Chapter 6

Robin approached the nurse's desk, telling himself to be as civil as possible and maybe they could all leave the hospital without any kind of verbal altercation with the staff. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the nurse behind the counter and she looked up at him, giving him an almost guilty smile.

"Morning," he started with a small smile, in his most personable tone, just as he would speak to someone in Bruce's manor when his mask was off. He could be quite charming then, and he tried to channel that now. "Is Raven set to be released?"

"Yes, the paperwork's all set," she said, seemingly relieved at his calm tone. She looked at the monitors for Raven's room and sighed, facing nothing but blank screens. "I forgot, she insisted on taking out her leads. She's . . . quite the strong personality. I'm honestly surprised she didn't discharge herself against medical counsel hours ago."

Robin laughed a genuine laugh and it put her even more at ease. "She stayed put for the sake of her friends, I think," he said. "Can I see her?"

"She was still sleeping last I saw, about an hour ago," she said as she rose from her chair. " But I'll go check on her."

She walked around the desk, pausing after tuning toward Raven's room. She turned back to Robin and shifted her weight nervously.

"Hey, I just want to say that I'm sorry for being so harsh with you yesterday," she said. "I've been in some bad relationships before with overbearing and overprotective men and when Raven's fiancee told us about you it clouded my judgment. I shouldn't have let it affect how I treated you. It wasn't my place."

"Wait," he said, holding up a hand to stop her. "What are you talking about? Her fiancee?!"

"Yes," she said, smiling. "the charming, handsome, dark haired man who came in just after you left. Have you never met him? He spoke of her so lovingly. He spent most of the night up with her last night. It was technically allowed since he's her closest family but we still shouldn't have treated you so coldly."

Robin was already rushing to Raven's room before the nurse had finished talking. He threw open the door and found her bed empty and her belongings that had been bagged up on her arrival at the ER gone.

"Where is she?!" he demanded, turning on the nurse who had followed him in.

"I-I don't know," she stammered. "She should be in here."

"What do you mean you don't know?! You just let some stranger spend the night in here with her based on nothing but his word and then you lose her?!"

He threw aside her sheets as if he'd find her hidden there but instead he uncovered a purple calla lily. He stared hard at it for several moments. It was her favorite, but no one else that he knew of could have known that.. He checked in the sheets and threw the pillows aside and finally found a book. Finding a book in a place where Raven had been was not something unusual, but he couldn't figure out when and where she would have been able to get it since waking. Tennyson. She was never very open about her love for less dark and macabre poetry, but he knew that she secretly treasured them.

He flipped through the pages and as he did the note that she had tucked within its pages fluttered out. On one side was an X written in red ink. He flipped the card over and read what was written on the other side. As he did, he was filled with both fear and fury. Red X had been here. The stranger had been Red X. He had been here most of the night, which meant that Raven had lied to him this morning. She said she had woken up in the early evening and she hadn't mentioned this man who had posed as her fiancee and who happened to be wanted for his crimes.

What had happened and why had she not told him? Had she been manipulated somehow, under duress the whole time that Robin was with her and he hadn't noticed? That thought chilled him the most.

And what had Red X meant by researching his prize?

He crumpled the paper in his hands as the nurse sped from the room to double check that Raven had not somehow been released earlier and it was simply a clerical error.

Robin stood in the empty room scared, angry, and unsure of what to do next. Based off of all the evidence it only made sense that the dark haired stranger and Red X were one and the same. He grew cold with dread. He pulled out his communicator and told the others what had transpired before setting Cyborg on the task of finding a way of tracking Raven and checking hospital security footage to see if they had an image of what Red X looked like without his suit. He picked up jar of tea that he had left for her, abandoned on the nightstand, and let out a desperate sigh. He hadn't even told her how he felt and now she was gone. He had to find her. And he had to bring Red X to justice.

O • O • O • O

Raven sighed and stretched, burrowing into the pillows. She had slept so well, which was surprising being that she was in a hospital bed. But she was so comfortable and the pillows were so soft. Her eyes flew open, however, when she realized this did not feel like the hospital bed she had fallen asleep in. She sat up, looked around and found herself in a king sized bed with a beautiful carved headboard, surrounded by pillows and draped in a heavy duvet. The room was sparsely furnished, but furnished with taste and care. She was alone and confused but as she leaned back against the pillows she closed her eyes as she smelled a familiar scent of coffee?m n? and cedar. It calmed her panic and she now had an idea of how she had gotten here and where she was.

"X?" she called out, pulling the duvet up over chest. She was still in the hospital gown she had been in when she fell asleep and it left her feeling surprisingly vulnerable outside of the hospital.

The door opened almost immediately, like he had been waiting outside for to wake, and Red X stepped into the room and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. He had tried to predict what mood she would be in when she awoke, but there were too many possibilities with her. The one that he feared most was that she would just take off and not give him a chance to explain. He looked at her and waited for her to make her move. She drew her knees up, resting her elbows on them and holding her forehead in her hands, giving him a chastising look

"The fuck?" she asked, incredulously.

He lowered his head and let out a relieved laugh. She hadn't attacked him and she was still there, not making a move to get up and bolt for the door. At least he had a chance. He pushed himself away from the door frame and walked over to her. He couldn't help thinking that she looked good in his bed. He hoped it wasn't the last time he saw her there. He sat on the bed beside her.

"Seriously," she said, dropping her hands from her face. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Such a dirty mouth on you, Little Bird. You're bold for one who finds herself in the bed of a thief."

"A stupid, stupid thief," she quipped. "Stealing a person is generally called kidnapping, X. What time is it? You must have a death wish if Robin finds out you took me from the hospital."

"I had a good reason. I mean, apart from getting you into my bed, which would have been reason enough."

"I'd get to the point real fast, X, before I lose interest. Or should I just leave now?"

He took off his gloves, dropped them to the floor, and placed a hand on the bed by her hip and leaned over her, forcing her to recline back on the pillows.

"Is it so bad being in my bed, Little Bird? I happen to think it's quite comfortable. Or do I need to do something more to keep your interest?" He stroked her collarbone with his free, bare hand and she felt the electric spark of his touch, skin on skin, run through her body. She took in a shaky breath and her eyes fluttered closed as his hand traveled up to her shoulder, then her neck. He stroked the side of her neck with his thumb as his fingers threaded through her hair. She opened her eyes and he found himself drowning in their violet depths. He had wanted to be upfront and tell her why he had taken her as soon as she woke but now he was leaning over her and touching her soft flesh and he could smell her scent on his sheets and he couldn't remember anything other than how good her skin felt under his fingertips.

"Close your eyes," he rasped, pulling at the back of his mask.

She wanted to argue, to make him tell her why he brought her here, but the current running through her from his bare skin was making it hard to focus. She felt so alive but still nothing around them moved or shattered and she soon found she was powerless against the flood of emotion. She closed her eyes almost immediately.

His lips were bruising against hers as he crashed into her. She felt his weight settle on top of her and she buried her hands in his hair, pulling him tight against her. Just as she was powerless to fight against this draw to him he was equally unable to resist her. He kissed and licked his way down the column of her throat, feeling her pulse strong and fast against his lips. He pulled down the collar of her hospital gown and continued his path of kisses down her collarbone to the swell of her breasts. Her moans were driving him crazy and he hummed in response. He started to pull her gown down farther when a loud beeping tone sounded, making Raven sit up suddenly in a panic. Red X hurried and put his mask on before she could see his face, but her eyes were on the bag full of her stuff from the hospital.

"You brought my communicator?!" she gasped, throwing aside the covers as she scrambled from the bed.. "Gods how stupid-"

"I brought your stuff," he interrupted. "I brought your clothes and everything you had with you when I brought you to the hospital. I didn't know it was in there."

She ran to the bag on the dresser that held her personal items and started tearing through it.

"I put it in there after Robin gave it back to me at the hospital. They can track it, X! They'll find you. You have to go!" She found the communicator and wasted no time smashing it against the dresser.

Red X walked up to her. "Raven. Shit, Raven!"

He finally grabbed her hands to stop her frantic destruction of the communicator when she didn't respond to him. "Stop, Little Bird. I'm not as stupid as you think I am, remember? I had Jinx ward this place right after I bought it."

She looked at him in confusion.

"Also, side note, she does not like being blackmailed. But this place is safe. They can't track anything through the wards and . . . you can't use your powers to travel through them either. I had to be sure my place was safe from the Titans. They can't track your communicator, Little Bird." He looked down at the broken bits and shards of her comm before scoffing. "I mean, they definitely can't now. It's alright. We're okay."

She sighed in relief and slumped to the floor. He knelt down beside her and pulled her to him. "That's the second time you've been afraid that I'd get caught, Little Bird. Careful, or one might be tempted to think that you actually care about a humble thief."

"I fucking hate you," she half joked, still reeling from her panic. "And you are far from humble." She took several deep breaths to calm herself before speaking again.

"What did you bring me here for, X? It wasn't just to satisfy your urges. You said you had a good reason, so what is it? Why am I here?"

He sat back on his heels and looked at her.

"I need help with a job."

"No," she said sternly. "I'm no thief, X. Whatever this is between us don't think for a second that you're bringing me into that part of your life. I'm still a Titan."

He stood and held out a hand to help her up. She hesitated for moment, giving him an admonishing look to remind him that she was standing firm in her conviction, before taking his proffered hand and letting him pull her easily to her feet.

"Believe me, the people we're taking from are the worst of this city," he said. "And this is something worth stealing. But only if you feel well enough. I won't put you in danger like that." He hadn't dropped her hand yet and he twined his fingers with hers. "Do you still trust me?"

She pulled her hand out of his and looked at him dejectedly.

"I want to say that I do, X, but you did just kidnap me."

He hummed behind his mask and she could swear he was smirking again. He trailed a finger up her arm as he circled her, finally resting his hand on her shoulder from behind and stroking the side of her neck. He leaned over her other shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"You were worth stealing, too."

She shivered and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her into him, his strong chest pressing into her back.

"Give me this chance," he pleaded. "Believe it or not I'm actually on the better half of the law this time. If at any point you want out, then you're free to go, but I think you'll understand when you get there. If you want to kick my ass after then you are welcome . . . to try. Please, Raven."

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. He only ever called her Raven when he was concerned . . . or when he wanted something. There was something in him that drew Raven. Like there was a perfect mix of darkness – which drew her as a kindred spirit – and a light, a goodness, to him that balanced the dark. It called to her. Maybe that's what balanced her powers so effectively. Whatever acts of thievery he had pulled in their past she couldn't deny the goodness that she saw and felt within him.

She nodded and felt him sigh in relief into the crook of her neck. His arms tightened around her, one around her waist and one around her shoulders. The hug was such a platonic gesture, but was somehow one of the most intimate ones they had shared. She turned in his arms to face him.

"This had better be worth all the trouble, X. I swear if this is just for a payday -"

"It's worth it, Little Bird, but it has to be done tonight," he said with such conviction and steel in his voice that she stopped and simply nodded.

"So what's the plan?"

O • O • O • O

The building was unassuming on the outside, just an amalgamation of shops and hole in the wall restaurants, but Raven had spent enough time with Robin to know that appearances were deceiving in a city. Red X had told her that it was all a front for the gangsters' operations within. He had told her as much information as he had on this den or crime and the shady dealings they dealt in. Pretty usual stuff for a crime syndicate, but there had been rumors that they were getting into something more nefarious and a personal contact had convinced Red X that the rumors were true. Raven asked what these nefarious dealings might be. She had grown rigid and a fire lit behind her eyes when he told her it was rumors of human trafficking.

She had asked why they couldn't involve the Titans or at least the police, but Red X had made it clear that the syndicate had no problem in . . . disposing of their problem if they got wind that something was going on to endanger their plans. The police would have to follow protocol which could get people killed and even the Titans could bring too much attention to the situation before everyone could get out safely.

This job required the quiet and finesse of as few people as possible. With Raven's powers she could get the people out with the least amount of effort and notice. With her they could pull of this mission between the two of them and his handful of moles within the syndicate.

They had spent the rest of the day planning and pouring over maps, adjusting their plans as necessary. It was a strange experience, working so closely with him and having him fixated on the task at hand instead of on making moves on her. He was clever, intelligent, and had a sound tactical mind and Raven had found herself impressed. They parted ways at sunset, him pulling up his mask to kiss her before they did; a slow, gentle kiss unlike the ones they had shared before. He had teleported away before she say anything.

She now crouched in the alley, watching the building, and ran through the building's schematics in her head, remembering the details of the plan they had concocted. She waited for Red X's signal and when she saw the light flashing briefly from the downstairs window – where he told her the entrance parlor to the hidden, true nature of the syndicate was – she made her move.

She hoped his distraction would be as good as he planned it to be as she used her soul self to appear on the upper level balconies. She peered through the windows to ensure that the way was clear before entering the building. She pictured the map in her head, making the appropriate turns down the strangely labyrinthine hallways. This was certainly no normal set of apartments above the supposed simple shops downstairs. It seemed at least that part of Red X's story had been true so far. Something was not as it seemed up here.

A sneeze alerted her to someone's presence around a corner and she pulled herself into the shadows, her heart racing at coming so close to getting caught. The man walked around the corner and took a turn down another hall before she let out a relieved breath. She was almost where Red X's contact had said they'd find what they had come for. One more turn and she'd be where she needed to be.

She could feel the presence of the two men in the hall standing guard over the door that was her target. She used her powers to bind their consciousness, holding them in a semi sleep state as she turned the corner and walked to stand before them. She held them in a mental limbo, them neither being able to see or hear, as if sleeping, while still being conscious enough that they would think nothing amiss when she released them. She dropped them back in their seats and turned to the room that was her target, holding on to their bindings in the back of her mind. She closed her eyes when she stood outside the door and sent out her senses to make sure no one else was around to ambush her once she was inside. She felt no other guards nearby, but sensed several fearful people within the room. She found the door locked and had to rifle through the pockets of the guards before she found a ring of keys. Third try was the charm as she felt the mechanism click. She could hear fearful whimpering within at the sound of the lock disengaging and she braced herself for what she might find.

She opened the door and blinked to adjust to the darkness of the dimly lit room. She heard gasps and cries of fear and she blinked until her eyes adjusted to the dark.

More than a dozen pairs of eyes met her gaze. All of them children.