I'm terribly sorry for the long wait! At least I can prove that this story is NOT dead. Just very, very slow.

A hot shower in Cyborg's guest bathroom later, I stood in front of the mirror.

I'll admit, I hesitated - for a year, I'd gotten used to my warm, caucasian skin tone, and the short brown hair. Cyborg's single raised eyebrow had been very clear, however.

That's not who I was.

I took the charm off, seeing rather than feeling the pale gray of my half-demonic skin return, and my hair turning dark purple. My irises also changed from a dull green to a vivid lilac.

Raven was coming back. Whether that was a good thing or not, I still didn't know.

I put on some casual clothes, still not quite ready to wear my old leotard and hooded cape, heading out to meet my older brother figure.

Cyborg was looking well. Better adjusted, and more like the Justice League member he always should've been. He'd replaced the blue armored pieces with dark gray ones, which gave him a more mature and serious air - even if he looked slightly of out of place in his two bedroom apartment.

"Hey Raven. Grass stain's nice and stable. And you're looking like you again." -he said with a smirk.

It was good to know that, despite the changes, he was still very much my Cyborg.

"Great. If an arrow did him in, I'd never let him live it down."

Cyborg chuckled. "I know, right? Little fella beat up Slade and Speedy's gonna take him down? No way."

I offered a small smile. "So, you know, then."

The man sighed. "The whole damn League does. Arsenal disappeared a while back - of course Green Arrow is going crazy for him."

"He's not gonna find him anytime soon." -I said quietly.

Cyborg's single eyebrow raised. "What...what did you do to him?" -he asked somewhat fearfully.

I rolled my eyes. "The former archer lives, for now. Trapped in Azarath."

"Right. I guess an interdimensional timeout is just what the doctor ordered."

I scoffed. "He deserved a lot more. I was feeling merciful, since my old flame was kind of dying."

Cyborg shook his head. "I don't know what's more depressing, you talking about this so nonchalantly, or admitting to dating Tofu Boy."

My patented Death Stare made an appearance, and Cyborg raised his hands in defeat. "Sorry. Force of habit."

I took a deep, calming breath. "Anyway. We need help."

"Well you already have me on board. I'm on leave from the League, and even if I wasn't, Titan business takes precedence." -he said, giving a thumbs-up.

I crossed my arms. "They know that? Or is that just your 'stick it to the man' attitude showing up?"

He shrugged, which I'll admit looked hilarious with his ample shoulder pauldrons. "Bit of both. They respect what the Titans achieved, even if they never liked us being autonomous. Well, as much as one could be on Robin's dime."

"So, not much." -I noted. He winked his assent. "What about him? Have you had any contact lately?"

"Not since he lost the cape. Far as I know, you're the lucky one on that front, if what you told me before is true." -he said. I had kept contact with Victor, and I'd told him all about my sponsor.

I sighed. "Don't remind me. I miss my civilian life already."

Cyborg seemed skeptical. "You tellin' me you prefer running a shop to saving the world on a regular basis?"

I turned away for a second. "I wouldn't turn my back on Earth, should it need me...but I liked not being needed."

"I guess. I just don't think denying who you are is very healthy, and believe me, I know all about denial. And maybe who you are is not a Titan anymore, but it's hard to believe you're not a heroine at your core." -he mused.

I rolled my eyes. "Right, the good half-demon."

"Which is part of what makes you amazing. Not the demon DNA, but rather that you've overcome that nature and fight against evil."

I looked down. "Fought against evil. The closest I've come to it in years was stopping a man who tried robbing my store."

Cyborg gasped amusedly. "No way. What'd you do to him?"

I smirked evilly. "Jammed his gun and flipped him into a table."

Victor laughed loudly. "Oh, man. Wish I could've seen that."

"Oh, I'm sure there's a video of it somewhere online." -I said. Then I frowned. "Just what are we gonna do, Cyborg? Starfire is gone, Robin is missing, Beast Boy is down...and we can expect no help from the Justice League."

Cyborg shook his head. "Not quite. I made a few calls while you were in the shower. Follow me."

I raised an eyebrow, but complied. He led the way with half-a-ton steps down to his basement, where I spotted a covered up washing machine, a sizable rack of tools, a huge workbench, and a large square metal panel, twice as tall and thrice as wide as he was.

He pressed a few buttons and it slid open, revealing a cylindrical metal tunnel. It began to spin, and the air within it became charged with yellow particles. It was strangely familiar, but I couldn't place why.

"Recognized: Batman-02." -a panel to its side said in a female voice.

There are few words appropriate to describe being in the presence of Batman. Logically, I knew he was just a man -one who'd trained himself to the peak of human ability, and whose IQ was probably higher than the combined intelligence of the entire League, but still- and yet I couldn't help but be a little afraid. I'd faced the Devil himself, and this rich jerk dressed like a bat was scarier. The Dark Knight of Gotham strode out in all his dark glory, his body hidden by a pitch black cape, and his eyes covered by white lenses, like Robin used. Only his well shaven cheeks were visible, as even his chin was covered by some kind of guard.

The machine kept spinning. "Batgirl-B16"

Batman was joined by a short young woman, wearing a similar cowl and uniform to his. A long mane of red hair protruded from the back of her headgear, and her blue eyes were uncovered. I knew who she was already: Barbara Gordon, daughter of the Police Commissioner of Gotham City, and one of Dick's oldest friends. I could feel her stare boring through my skull, a clear reminder that, 17-year old teen though she may be, she was still one of Batman's protegés, and as such, a force to be reckoned with.

"Batman, thank you for coming." -said Cyborg, standing a little straighter.

The Caped Crusader gave him the barest of nods, then he turned to me. "Rachel Roth?" -he asked.

I shook my head. "Raven will do."

Batman narrowed his eyes for a second, then he turned towards the machine's panel, Cyborg moving to his side, leaving me with Batgirl.

"You know who I am, don't you?" -she asked.

I stared at her. "Maybe." -I said testily.

She crossed her arms. "Lose the attitude. We care about him too, you know. He might've spent his 'golden years' with you, but he was his son and my friend, before anyone else's."

"That's awfully arrogant of you."

"So's your scowl. This isn't a competition. Whatever you may think of Batman and us, whatever Dick showed you, you only got his side of the story. We're helping you, so be thankful and quit it with the glare."

I was a bit incensed, but Batman chose that moment to step in. "If you two are quite done, we need to get going." -he said, his tone brokering no arguments, then he looked at me. "You'll need to conceal your identity, where we're going." -he said, then nodded at Batgirl, who produced a small package from the back of her utility belt, and handed it to me.

"It's a Wayne Tech design, but Dick had a hand in it. I guess he saw you going back into the fight sooner, rather than later." -she explained.

Before I could protest, Batman gave me his legendary squint. "Change quickly. We leave in ten."

For the second time that day, I found myself staring at my reflection, trying to recognize the woman staring back. The suit was certainly a change from the leotard, even if it clearly drew some inspiration from it.

Gone were the elf-like shoes, replaced with thigh-high boots. The new suit covered almost my entire body, from my ankles, almost all the way to my jaw. The all-but-nude nature of my old leotard was also a thing of the past, as the black fabric had all sorts of padding in key areas, such as the ribs. It was completely bulletproof -unnecessarily so, given my dense demonic skin had me covered in that aspect- and while it still hugged my figure, it looked more like a very light armor than a suit, similar to Batgirl's style. A utility belt like my old one hung tightly around my waist, complete with the raven symbol, and to top everything off the cowl and cape were styled to give my head an avian appearance, much like my old one. It was colored a dark blue, and supposedly fire retardant, like Robin's cape, and it made me look almost the same as before, when I fully wrapped it around me.

There were a few ancillary components, like a breathing apparatus to help me survive underwater or in space, that connected with a miniaturized oxygen fabricator between my shoulder blades, and a few magnetic strips that I activated on my back and thighs for holding things, but I didn't pay much attention to those. Only at my reflexion, and the growing dread at the prospect of returning to the life I'd left behind.

At the end of the day, I had little choice. As Cyborg had said, at my core, I was still a heroine, no matter what I looked like. I wondered for how long Dick had known I'd be returning to the fight.

Not wanting to keep the bats waiting, I stepped out of the bathroom and walked towards the basement.

Raven was back.

So I have this headcanon that Raven is pretty damn durable. She did need to survive to become the portal for her father, and she was sired from an archdemon. In my mind, she's bulletproof, and she can survive indefinitely underwater and in space, provided she has an oxygen supply. Fire, lava, and hellfire are harmless to her. She's not nearly as durable as, say, Starfire or Cyborg, but she can certainly take a beating. Just a tidbit! See you next time!