven stared in rapt attention, intrigued, she vaguely processed that it would have been the polite thing to do but also acknowledging the enmity which had been there at their first meeting. "I used to live in a nice town not too far from hear" Shar continued. "It was small but for some reason attracted a large amount of Witches and other Magickal people. I had grown up there and when I was 13 I'd joined a coven as their last member. They thought I was lucky, their 13 member age 13." As she said this a strange look came over her, something happy yet tinged with the feeling of loss. "But I was irresponsible, never taking the craft seriously, I missed are esbats, moon meetings, and cast dumb spells. One of which I think you've just seen" she said this with an apologetic glance. "I was terrible but I still loved them, they were my friends, they were practically my family"

Raven nodded entrance. She'd heard about witches covens and how close they were. It had something to do with the merging of their magick which was entwined with their souls or something. "One night, I got there late, I knew it would mess up their spell but I was out with some boy and they were on my nerves" Raven was shocked to see a sob rack Shar as she continued laboriously. "When I got there no one was left, the trees around their circle had been set on fire, their tools had all been upended and warped beyond repair and all I could find of them was a shard of our leaders robe."

At this point the girl totally lost it and began to all out cry. Her tears forming a small pool bellow her. Before she knew what she was doing Raven was patting her back "shhhing" her as she had been forced to do for Stars numerous issues. Her mind was reeling. Their circle was broken. The phrase caught in her head and repeated over and over again. The basis on which all magic was formed was the magick circle, it strengthened, empowered, and most of all protected the Witch as the worked, nothing could break it. Or at least nothing she knew of. Finally Shar gasped out the last of her story "The last thing I saw as I was leaving was a giant mark, branded into the ground, I've checked everything I can think of and have never found it."

"I came here because I was able to track them with some of their things and my last spell lead me hear before it was turned away" Shar was calmer now and sat up straight. Before Raven could speak Shar said one last thing "Raven there's something you need to know… It's not just my coven that's been taken, at least 50 people, all Witches have disappeared in the last month"

Dum Dum DUUMMMM. Who could it be, why is it the witches, and when oh when will we get back to the RobRae stuff (can't live without that). All those questions and more will be answered in the next chapter. But while you're waiting how about dropping me a review?

PEACE