Chapter 4

Red X laid the cash in neat rows in the safe – the payment for his latest job – and closed the door gently to avoid jostling the vials of Xenothium that lay within, checking the latch to make sure it locked. He closed the panel in the wall that hid the safe from prying eyes. He turned and looked at his Red X suit where he left it laid out across the bed. He stood staring at it for several minutes. He had pulled off the job without a hitch; no security problems, no cops . . . and no Titans.

It had been two weeks since he had last seen Raven on the museum rooftop and the time away from her was affecting him more than he had liked or anticipated. He still hadn't worked out what it was about her or what, exactly, they had between them. All he knew was that he needed more.

He shook his head and put the suit away in its black bag before pulling back the curtains and staring out over the city. The night was still young, and he decided to go out, grabbing his keys and carefully locking the door behind him.

A successful job usually brought a unique sense of satisfaction, but all the could feel was restless. He had been hoping for her to be there tonight. She made every nerve awake, alive, and active, but simultaneously brought a sense of calm to every fiber of his being and he had never felt that before. Now he craved it. He had even stopped having the crippling nightmares that usually haunted his sleeping hours and he knew that, somehow, she was the reason. He needed to distract himself from the fact that he had not gotten the relief of her presence for weeks now, despite his unusual amounts of heists hoping for her appearance. He was even starting to have the nightmares again and he needed to find something to make him feel the way she did. At least a shadow of it.

He found himself at a bar that he favored, not a dive but also not a club. He liked the laid back atmosphere, and the dance floor and good taste in djs usually brought a healthy choice of pretty girls with enough wit to hold at least a superficial conversation with.

The bouncer at the door nodded to him, knowing him well and being companionable with him, allowing him to pass without paying cover and Red X's civilian persona gave him a cocky salute and a pat on the shoulder as he passed. He headed to the bar, ordered his beer and scanned the crowd over his glass. He wasn't even halfway through his beer when he noticed two women at the tall, circular table nearby sitting next to each other and staring at him. He turned back to the bar, smirking, and placed his soon empty glass on the bar, ordering a bourbon in its place. He could see them out of his periphery and could see they were still staring at him and giggling to one another. He smirked as he kept his body angled to the bar. Maybe he'd get a release tonight after all.

He waited several minutes after he had gotten his drink before he turned back toward them again. He finally made eye contact and one of them waved at him. He smirked at her, grabbed his drink, and headed in their direction.

He stood opposite of the table from the blonde that kept giving him bedroom eyes and the woman with hair almost dark enough to rival Raven's. They flirted, they talked about music and the like and each woman started to get more competitive about who would be leaving with him. Two more bourbons later Red X found himself walking out of the doors, patting his friend at the door on the shoulder again on his way out, and heading down the street alone.

His thoughts wandered back to inside the bar. He had been trying to decide which woman was the better mark when he excused himself to the bathroom. On his way down the hall that led back to the bar he found the petite one with the dark hair waiting for him. She had pushed him against the wall and kissed him. Red X closed his eyes let go of his inhibitions, grabbing her waist and pulling her more firmly against him. But after several minutes he pushed her away and stammered an excuse about having to go. And now here he was walking through the cool evening, not minding where his feet were taking him, analyzing the evening and trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

Flirting with those girls had not been as fun as normal. He was charismatic, he was charming, and he was more than good looking. He wasn't being conceited, it was the truth, and it was a fact that he used to his advantage often. Both of those women had twittered and found reasons to touch his arm or his hand, all as usual. But he found himself wanting more.

They had spoken of superficial things, despite a few of his attempts to steer the conversation into deeper subject matter – or at least to the subject of good music but even there he had been disappointed – and he found himself, more than once, betting that Raven could hold a better conversation with more wit mid battle than these women could on their best of days.

And then the one that physically reminded him of Raven had kissed him and he tried to lose himself in their similarities. She was small like Raven, dark of hair, fiery . . . all things he had assumed he could get lost in. But where everything about his time with Raven was hyper focused – fire that burned without consuming him, electricity that jolted through him and woke ever part of him without making him tense – things with this girl were dulled and unsatisfying. It wasn't what he needed and certainly wasn't what he wanted and he'd found himself needing to get away from her altogether. If possible, he was more frustrated than he was before he left his condo and he was at a loss on what to do about it.

He reached a small park and recognized it, realizing that he had walked to the edge of the bay. Standing over the water on an island right before him and standing on it, keeping watch over the city, was Titans Tower. Even his subconscious was drawing him inevitably closer to her. He thought on the idiocy of the plan that suddenly bloomed in his mind. It only took a minute of wrestling with the consequences and complications before he turned and ran back for his Red X suit.

It wasn't much later that he was perched on a beam under the bridge the crossed the bay near the tower, using his tech to analyze the tower's security measures. There was a scanner that surrounded the tower that was meant to alert them to an outside presence. It was wide enough in its radius to prevent the technology of the Red X belt that Robin had built from teleporting to the tower without setting off the alarms. One would have to teleport from the edge of the shield and would barely make it onto the island proper, and would set off all the alarms in the process.

Luckily for Red X, he hadn't been able to resist the temptation to tinker with the belt and he had extended the distance that he could go with a single jump. Far enough that he could pop into the tower itself, which was not warded so the very woman he was risking this for could teleport in and out without setting off security every time.

He appeared on the roof of the tower, knowing it was safe from the shield since he'd seen the empath do it before, deciding he'd be less likely to appear in front of a Titan that way than if he appeared in the building proper. But no sooner than he had appeared he heard the door to the rooftop open. He dove behind a storage shed nearby and he could swear his blood rushed so hard that he could feel it in every capillary when he saw that it was none other than the Titan he had come to see. Not even kissing that other woman had made him feel what he felt just by seeing Raven.

She looked weary, carrying herself like one about to drop with exhaustion, limping slightly as she favored her right leg. She held her hand over her forehead, thumb and forefinger at her temples as she groaned. She stood at the edge of the roof and sat down, crossing her legs and looking out over the lit up cityscape. She began to float in the air and Red X could hear her chanting softly. He wanted her, he needed her, but she needed her meditation; he knew that from his extensive research on each Titan. He was surprised by his altruism, his consideration for her needs, but as much as he wanted to stalk over to her and take her in his arms he knew that she would be better off after her meditation. And the edge of the tension that had been building in him was already being relieved just by being in her presence so he sat in the shadow of the shed and watched the moonlight dance on her skin as she hovered, trying to figure out how long he should let her meditate before he would be unable to help himself.

He heard the door open again and saw Robin walk into his line of view, approaching Raven. He, too, saw her meditating and stood for a moment watching her as if torn between saying something and taking his leave.

"Staying or leaving, Robin?" she asked without breaking her pose. "The lurking is distracting."

Robin let out a small laugh and ran his hand nervously through his hair.

"I just wanted to check on you," he said, stepping up to stand beside her as he overlooked the city as well. "More than a week on the road chasing leads is never easy for you, cooped up with everyone. And then that last fight, your leg . . . I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Well that explains their absence, Red X thought to himself, feeling a relief at knowing she hadn't been avoiding him intentionally and hadn't been simply ignoring his acts of trying to get her attention.

She stopped levitating and sat beside him, pulling her knees up under her chin.

"Thank you, Robin, but I'm fine. Nothing a couple of days of sleep won't cure, and some healing once I've recovered some energy." She smirked through her weariness and looked up at him. He smiled down at her in response and nodded.

"I'll try to keep Beast Boy out of your hair, if that would help."

"Gods, please," she sighed as she let out a short, dry laugh.

Red X was balling his hands in fists as he watched how effortless and comfortable their exchange was. There was nothing getting in the way between them, since they were both on the right side of the law and spent so much time with one another, and he found himself surprisingly jealous of their obvious closeness.

Robin sat beside her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head against hers and sighed.

"To be honest I had been more than half afraid that we'd have to deal with Red X as soon as we got home," Robin confessed. "I've heard he's been particularly active while we were gone."

Raven lifted her head and looked at him quizzically.

"He has?"

Robin kept his gaze on the city. "According to the reports, yes. He's been pulling jobs all over the city. I have to say that as much as I want him caught I'm selfishly glad that we missed his last caper by more than a few hours."

He finally turned to her and brushed an errant strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"He's been messing with you a lot lately and doing something to your emotions. I'm just glad that he wasn't here to make things harder for you today. Whatever he's been saying to you, whatever he's done that you don't want to talk about . . . I will stop it, okay? I will make this stop for you."

They stared at each other for some time without words and Red X's fury only grew. He felt a possessiveness rise up in him at the obvious connection those two had with each other and he balled his fists at his side.

"Sorry," Robin sighed, turning back to the view of the city once more. "I shouldn't have brought him up at all, not after you've been so taxed from this last mission. I'm sorry I interrupted your meditation."

"Weirdly, even this short meditation has been helpful," she continued, her brow furrowing in confusion as if just realizing something. "Just getting up on this roof was . . . calming, somehow. Maybe it was just the time alone. Or maybe just being home."

She did already look like some of the weariness had melted from her. Red X wondered if it was, indeed, the short meditation or if she, like him, was somehow comforted by their shared presence. Even if she was unaware of it. Some of his rage ebbed at the thought that she might feel something from him that she did not get with Robin.

"I'll leave you to it, then," he said, rising from his seat and turning to go, trailing his fingertips along her shoulder in a familiar gesture as he went. "Thank you," he said over his shoulder after taking a few steps. "I couldn't have done this mission without you, Raven."

She nodded and he turned back to walk to the door. She watched him as he went, her face pained and longing. Red X felt his blood grow cold as the realization hit him: She was in love with Robin.

She eventually shook her head and looked down at the rooftop before turning around and crossing her legs once more. Red X watched Robin go, determined to show himself to Raven once he had, but Robin hesitated at the door to the stairs leading down into the tower. He looked back at Raven and Red X saw a look cross his face before he descended the stairs, the door closing behind him.

Revelations all over the place tonight, he thought, his blood going from cold to boiling.

He stepped out from the shadow of the shed and walked through the moonlight to approach her, not being able to keep away from her any longer. He was mere paces from her before she sprang up and turned to face him. He stopped in his tracks, holding his hands up and hoping that she wouldn't attack him outright or alert the others.

"Hey, Little Bird," he soothed. "I'm not here for trouble. I just . . . I had to see you." He surprised himself with his honesty and silently cursed himself for it. "I . . ." he sighed, lost for any semblance of eloquence. "I had to see you."

She stood staring at him for a moment before he saw the tension release from her body.

"Thank the gods," she breathed as she ran to him, treading lightly on her injured leg, and threw her arms around him. He returned her embrace, sighing in relief and surprise, and simply held her for several minutes. He could feel her relax slowly in his arms and he smiled behind his mask at this unexpected reaction to his appearance. He laid his head on hers and he could smell her hair through his mask, like earl gray tea and lavender.

"Are you okay, Little Bird?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. "You don't look like you're having a great time with that leg."

"It's nothing," she said, her face still buried in his chest. "A hazard of the job. It'll heal once I get my energy back."

"Should I leave?" he asked. She looked at him, surprised by his selfless offer. "If you need time to recover . . ."

She shook her head and laid it back on his chest.

"No," she whispered. "No, please stay." Something in Red X's chest swelled at her plea. He tightened his embrace and laid his head back on hers. "I don't know why you're here but I am so glad. Despite the war with my emotions I . . . I sleep better on nights after we meet. I am . . . calmer, like I have more control of my powers even though I am less in control of my emotions. I don't know why this is happening, and I don't know why you're back now or why you keep coming back, but I am grateful."

"I've been losing my mind without you here, Little Bird," he confessed. "Heists pulled strictly for your benefit and you weren't there. I . . . do better when you're around too." He gave a small laugh. "I've grown accustomed to your face, Sunshine."

She barked out a small laugh into his chest in response."Seriously? We're doing cheesy song lyrics now, X? I didn't know you had it in you."

He laughed with her. "You bring out surprising sides of me, Little Bird. And apparently bring something to my being that I can't describe. Peace? I don't know, Little Bird. But I do know that I used to have the most terrible nightmares until that night that I kissed you and that these last two weeks without you have seen their return. It's like I'm going through withdrawals and it's just as painful."

He stroked her hair and held her close. "You're scaring me, Sunshine. I assumed, at first, that we were just giving in to some kind of suppressed carnal desire, but I don't think either of us can deny now that there's something else to this. I don't do attached. But here I am, sneaking into the last place in the world I should think about sneaking, and I get a sense of relief just seeing you. I've heard you called a witch before, but I don't think I ever agreed with it more until now. How else do you explain what I can only call bewitchment?"

She pulled back and looked into his masked face.

"How long have you been up here?" she asked, her brow furrowing in thought.

"Since, seriously, just seconds before you," he said, brushing hair from her face, jealousy from when Robin had done the same thing fading from him as he stood with her.

She looked at the floor and hummed thoughtfully.

"What is it, Little Bird?"

"I was exhausted when I stepped onto this rooftop. I only had a few minutes to meditate before Robin came up here . . ."

She paused and looked back up at Red X, surprise in her expression until the mischievous ghost of a smile crossed her face.

"What?" he asked.

"I mean, congratulations on not attacking or at least antagonizing him, X. Staying hidden must have been absolute torture for you."

He laughed at that and drew her to him again.

"Like I said, you bring out surprising sides of me."

"Apparently that's true of me as well. I feel so much better than I did before I stepped out on this roof. And I can . . . feel something when you're around me. I have this weird mental psychic bond with Robin – which is a long story that I will explain later – and this . . . this feels weirdly similar. But . . . completely different. Our time apart has only emphasized for me that this was more than something physical but as to what it is . . . I don't have an explanation for that. I mean . . . part of me has fought this since the beginning, yet we keep getting pulled together, despite my intentions. And I don't know what to do with that."

"I don't know, Little Bird. I had a thought for a long minute that this might be some kind of Titans plan to coerce me to your side," he joked.

She turned serious and pulled her head off his chest to look in dead on to convey her conviction.

"If there's one thing you can be sure of, X, it's that messing with people's minds, with their free will, is at the top of the unforgivable sins list with me. That will never have to be something you fear from me."

He stroked her face and saw her expression soften.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Little Bird. It was just a poor joke. I didn't think about your father, the destiny he tried to impose on you."

She nodded and lay her head back onto his chest. "I just wanted you to know that whatever this is it is not something that I created. I can't explain it any more than you can, but whatever this is seems real for us both. So what do we do with it now? What does it mean?"

She looked up at him again as she felt him move and saw him working off the bottom portion of his mask once more. Her pulse quickened at what she knew was coming and whatever part of her was still in utter confusion about what any of this meant was silenced by the part that knew what simultaneous passion and peace would soon be found with him.

"I means," he said, lifting her chin with his finger, "that whatever this is has been beneficial to us both. It means that we let whatever this is be what it is." He kissed her, torturously slow and deep, relishing in the feelings she elicited in him before he broke the kiss. "And we figure out the rest later."

She stood on her toes and crashed her lips back on his and he chuckled against them as he grabbed her thighs and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled herself against him and he felt a spark come to life inside him. This was how it was supposed to feel. This was how it was supposed to be. He had never been one to believe in fate or soulmates or anything as unbelievably cliche as that but the way they felt so right to each other seemed to scream that he had been wrong.

He felt her soul self wrap around them. He had thought it would be cold – Dr. Light had always talked about how cold it was – but it felt warm and comforting as it surrounded him and then dropped away. It was dark where they reappeared and the hyper vigilance inside of him from years of thieving convinced him to pry his lips away from hers and take in his surroundings, finding himself no longer on the roof but in a darkly furnished room with a large four poster canopied bed and shelves full of books.

Raven grabbed his chin and tuned his face back to hers.

"Just so you know," she whispered, ghosting her lips over his, "very few people have been allowed in my room."

"Practically inviting a rake into your bed, Little Bird? How very irresponsible of you."

"You should be greatly honored. Few have been allowed in my room . . . fewer still to my bed."

He flicked a hand at the clasp of her cloak, undoing it and pulling the fabric from her shoulder before tossing it aside. He strode over to her bed and deposited her on it, needing no more invitation than that. He followed her into the soft bedding. He stroked her face with the backs of his fingers. "You sure you want to invite me, Little Bird?"

"I thought you said to let whatever this is be what it is. Unless you're having a change of heart. You can always just leave and save me my dignity."

"Well that doesn't sound anything like me," he laughed darkly as he kissed her again, sliding his knee between her legs and tangling his fingers in her dark hair.

She felt his hand slip between her back and the bedspread followed by the sound of the zipper of her leotard being pulled down. He traced his fingers up her spine and she shivered at the contact. She shimmied her arms out of the leotard as Red X pulled it down her torso, baring her breasts to him now only contained by a simple black bra. He drank in the sight of her and she heard the low rumble of satisfaction in the back of his throat that told her that he liked what he saw.

He traced a finger down her throat, through the hollow between her collarbones and down to the valley of flesh that currently occupied his attention. He cupped her left breast in his hand and slid his thumb up under the fabric. She moaned as it slid across her firming nipple and he leaned down to steal another kiss, wanting to taste the noises that he brought out from her. He drew slow circles around and over her nipple with his thumb and her back was beginning to arch, pressing her body tantalizingly against his. She could feel his need for her as her body crushed against his and the desire pooling at her center reacted to it viscerally.

She wasn't sure how far she was willing to let this go, or how far they could go if he still wanted to keep his identity secret, but the decision was made for her as the alarms started sounding and flashing though the tower.

Red X jolted up, looking around.

"Relax," she said, sensing the reason for his panic. "It's not you, it's not the proximity alarm. Crime alert. I have to go."

He groaned and leaned back into her, kissing her soundly again. "Do you have to go right now?"

The banging on the door answered him as Robin's voice came through from the hall.

"Raven! I know you're still exhausted but we have to go! It's Slade."

Red X rolled off her and thudded his head back on the pillow. "Fuck that kid. Boy Blunder always seems to be getting in my way."

She got out of the bed and looked down at him, a small smile turning up just the corner of her mouth. "Help me with this?"

She slid her arms back into her leotard and then bared her back to him, her zipper still undone. He traced up her spine again, but this time with the tip of his tongue, as he zipped her back up. She shuddered at his touch before turning to face him.

"Until next time? I'll assume you can find your way out. Please don't do anything stupid."

Red X rose from the bed, and laughed.

"That doesn't sound anything like me either."

She laughed with him as he turned toward the window for a moment before pausing and turning back.

"Stay safe," he said, his voice becoming serious.

She looked at him and nodded. He sighed as he replaced his mask and gave her his cocky salute before pushing the glowing button on his belt and vanishing.

It wasn't until she donned her cloak and pulled up the hood, ready to head out, that she realized that nothing had broken. She had given in to what she felt and nothing in her room or on the roof had broken. She didn't have time to puzzle over it now, but she was going to have a lot to figure out when she got back.

O • O • O • O

Raven could hear Robin shout her name in a panic. She turned to look behind her and managed to catch a glimpse of Slade's two toned mask. She tried to dodge away from him, but her bad leg – which hadn't had a chance to heal yet – buckled under her. She heard Slade chuckle in a sinister manner before she felt the impact against the side of her head that exploded her vision before everything went completely dark.

Robin screamed out her name again as he watched the ruthless blow and saw the red spray of her blood mist the air. He saw her fall from the rooftop and down toward the street. He knocked aside the slade-bot that he had been fighting and ran toward her, shooting his grappling gun at the nearest building, but knowing that there was no way he would be able to reach her in time. Slade stood at the building's edge watching the dark Titan fall and ready to see what it would do to his former apprentice when he watched her body hit the ground several stories below. Maybe it would be the thing to finally break Robin. He was intrigued to find out.

But before her body could impact the ground a blur shot through the sky and knocked her sideways mid air before vanishing and reappearing several blocks away, just above the ground and skidding across the pavement from the momentum of the fall before coming to a stop. Robin stopped in his tracks and Slade straightened in surprise when they recognized Red X crouched in the settling dust with Raven in his arms. Robin's eyes narrowed and he looked between Red X and Slade, trying to figure out whether he should get to Raven or take out his nemesis. He was torn, but he saw Red X lay Raven on the ground and stroke the hair out of her face, seemingly whispering something in her ear. Robin was running toward her before he realized he had made a decision.

Red X gripped Raven's shoulders and shook her gently, but her eyes remained resolutely shut.

"Raven! Fuck, Raven you've got to wake up! Raven!"

He could see the blood pooling on the concrete beneath her and he swore, holding pressure to the side of her head where Slade had struck her.

"Shit. Raven, don't do this. Please. You have to stay with me. Fucking stay with me!"

He could hear rapid footsteps approaching and looked up to see Robin racing toward him. He swore again.

"Raven! Fuck! Raven, I have to go. I can't let them take me. But your friends are coming, Little Bird. You're safe. I wish I could stay. Just . . . please . . . please be okay. You have to be okay. You have to be."

He stroked her hair back again – more torn at the thought of leaving her than he had anticipated being – but straightened and teleported away when he saw Robin mere steps from him. He knew Robin would take care of her, but a knot in the pit of his stomach refused to loosen. He couldn't believe he'd left her.

Robin slid on the gravel scattered across the pavement and knelt at Raven's side. He could see the puddle of blood growing around her head and he ripped off his cape, using it to put pressure on her wound. He pulled out his communicator and called for the others, letting them know that Raven was down and she wasn't healing fast enough. His mind raced with his options but with Cyborg reporting back that Starfire was unconscious and Beast Boy approaching Robin cradling his clearly broken arm he came to the chilling realization that none of those options got her to the tower's med bay or the hospital in time. He started to panic. The alternative wasn't conceivable. He would not entertain the possibility. But cold dread bloomed in his heart regardless.

He felt a rush of air beside him and Red X was standing there, a button on his belt flashing. Robin had made that belt and he knew Red X was running low on teleportations. Before he could get a word out at the thief, Red X spoke.

"I can get here to help," he said, standing in a defensive stance in case Robin made a move against him. Raven's blood was dripping from his hands from when he'd tried to staunch her bleeding. "I can help her. Let me help her."

Robin stared at him hard. He didn't trust Red X in the least – even less so since the night he had kissed Raven, and progressively less with each encounter they'd had with him since then – but he could feel Raven's warm blood soaking through his cape and dripping down his gloved hand. He was sure the dripping sound of her blood falling from his gloves to the pavement would haunt his nightmares. Whatever animosity he had toward the thief he couldn't let Raven suffer for it. He nodded a single, curt nod.

"Tower or hospital?" Red X asked, bending down and scooping Raven into his arms bridal style.

Robin thought for a moment.

"Hospital," he said finally. "She'll have a better chance there. More equipment. More experience. More hands."

Red X nodded and reached for his belt. Robin's hand clenched around Red X's wrist in an iron grip before he could push the button.

"If you try to pull anything and she gets hurt I will fucking kill you myself," he growled. He released Red X's arm and his eyes grew wide with understanding under his mask. As much as he mocked the hero Red X knew that he was a dangerous opponent and he could tell that Robin meant every word of his threat. A look of fear crossed his face and he was glad Robin couldn't see it. Robin stepped back and watched as Red X and Raven vanished. He pulled out his communicator again.

"Titans, get to the hospital. Raven needs us."