On an uneventful Saturday afternoon, Raven and Rose decided to sit in the garage and watch Victor work on his car. Raven occupied an empty work bench while Rose straddled a chair. "Justice League boring you, Vic?" Rose asked as the two girls watched Victor work. "You've been visiting every week for the past 3 months."

"Naw, I just missed y'all," he said, giving the two girls an easy smile as he opened the hood of his car. Raven returned his smile. She was always happy to see the man she considered an older brother. But she remained silent while he and Rose chatted. She had so much on her mind. Most of her thoughts revolved around the object of her newfound crush…Tim. Lately, they hadn't been getting along. A few of her thoughts were centered around her father. Raven didn't really understand what was going on, but somedays it felt like Trigon was literally whispering in her ear. And it really creeped her out. Not only that, but the Church of Blood and acolytes of Trigon had also been invading her dreams. Some nights it felt like she was reliving Arella's experience the night she herself was conceived. And seeing one's conception from the mother point of view is always – no words can describe how awkward, weird, and just wrong that is. And speaking of dreams, why the hell was Connor showing up in hers like some type of wraith? He was dead. He had been for the past year. Why she was having precognitive dreams that centered around him – she wished somebody would tell her. As it was, those dreams were the crux of her and Tim's rift. Instead of listening to her, he accused her of being jealous. She was not jealous…. okay maybe she was a little jealous of Cassie, but that wasn't the reason she confronted by Tim. He was just so…stubborn. Arrogant, pig-headed, oafish - "And what about you, dark girl?" Victor asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hmm?" Raven asked. She had not been paying attention at all.

"How have you been holdin' up now that grass stain is in another relationship." Raven shrugged before answering. "Honestly, it really doesn't bother me. I'm fine. And she's nice. So…" she ended with a shrug.

"I never asked what happened to you two. You were together for two years. Why'd you break up? Was it his fault? What'd he do?" Victor asked, looking at Raven before rolling underneath his car. "Do I need to go whoop his ass?" Raven shook her head with a laugh. "This…this really was on me," Raven said.

"Naw," Victor said. "It's definitely the grass stain's fault." Raven released a mournful laugh. "Got your eye on anyone new?" Victor asked from beneath his car. Raven felt her face heat up as Rose said, "No." "She does," Rose said at the same time.

"Shush!" Raven said, horror and embarrassment flooded her cheeks.

"Who!" Victor demanded, pushing himself out from underneath the car.

"Tim-Tim," Rose sung as Raven threw a nail at her in embarrassment.

"Red Robin? Really?" Victor looked at Raven quizzically. "Him? I mean…it's about 100 steps up from Garfield. But from what I've observed these past few weeks, you two don't get along. You two don't even like being in the same room with each other."

"But they used to get along really well," Rose said, dodging a hammer thrown by Raven's powers. Rose only laughed. "They used to have early morning meetings, late night chats; Raven used to sleep in his bed," Rose batted her eyes.

"You slept with Tim!" Victor shot to his feet.

"It wasn't like that!" Raven argued and glared at Rose. "Only on nights when I had nightmares. And we only slept next to each other." Raven emphasized the word next. Victor hmphed as he laid back down and resumed his car repairs. "But, like you said Vic, we haven't been getting along these past few months. Four to be exact. We haven't had one of our chats in over a month," Raven said, as her face fell.

"Because of Connor's death?" Victor guessed.

"No," Raven said. "I mean, after Connor died, we didn't speak for a few weeks. But then we started hanging out again."

"What changed?" Rose inquired, honestly curious.

"I started having dreams."

"Dreams? You always have dreams."

"No, I mean…premonitions - visions."

"Ohhh!" Rose and Victor said together in understanding.

"It was right around the time Tim and Cassie started dating. At first, I thought it was jealousy or something…but it wasn't. I kept having the same dream over and over again," Raven paused for a second. "Something is going to happen. And it's centered around Connor."

"How?" Rose asked. "He's dead."

"My thoughts exactly. But I've been envisioning the same thing over and over again."

"Your precognitive dreams aren't usually wrong," Rose said. "Did you tell Tim?"

"Actually, first I confronted Cassie," Rose scowled at Wonder Girl's name. "I thought she would understand best. Girl-to-girl. But it went as well as you can expect. She accused me of…stuff," Rose nodded in understanding. Cassie could be a bit much sometimes. "She told Tim. He and I had a huge fight. Things were said. And we haven't spoken to each other since. And now the team dynamic has shifted, and there's an awkward atmosphere."

"To be honest," Rose said, "The that started the day Cassie and Tim announced they were a couple. Cassie dating Tim three months after Connor's death just doesn't sit right with me. Especially because she loved Connor so much."

"Be nice, Rose," Victor said as he began re-working on his engine. "What about your dreams has you so spooked?" Victor asked Raven.

"I don't know," Raven replied. "It's not so much seeing as it is feeling. But I do know it ends with Tim heartbroken. I felt his pain as if it were mine. It was awful. I don't want him to go through that. I tried to tell him, but…"

"He didn't listen, did he?" Rose asked.

"We didn't even get a chance to talk about my dream," Raven's shoulders fell. "He demanded to know why I was trying to sabotage his relationship with Cassie; and then we started arguing. That's it."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, dark girl," Victor said. "I wish I could help you. But Tim is 18 with an IQ of - "

"Rockets on your car?" Raven interrupted him abruptly, her voice taking a high-pitched, happy tone. Victor stared at her like she just lost her mind while Rose just looked confused. "What the- "

"Why would a car need rockets?" Raven asked brightly, motioning to the side door with her head. Understanding soon dawned on the other two. "Well," Victor began, playing along, "I thought it would be a nice upgrade – " he stopped when the side door to the garage opened and a giggling Cassie and Tim stumbled out. Tim's arm was around Cassie's waist, and Cassie was kissing Tim's neck. "Gross," Rose muttered.

"Hey, Vic," Tim said as he and Cassie entered the garage. His eyes connected with Raven's for a split second before he moved on and gave Rose a short 'hi'. He barely acknowledged Raven's existence now. And it hurt. "When did you get here?" Cassie asked, not pretending Raven wasn't even in the garage.

"This morning," Victor said, looking at the two. "I made waffles."

"That was you?" Cassie asked.

"I'm sorry we missed that," Tim said. "We love your waffles."

"Wouldn't have missed it if you two weren't so busy – "

"Rose!" Raven stopped her friend from saying something truly regretful. Rose rolled her eyes and asked, "What are you two doing out and about? I thought the world would end before you two decided to grace us with your presence."

"If you must know," Cassie answered tersely, "we're visiting Connor's grave. And then we'll probably catch a movie."

"What's that like visiting your dead boyfriend's grave with your new boyfriend who is also best friends with your dead boyfriend? You know, since you loved Connor so much." Rose just couldn't help herself.

"Rose!" Raven spat harshly while Cassie's eyes narrowed, and her hands balled up into fists. Rose kept going. "I would ask what it's like being someone's replacement," Rose turned to Tim, "but Jason says taking someone's place is something you're used to doing." Everyone in the garage froze. Raven's eyes widened; Tim's face turned beet red with rage; and Victor's jaw dropped at Rose's audacity. "You have a lot of nerve- "Cassie began but was interrupted by a loud BOOM filling the sky. The entire city began to shake. Something hard had just hit the earth. The Titans in the garage rushed out to see what looked like remains from a meteor fall to the earth. Thick, dark clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the ground. Whatever was taking place seemed to be happening a few miles away from the city. "Whatever it is," Rose said, "it's a good thing it missed all of the buildings." The other Titans could only nod in agreement.

"We need to go," Tim said, "Cass, tell Gar and Bart to meet us."

"I'll join," Victor said as the Titans sprang into action.

The Titans stood atop a grassy hill, perplexed, staring down into a deep crater where a figure returned their confused stares. Recognition was nowhere to be found on the naked man's face as he stared up at the Titans. He didn't recognize them. But they made no move to attack, so he made no move to attack. As for the Titans, they all stared at the figure slack-jawed, except Raven. She had dreamt about this day almost a hundred times, and she had sensed him as she approached the crater. "Is that…?" Beast Boy asked.

"No way," Kid Flash echoed in disbelief. Red Robin and Wonder Girl could only stand like statues, mouths agape, and speechless.

"Raven," Cyborg asked, "was this what you were talking about?" Raven nodded.

"Bet they wished they listened to you now," Ravager muttered as Wonder Girl took a tentative step forward before saying, "Superboy?"

(approx. 3 months later)

To say that it had been an interestingly, uncomfortable, few weeks would be an understatement. For one, Connor was alive! (And he did end up attacking them…briefly. But they were able to calm him down after 5 minutes.) Everyone was happy to have him back, safe, and in his sound mind. It really was a joyous occasion. And Titans from all over the globe came to see the miracle for themselves. They then spent at least 2 weeks celebrating as only underaged-alcoholic-filled-heroes could. But the merriment died down eventually, and reality soon set in. With reality came awkwardness in the form of a love triangle – the points being Connor, Tim, and Cassie. Only, Connor didn't even know he was part of said love triangle. He had no idea that his two closest friends had dated each other after he died. In his mind, he and Cassie were still together; and Cassie did nothing to dissuade him. If Connor sensed the weirdness, he didn't say anything. Probably for the best. But the other Titans couldn't stand to be around the three when they were in the same room together. Raven couldn't. Everyone's emotions skyrocketed, and it always felt like a nuke was about to go off in her head. Also, she and Tim still weren't talking. She wasn't even sure if they were friends anymore. Team dynamics had once again shifted into unknown territory. Each Titan dealt with it in their own way. Rose speared dummies nonstop in the gym while spending every other waking moment with her lover, Jason. Bart played videogames 24/7. Garfield was either shooting a commercial, hanging out with Queen Perdita, or gaming with Bart. Connor was happy to be back. (They were still trying to piece together what exactly happened to him.) Cassie was overjoyed to have Connor back, and Tim was torn. His two besties didn't seem to notice. During the day, he put on a façade of happiness, joy – he pretended to be the old, easygoing Tim. But at night, Raven could literally feel his heart breaking. It was tearing her up inside. There were so many nights when Raven would stand at his bedroom door, sensing his pain, but too scared to knock. He was hurting. Clearly, he and Cassie were no longer a thing, but Raven could feel the tiny pricks in his heart Tim felt every time he saw his two best friends hug or kiss each other. Somedays, his intense emotions made her vomit; and she couldn't bear to be in the same room as him. Missions were being affected, also. They were no longer in sync. They didn't move like a team. Cracks were beginning to show in the foundation, and Raven really needed for this team to not splinter because Trigon was coming, and the Titans were probably this world's only hope. Besides Tim's and everyone else's emotions, Raven also had to deal with her father and dreams and waking up in pain with a new bloody symbol carved into her skin. And by bloody, she meant bloody. She had to throw out a pair of sheets because she couldn't get the blood out of them. She began wearing baggy, long-sleeved shirts even though the temperature always ran hot. Teleporting induced vomit; healing gave her migraines; sensing other's emotions and thoughts produced nausea. She felt like she was falling apart. So, she really needed this team to get their act together! She didn't know how much longer she had left. All

Everything that had happened in the past year replayed in her mind one hot, starry, Friday night. She hadn't seen her teammates all day thanks to a particularly nasty dream that included bleeding runes appearing on her wrists and forearms. Her body had felt like it was on fire the entire day. Luckily for her, the city had zero disturbances that day. So, laying on her back, in bed, unmoving is what she did. But now it was 2 a.m. She hadn't slept in 24 hours, and she still wasn't tired. She stood up from the bed, shaking out her arms and shoulders. Air is what she needed. Her body no longer hurt. This was good. She grabbed her XL sweatshirt and threw it on. She looked down at herself. Her shorts were completely covered. It was as if the sweatshirt was the only thing she was wearing. Usually she would put on more clothes, but she didn't anticipate anyone being on the roof at this time. She released her hair from the confines of her ponytail as she opened the door to the roof. She immediately looked up at the starry sky and got lost in its vastness. And if she had been paying attention, she would have noticed a figure sitting on the roof with his back against the vent – which was her spot. "Oh," she said once she realized she was not alone. Blue and violet eyes stared at each other in silence and shock. Raven cleared her throat and said, "I – I didn't realize…I'll go."

"No wait," he called out before she could turn to leave. "You can stay; I'll go," Tim said as he began to move to his feet.

"Or," Raven said quickly, "we can both stay. I just wanted a little air. I won't talk." Tim blinked at her and shrugged before giving a small nod of approval. I can do this. I can do this, Raven repeated in her head as she tried to calm her racing heart. It had been months since she had been this close to Tim. He was even more handsome than she remembered. Had his eyes always been that deep and blue? Was his hair always that black-blue color? She continued staring out at the city while mentally looking him over. His emotional pain was palpable, and if she didn't do something, she would either end up in tears or vomiting. Possibly both. "Tim," she said softly. He turned to stare at her, his face giving nothing away. But Raven knew better. "Are – are you okay?" Raven wasn't even sure if that was the right question to ask, but she really needed to get this boy talking. He was going to explode. "Yeah," he said brushing her off as he turned his attention back to the city. "I'm fine."

"Tim," Raven said firmly, getting the third boy wonder's attention. "I don't have to be an empath to know that is not true. You're hurting."

"I'm not – "

"I can feel it," Raven said, her voice breaking off towards the end. "I can feel your – I can feel it." Tim opened his mouth to respond, but he said nothing. He cocked his head, his eyes searching hers, and then said, "This is what you were trying to warn me about all those months ago." Raven looked down. "You knew Connor would return."

"I didn't," Raven disputed quickly. "All I felt, or saw, was Connor lying on the ground with blood raining from the sky. Cassie was on her knees beside him, and you were watching them from a distance," she stopped for a split second. "You were in so much pain," Raven whispered.

"But I wouldn't be, if I had listened to you," Tim said.

"You don't know that," Raven said with a shake of her head. "You can't beat yourself up. This isn't your fault."

"Then who's fault is it?" Tim shot back at her. He pulled his fingers through his hair – (Raven had to remind herself to not stare and fantasize about its silky texture.) "This team is falling apart, and I have been so caught up in this drama, I didn't even notice."

"Tim, you can't- "

"I thought you were still dating Beast Boy." Raven raised an eyebrow at that. She and Beast Boy had been over for almost seven months. Tim's emotional and mental state was a lot worse than she thought. "I know," Tim said, mistaking her silence for something else. "I'm a terrible leader, and I'm an even worse friend."

"So, you didn't know that Beast Boy and I were no longer together. It's no big deal."

"It is to me," Tim argued. "I'm the leader of this team. I should know better than to get caught up in emotions. I should be – "

"You're also only 18," Raven interrupted him by placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. (When did she get so bold?) "You're not a god. You're a teen."

"I'm legally an adult."

"Well, you're a new adult. You're a baby adult." Tim released a small laugh. "You had feelings for a girl. There's nothing wrong with that."

"But I should have listened to you. I can't even – I can't…I said terrible things to you that day," Tim looked her fully in the eye. Raven's breath caught in her throat at the intensity of his stare. "We both said some things," she breathed out as she let her hand fall from his shoulder.

"No," Tim argued, "I remember that day like it was yesterday. I made a lot of heady accusations; I called you names; I said terrible things." Raven didn't try to argue the facts. He was right. "I am so sorry," Tim said.

"Tim," Raven said looking away from him. "It's fine."

"No," he said as he gently stroked her cheek before placing a finger under her chin and lifting her head. "It's not fine. It's not okay. I hurt you that day. And I am terribly sorry. I'm even more sorry that it took me this long to say I'm sorry. And I am so ashamed of how I acted." Raven couldn't speak. The conviction in his eyes, the sorrow over mistreating her these past few months, he really was truly sorry. "I forgive you, Tim," Raven said softly.

"No," Tim said. "You don't forgive me."

"But I do," Raven argued.

"You can't."

"I can."

"How?" Tim demanded.

"Because I lo – because I can sense what you're feeling," Raven said. "I can sense how sorry you are." Raven placed a gently, steady hand on Tim's chest, right above his heart. "Just like I can sense how broken this is," she whispered. Tim looked at her questioningly for a brief second before saying, "And here I was thinking I was doing an excellent job hiding from you." Raven shook her head as she removed her hand. "I could feel it all," she continued to speak as looked down, allowing her hair to cover a part of her face. "I felt it as if it were my own. It felt…you were…I didn't want you to hurt. That's the only reason why I confronted Cassie. I knew how bad it was going to hurt, and I didn't want that for you."

"Raven."

"But I can take it away if you want me to."

"What?" Tim asked not understanding.

"You know how I can manipulate people's emotions? I can also absorb them so they don't feel them."

"But you would feel them?" Tim asked. Raven didn't respond. She inhaled sharply when she felt a hand on the side of her face. She looked up at Tim as he gently removed the hair from her eyes. "And you would do that for me? Take my heartbreak? Make it your own just so I don't suffer?"

"Yes?" Raven breathed out. Tim's blue eyes studied her for a few moments. "How any could compare you to your father is beyond me," he said. "Every step, every action you've taken has been the opposite of your upbringing. You really are amazing," Tim said not allowing her to turn away from his gaze. "Thank you for being willing to do that. But I'm not gonna make you do that."

"I'm offering."

"No. Thank you, but no. I made my decisions; I can live with the consequences." Raven sucked on one side of her bottom lip as a gentle breeze blew, causing her hair to once again fall in front of her face. "Cassie and I talked," Tim said as he looked back out at the city. "I made it seem like I was okay with her returning to Connor. Like I was happy for them. But on the inside, I am raging."

"And that's okay," Raven said, sensing that Tim felt like he was being a bad friend. "You're hurting, too. And I think we as a team sometimes forget that you really are only human. There's only so much you can take. And even though you come across as stoic, you have feelings, too. You aren't made of stone."

"Sometimes I wish I was. Sometimes I wish I couldn't feel anything at all," Tim admitted.

"It's not all it seems to be," Raven replied. Tim looked at her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"On Azarath, I was taught to shut off my emotions completely. To not feel anything. Trigon, ironically, was the one who taught me to feel. But he took it to the extreme. He wanted me to feel so I could learn to pick apart emotions in others and choose the right one to use against them so I could ultimately destroy them."

"That…sounds like something your father would teach you." Tim once again wondered how Raven could have turned out so great with…that…as a father.

"Tim," Raven said softly, "I believe there is someone out there for you. Someone who won't break your heart. And I hope you find her." Even if it isn't me Raven thought to herself. "Thanks, Raven." Tim's face broke out into a smile. His first real smile since Connor had returned. "I didn't realize until right now how much I missed talking to you," Tim told Raven.

"I missed talking to you, too," Raven said. "I don't like us fighting each other."

"I don't like it either."

"Let's not do it again."

"I concur. Let's make a promise right now, to never let an argument last longer than a day between us," Tim said as he held up his pinkie. Raven looked at him, then his pinkie. She looked at him again, and then looked at his pinkie. She looked at him again and said, "I am not linking my pinkie with yours."

"Oh, come on," Tim said wiggling his pinkie. "A pinkie promise is one of the most powerful promises a person can make."

"Says who?"

"Says everyone," Tim said with a laugh. He wiggled his pinkie again. "It's childish," Raven said.

"Well, according to you, I am a baby adult. That makes me a child." Raven gave Tim a deadpan stare. "Oh, come on. Please," Tim begged, making a pouty face that Raven found adorable. (She wanted to kiss him on the lips so bad.) "Fine," Raven relented, linking her pinkie with Tim's. "Are you happy?" she asked as Tim swung their linked hands.

"I am ecstatic," Tim said glancing down at their hands. He then froze, the beautiful smile slowly leaving his face. "Tim?" Raven said worriedly. He didn't look up at her. Instead, he pulled down the sweatshirt sleeve of the hand he was holding. Bloody, red marks covered her arms. "Raven," Tim looked at her, all signs of mirth completely vacant from his expression. "What are these?" Raven tried to pull her hand away from Tim, but he was already a step ahead of her. He had a solid grip on her wrist. Raven ignored the pain that shot up her arm every time Tim put the smallest amount of pressure on one of the carvings. "Raven," Tim called her name is. "What are these?" Raven stared at Tim with her lips slightly parted as she tried to come up with a reason. "Did you do this to yourself?" Tim asked when Raven remained quiet.

"No," Raven shook her head rapidly. "I didn't."

"Then who did?" Tim asked/demanded. Raven didn't necessarily want to answer that question. "Raven," her name sounded like a purr on his lips. His eyes, his face, searching hers; silently pleading with her to continue opening up to him. "It is a warning," Raven began to explain.

"A warning?"

"To me, it is a warning. My father had symbols carved into my skin. The symbols needed to open a portal powerful enough for my father to enter through."

"That must have hurt," Tim said as he studied Raven's arm intently.

"Yes," Raven uttered the word softly. Tim's gaze returned to her face. It was as if Raven had transported herself back to that horrific time. "Raven," Tim called out, causing her to return to the present.

"They are a message to me, to let me know that he is preparing his armies. He is preparing to take over the world."

"So, this is going to cover your entire body?" Tim asked perplexed. Raven gave a stiff nod. "What if you don't open the portal?" he inquired.

"As his time grows closer, my body will become weaker. If he can't get to me with these runes, he'll attack me mentally. He's already started."

"Headaches?"

"Yeah. He'll keep pushing and pushing and pushing. I'll have to keep an eye on him every, single, second. I won't be able to sleep."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"He'll start attacking the ones I love…you…guys," Raven added guys quickly. "You guys are my family. The only family I have ever known."

"He can mess with us? How? And has he started doing that?" Raven shook her head. "He hasn't," she reassured Tim. "He hasn't fully escaped his prison, but he will," Raven finished woefully. She had already given up hope. Tim grasped her hand in his and said, "We're going to stop him."

"You don't know that," Raven replied, not looking at him.

"We will," Tim persisted. He released her hand and reached up to gently stroke her cheek while turning her head to face him. Her eyes appeared glassy…watery; and she seemed very afraid. "Raven, your father will not win." Raven shook her head. "You don't have to be afraid," Tim said, attempting to soother her.

"How can you believe that?" Raven asked, her voice trembled.

"I have to."

"Do you know what he will do to you?" Raven asked as the unwanted tears began to flow. How did they get here? They were supposed to be talking about Tim. "Do you know what I dream about?"

"Raven- "

"He won't kill you," she continued, "he'll torture you…slowly. I've seen him do it to so many people. I don't want that for you," she gasped. "Tim, I don't want-"She was about to break into hysterics.

"Raven," Tim urged her, "breathe." He began gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs as she slowly calmed herself. "Good," he said as his kind eyes gazed upon her tenderly. She really, really liked him. "How can you believe that I – "Raven stopped, not sure how to phrase the question.

"Because, as distant as I've been these past three months, I still payed attention. And I know how powerful you are; how strong you are; how brave you are. You're so much more than Trigon gives you credit for." Raven really wanted to believe him. She really did. "I didn't let you help me through Connor's death; and I refused your help when you tried to warn me off Cassie. And I will forever regret that," Tim leaned closer to her. "I don't want you to do that with me. Don't shut me out," he begged her.

"I don't know how – I – I don't know how to let you in," Raven stumbled over her words as she breathed in Tim's scent.

"I'll show you," he replied, his blue eyes looking at her in earnest. "Okay? Let me help in some way."

"Why? Why would you want to -" Raven stopped mid-sentence as Tim leaned forward and gave her forehead a soft, lingering kiss. He gazed at her before saying, "That's what friends are for."