Author's Note: Because I edit like a madwoman and it would take so long to post chapters in modern-RSK-sized chunks - ten to twenty pages long - I'm keeping these updates divided at the same points as the original story. That way I can update more quickly.
Read and Review,
Raven's secret-keeper
Chapter 1: Stranger at the Door
California.
Jump City.
Titans Tower.
It was around noon. The sky outside the crime ops window was darkening with clouds that would signal rain later that day - but for now, despite the ten-story building seeming tall enough to touch the sky, none of the four Teen Titans behind its glass noticed the storm brewing outside. Everyone was too busy. The room was filled with leisure activity and life - only Raven was absent; she opted to meditate in the quiet of her own room as Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and especially Beast Boy played the part of normal gaming teenagers so well, you'd never know the difference.
"Aw man, aw man, just a little more, come on - ! NO!"
"WHOO-HOO!"
"Way to go, Beast Boy!"
Excited and unhindered laughter filled the room. "Yes, I see my leading of the cheers for you was quite successful!"
"Ow! Hey, Star, watch where you're cheerin' those things."
"Oh. My apologies. Perhaps a rematch would make up for my -?"
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP, and suddenly alarms blared and the red lights flared, with the crime scanner screen declaring in tandem: "SECURITY ALERT"
Robin rushed to the control panel (while Beast Boy groaned "Aww, just when it was getting good!"), and a few keystrokes later Cyborg elaborated: "We've got company."
"Intruder detected at ground-level entryway" echoed through the halls as the entire team watched the live video feed and took stock of the situation...
"This 'intruder' does not appear hostile," the Tamaranian noted.
Robin wasn't convinced. "I'm running facial recognition and starting a background check now. Beast Boy, keep an eye on the security footage. Cyborg, initiate alpha-level protocol. We don't want to take any chances. And Starfire - ?"
"I shall investigate!" she called eagerly before she sped downstairs to do so.
And she opened the door to a figure resembling Raven.
But she was smaller, younger... and thinner - unhealthily so. And she wasn't as clean as she could've been; her hair was cropped to just above her chin, blond, with shoulder-length bangs extending past the reach of most of her hair, and it was all slightly tangled. Her clothes didn't look much better. Most of it was covered by a hooded cloak held tightly around her (now that was a familiar sight), but her legs and forearms revealed an unusual dress, white and tattered and it seemed a size too big on her. Maybe it was custom-tailored; at least the sleeve-length fit perfectly. She literally looked half starved to death.
But her dark blue eyes were vibrant and alive, so expressive - and so wide with hope and fear. Especially after Starfire gasped.
The two looked at each other for a while before the stranger asked nervously, "Is this Titans Tower?" Her voice was pretty raspy, as if she wasn't used to using it, and sounded like it could have been any other frightened stranger's voice besides that.
"Yes. How is it I may help you?"
"Uhhhhhhm..."
Another silence stretched between them.
"I... need to ask - talk to - "
She froze when Robin entered the lobby. "Starfire, who is it? You've been-" He stopped. He had seen the girl. And there was so much familiarity here that her clothes had hidden from the cameras.
"I am not certain. Please, do come in. You look as if you have been attacked by the kuldrons of Thar!" Starfire closed the door after the guest had stepped in hesitantly and all three went to the main room; the stranger trailed the Titans with steps silent as a ghost, like she didn't even want to disturb the sounds here.
When they reached the operations room, everyone turned her way. And she flinched, recoiling under the attention. "Um... H...Hello...?" the newcomer said uncertainly.
"Tell me you guys are seeing it," Cyborg noted.
"Uh... Hi," Beast Boy greeted, and all of them were wondering the same thing... Why did this person resemble Raven so closely? Was it a coincidence?
Robin almost asked. Except...
Raven had roused herself from meditating; she had sensed pain, fear - and then her meditation was thoroughly shot through by the alarms. She entered, and she halted the moment she saw the unfamiliar girl.
Their eyes met. Raven's narrowed; the other's widened.
The instant she saw her Raven felt a flicker of violent intuition - her senses livened with something that felt completely off - But before she could investigate, the feeling vanished - there was another energy, submerging. …But empathy told her this girl was weak, sick… Warily, her suspicion was overruled by concern. This girl didn't want to hurt them, she could feel that much - conversely, scanning her senses told her this girl was terrified. Desperate, even - which could make her dangerous…
Better to play it safe.
"Who are you?" Raven asked, subtle threat and suspicion heavy in her voice.
"D – D – M-my name is – is D-D-D-Dove." Raven's gaze was sharp and intense as blade thrusts, and Dove stumbled back a step under its pressure. She stood rigid, startled by and now afraid of Raven's piercing tone. Whatever she expected, it wasn't that - not from Raven...
"Where did you come from and why did you come here?"
This was strange to the others - usually Robin was the one pressing houseguests for information.
"A-Azarath. Because..." She glanced away and swallowed. "It was... destroyed, by... something terrible..."
Despite the dark news, Starfire seemed elated and gave a small gasp. "Oh, that is where Raven was raised! Perhaps you have met one another?"
But Raven's first thought was doubt and disbelief. "Azarath?" I think I would remember if I saw someone so much like me back there.
The other had cringed at Starfire's excitement - but she forced herself to look up at Raven and bit her lip. "Uh-huh."
"But why did you come here?" Raven's tone was more suspicious than sharp. Slowly it was losing its edge - gaining confusion...
"Uh... This will sound crazy..."
"We've dealt with crazy," Robin told her. "Many times."
A sigh, and her head lowered, and suddenly she was speaking more than three words per breath - as if this was the one and only thing she was certain of. "I had a - a vision... not long before Azarath was to be destroyed. Of Azarath burning. Then... four red eyes in a crimson sky and deep, horrible laughter. It felt like I was being burned alive and it scared me so much..." She seemed deeply pained at the memory. "And then I saw Earth and this Titans Tower. It only took me a moment to realize that if I didn't come here, I would..." She paused abruptly - hesitated. Then picked up warily. "...die... and it just doesn't seem right to die, just because..."
Raven couldn't suppress the memories of what it was like to see Azarath, the place of her birth, her first-ever home, the source of the prophecy she'd nearly lived her life by, destroyed before her eyes. And the way she felt about it. Fear, horror, hatred... and the immeasurable loss...
They almost conversed as she fought down the images. "You look like you haven't slept or eaten in a while," Robin observed -
"Azarath was destroyed nearly a year ago," Raven suddenly cut in. "Have you been here since then?"
"Did it really take you that long to find this place?"
Dove nodded - then winced and moaned meekly. It was strained, like she was trying to hold it back - and failing miserably.
"Dude, are you okay?" Beast Boy asked, noticing just how weak and ill she looked. In that moment it was hard not to.
"I'll be fine, just... weak from lack of food, and rest... and - um. I was wondering if it would be okay if I stayed here," she rushed out - the dizziness was back and she needed to ask them before she blacked out. "No one else can accept me, and I need a home. I can't go on living like this much longer!" Her words were pleading, strained, like she was trying so hard not to cry... "Please help me, please," she begged, now sounding desperate as her voice became softer and finally gave way to tears.
Always the analyst, Robin asked, "Why won't other people accept you?"
"Because I... my..." But before Dove could finish, what looked like white electricity encased one of the fluorescent lights and Dove ducked, with the lights exploding at her back.
"That," she croaked, and stood up with her head bowed, tears flowing like a steady river.
The Titans took more than a moment to recover from the sudden sound, making sure nothing else was broken and all five friends were still standing. Only then did they gape at Dove through the storm-darkened half-light, half startled, half curious - except Raven, who said flatly, "You can't control your powers."
Dove shook her head and glanced at her apologetically, still keeping her head bowed as if the weight of shame wouldn't let her lift it.
Yet thoughts were racing through Raven's mind - Can she really be from Azarath - ? That outfit isn't your average Azarathean wear - so similar to me, that cloak, those powers - and was it unleashed by emotion? When I get upset, I lose control -
"Really?" Dove asked suddenly, and a spark of hope danced in her eyes. So this was the right -
"'Really' what?" Beast Boy questioned.
"Oh no..." That spark faded as quickly as it came. "She just said 'when I get upset, I lose control'... didn't you... Raven...?" She bit her lip again.
How do you know my name? The thought came so suddenly it struck Raven with another pang of suspicion. But if Dove really had grown up in Azarath, somehow - (she still struggled to understand how she couldn't know?) - then of course Dove would know who she was. Who in Azarath didn't? "No, I thought that," Raven replied finally.
The stranger sighed. "Not again," she mumbled, too quietly for any of the Titans to hear.
"Interesting," Robin mused.
"What?" Dove asked nervously. People here usually said that when they didn't want to offend you, but weren't thinking anything pleasant.
"It looks like you can read minds."
"Oh. Yeah. I... can't really control that either... uhh... So, can I please stay? Will you help me?" She thought, so heavy with hope, Don't reject me, don't reject me, don't reject me...
"Why would we?" Raven asked.
"Why wouldn't we? Raven, is something wrong?" Robin asked.
"No." At least, not yet.
"Then why do you think she shouldn't stay?"
"I never said that."
"Then what did 'why would we' mean?"
"Why would we reject her."
Beast Boy scratched his head as he tried to keep up (this was a lot to take in at once). "Hold on, where did rejection come in?"
Everyone else was obviously confused - Raven's expression echoed Robin's muted thought as she began to explain. "She just said - Wait. Her lips... Did anyone else hear her say 'don't reject me', three times?"
"Not even once," Cyborg said. "Okay, this is gettin' weird. First we get a Raven look-alike at the door, then mind-reading, and now what?"
"Telepathy," Robin answered after a moment. "She can... somehow talk with her mind..."
"So now we know the girl has powers - what are we gonna do with her?"
All five of the Titans knew what had happened last time they took in a homeless hero - they had been hurt, betrayed, and nearly lost their lives to her treachery. But ultimately they had lost a friend - and several layers of innocent trust.
But Dove seemed to need them so desperately... She had come to them specifically. And apparently this wasn't the first place she'd sought help. Maybe she really did have nowhere else to go...
Dove watched as the Titans huddled up and began discussing the matter in hushed voices, and she wanted so anxiously to know their response... but she told herself not to eavesdrop, not to read their minds. Even that could make her lose control, anyways... She yawned, waited patiently, and almost fell asleep where she was - but then Robin called to her, "You can stay."