The two casual teens swiftly entered the large room, joining the other titans waiting within. The held an aura of anticipation and anxiety, all of the dwellers so intently focused on the main screen that they took no notice of the two as they entered or their attire.

Starfire stood behind the c-shaped couch hugging herself with a look of weary concern on her face. She stared straight ahead waiting for an answer to her concern to appear on the glass wall that served as the titans main tv screen. Beastboy sat on one of the middle cushions of the couch with a similar intent but much less patience, his game controller having been angrily discarded before him onto the coffee table. His concern was tempered with his annoyance at the interruption placing a scowl on his face. Cyborg stood at the center computer console embedded in the wall of the pitted common room. He typed away at the mounted keyboard completely enveloped in his task.

The two newcomers quickly traversed the stairs into the center of the room, the aforementioned anticipation and anxiety pushing them forward. Raven lifted the hood of her navy sweater to shield her from her teams prying eyes though they took no notice. She levitated gracefully over the back of the couch taking a seat on the left side, her hands finding the sweater pocket to hide herself away as much as she could. Robin came to halt at the back of the couch leaning forward with his hands supporting his weight. He surveyed the room before focusing in on the metal man front and center.

"Cyborg, what's going on?"

Cyborg didn't bother to look up at his spiky haired leader as he responded, continuing to mash away at the mechanical keyboard of the computer terminal.

"We got a file from the Justice League. The computers working on decrypting it now."

Robin's face tensed in confusion. The Justice League rarely ever contacted the Titans, seeing them as an immature group of teenage vigilantes rather than actual heroes.

"A file? Do you know what it could be?"

Cyborg shook his head as he spoke, his eyes still trained on the computer.

"No, but they may tell us themselves. They're hailing us now."

After a few more keystrokes a black silhouette appeared on the screen. Only a single person could be seen in the image and foreboding presence given off by the broad muscular shoulders sent a shiver down everyone's spine. The digital image adjusted to accommodate the lighting of the room and a gradient of grey to black began to cascade on the chest of the dark man. Quickly the marking on his chest became discernible and the titans each took in the sight of the worlds greatest detective.

"Holy Batman, Robin."

Beastboy's astounded quip came out as a whisper but based on the slight agitation that took hold of both the man on the screen and his former sidekick, it was not as quiet as it should have been. The dark man looked around the room briefly, taking into account that all the titans were present before locking eyes with the young leader.

"Robin."

He said somewhat bitterly, his low voice dragging through the room.

"Batman."

The harsh tone cut through the otherwise quiet room, filling the air with uncomfortable history. The glares they threw at each other could have shaken fear into the greatest of warriors but only served to speak volumes of their unresolved past. Cyborg had now stepped back from the computer to join the conversation, interrupting the tense silence.

"We got your message. What's going on?"

The words shook both feuding men from their personal turmoil bringing them back to the task at hand. Batman redirected his attention to the metal man before him regarding his question for a moment before answering with one of his own.

"Have you decrypted the file yet?"

"No"

Cyborg replied shaking his head, unperturbed by the lack of an answer to his question.

"It should be finished in a few minutes."

Batman nodded.

"Good."

Once again he scanned the room from left to right taking in each Titan for a moment. His gaze crossed to the dark girl sitting on the couch and he stayed his gaze a few seconds longer before returning to face front and speak.

"The file I sent is an image we received a few hours ago. The origin of the image is unknown but the contents show an alien race we've yet to have encountered and three individuals that stand out amongst the crowd."

Each of the titans save for Robin nodded as he spoke.

"Okay, but why tell us this? If I remember correctly, the league doesn't exactly like us meddling in their cases."

Robin's voice was hard and unforgiving as he offered his piece. The league had asked for their help on very few occasions and on almost all of them the titans had been shut out soon afterwards under the guise of 'protecting' them. Robin could remember the heated exchanges between himself and Wonder Woman. The venom they'd shot at one another could have paralyzed a large green T-Rex with ease. Still the steely, emotionless gaze of the dark knight continued to glare down on him as if understanding his concern.

"That's true, but we believe this may have to do with one of you."

A small ping alerted that the computer had finished the decryption and Cyborg moved forward once again, opening the image and displaying it alongside Batman.

The new flurry of shapes and colors showed a large open town square with a blue and white fountain at its center. Members of an unknown alien race were frozen in time on their way to differing places but three dark figures stood in the distance clothed in heavy black robes. They provided a harsh contrast against the white metal buildings and the brilliant multicolored garbs of the other humanoid creatures. The titans looked on, taking in the image and trying to make out each detail. Violet eyes and masked blue ones fixed themselves upon the three men.

"Okay.. so there's three big scary dudes in hoods. What's the big deal?"

Batman's brow furrowed beneath his cowl. He was beginning to understand why people complained about the short, green boy.

"Over the last few months we've detected dimensional tremors happening across the galaxy. We were unable to track down which dimension they were coming from until we found a full breach two days ago. The breach was from the same gateway dimension as Azarath."

Each of the titans faces turned to astonishment and confusion at the idea. As far as Raven had described to them, Azarath was destroyed in the wake of Trigon's terror. The doorway that had once allowed her to return had been shut and sealed by the last of the monks, a final effort to protect the earth in the days before the prophecy was fulfilled.

"We've been able to determine that the photo was taken shortly after the anomaly and we believe that the three individuals may have traversed the dimensional rift."

Robin's features gave the impression that he was completely unfazed by the news but within the confines of his mind he began to process the information. The three men in the photo were identical to the men in Raven's nightmares. The reality of their existence meant her night terrors could actually be visions of the future. A future that did not hold much hope. He recalled the horrors he'd seen and the pain that had laid evident upon her normally calm face. He looked to Raven, expecting to find a terrified expression on her features but to his surprise she wore the same dead look he did.

"Zatanna wanted to handle this ourselves but I thought it in our best interest to reach out to you. Do you know who they are or what they may want?"

His eyes trained closely on Raven, certain the image would stir something within her. He waited for an inkling of emotion to break the surface of her cold stare but she stayed still. He failed to notice three of the titans shake their heads signifying their lack of knowledge. Then Raven shook her own head as well. A second pair of eyes had trained closely on her, the eyes of her young leader. He stared for a moment longer before shaking his own head as well, lying to his old mentor.

"Very well. If you find anything, let us know immediately. We will take care of this."

With that the connection was severed and the titans were left with the singular image on the screen. Cyborg continued to stare at the image as if searching for Waldo in a Fourth of July gun magazine while Beastboy confusedly scratched his head.

"So that was weird right?"

He said aloud looking to his teammates for answers. Cyborg shook his head as he continued his own inquisitive stare.

"Yeah.."

Cyborg scratched his neck before leaning forward to switch the screen back to its original input to which Beastboy gleamed and picked up the controller of his game. After shutting off the computer screen he turned back to look at the rest of the room as he continued speaking.

"Guess there's not much we can do right now. . ."

His eyes met each titan. Starfire nodded and turned to go back to the kitchen where a large purple glob was bubbling above the stove unchecked. Cyborg could feel his stomach flip at the sight. 'We're ordering pizza tonight' he thought to himself. Continuing his gaze he met Beastboy who completely ignored him, already enveloped in the game behind him, forgetting about the conversation that had just taken place. Next he found Robin glaring down at raven from behind his sunglasses. . . 'Sunglasses?' He thought.

He hadn't noticed him leave earlier but then again he tended to slip out of sight for hours at a time and rarely provided a reason. Still, seeing him in civilian clothing hit cyborg as strange. He followed his gaze to Raven who was also dressed in casual attire her hood masking whatever expression she held beneath it. Cyborg furrowed his brow in confusion. Something was up. Before he had a chance to speak Raven stood retreating from the two pairs of eyes burning holes into her skull.

She could feel the anger and disappointment that boiled off the boy wonders mind, scorching her own emotions as she passed by him And evading his eyes. Robin's expression of fierce disappointment turned to one of sheer shock. He wanted her to explain herself but did not, for whatever reason, recognize that the scenario he expected was not particularly 'in character' for the dark girl. It took the time for Raven to make it up the entryway stairs for him to recognize she was walking away and he swiftly followed after her. Cyborg simply scratched his head again as he let out a sigh.

"Hey dude, do you want to block half the screen all day or do you wanna get wrecked!"

Cyborg looked back to Beastboy his face in a toothy grin offering another controller to him. He smirked as he took it.

"Oh you're on grass stain!"

—

The doubles doors shut a second time as a pair of feet scuffled towards her. She knew he'd follow sooner or later, she'd just hoped it would have been the latter. He caught up with her walking pace quickly hoping for her to stop to talk with him but she continued to walk onward.

"Raven!"

She nearly shuttered at her name as it rolled off of his tongue, bitter yet sweet. She had good reason for her action, but she knew robin could be stubborn and her desire to escape the confrontation nearly drove her to escape in her astral form. She blocked the thought as he finally came to walk beside her. His voice carried a heated anger but it seemed to be tempered with care.

"Why did you lie back there?"

She continued to look forward, refusing to meet the judgement-laced gaze of her leader. She knew why she'd lied but another question tugged at her mind.

"Why did you?"

The question clearly shook him as he stopped for a moment before he continued following after her. It was true, he hadn't called her out and he hadn't told the truth himself. He very easily could have told his mentor about the nightmares and the strange hooded figures but he felt an uneasy reluctance toward doing so, as if he'd be betraying her if he had. His protective instinct seemed to have taken over in the moment.

Robin continued to think about her statement following in step with her until the two finally arrived at Ravens door and she turned to look at him. Much of the anger that had permeated his thoughts had been dispelled or at least turned inward as he chided himself for lying. Her quiet monotone voice brought him back to the present.

"Look, we don't know who they are, and we still don't really know anything. All we have is a dream and some inscriptions that I haven't been able to translate. I need to know more about what's going on. . ."

She paused watching as her words soaked in. His face had softened as he came to understand her thoughts.

"and besides, whether the league likes it or not, I'm a part of this and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let them shut you out. . ."

She didn't mean to sound so angry but a part of her couldn't help it. When she'd fled Azarath to seek the leagues help she was met with strong resistance. She asked them to help her control her powers so that she could command her own destiny, deciding her fate was not the best bargaining chip. They'd contemplated helping her but Zatanna stepped in to change their minds. She sensed her demon heritage and convinced them that she was a danger to society and not worthy of trust. She called for her to be executed or imprisoned but such harsh terms could not be met by the societal paragons of Gotham City and Metropolis. Still she was branded as a demon and turned away which shattered her self-belief and her capacity to trust others. It wasn't until she found the titans, a few months later, that she finally felt somewhat accepted. And even then, she still felt alone from time to time.

However, given the circumstances of her imminent involvement, she was far more willing to stand against the looming threat of the three inter-dimensional travelers with her close friends rather than wait to be protected by the people who had originally contemplated killing her.

Robin gave a simple nod at her sentiment. He could understand her mistrust for the league based on what little she had told him before. He also knew she was right about what would happen if she told the league the truth. He would be shut out of the situation and she would likely be taken to the watchtower. He hated to think of her or any of the titans being beyond his protection. He'd saved her from the very depths of hell but something told him that the league would not be so invested in her survival. He could practically hear the voice of his mentor telling him it wouldn't be worth the risk.

At the thought. He finally broke free from his mind looking back to the dark girl. Raven stood uncomfortably in front of her open door as she'd waited for a reaction. Their eyes met for only a moment but Raven could sense his approval, deciding to accept the soothing emotion as his response. She turned to enter her room before he found his voice again.

"Can I help with anything?"

His voice was filled with a tone of care and concern he rarely showed. As she turned to answer him she noted the kind look of his features. It took all her mental fortitude not to just stand and stare at the sight.

"No."

She offered as almost a whisper. She appreciated the offer for help but she felt as though she did not want to burden him with her worries. He nodded, his face breaking slightly to a somber expression, similar to the one he had earlier that day when they'd discussed his relationship. . . Well ex-relationship.

He turned away to walk down the hall, almost dragging his feet as he did so. He wanted to help her with all the weight she carried but he knew that he would only be able to if she asked first. She was stubborn like that. . . Like him.

Raven's heart nearly shattered at the sight of his onset depression. She also felt the reluctance of his departure through their bond. It tugged at her mind and she felt something take over, Something almost foreign to her. Without thought she stepped back to her doorway, peeking her head out to look in the direction of his shrinking silhouette.

"Robin?"

Her voice was soft and shaky like she'd never spoken to the man down the hall before. His name carried through the hall on her quiet word and he turned to look, a nervous expression embedded on her face.

"Maybe... bring us some tea?"

Robin lit up at the request internally though he only allowed a small smile to grace his features for a moment before his expression turned to confusion at the recognition of a certain word.

"Us?"

Raven's nervous look began to cross into the territory of worry at his question. Still she stood strong in her words, driven by a force she could not name.

"You wanted to help, didn't you?"

At those words Robin's smile returned ten fold as he nodded and turned to continue his venture back to the common room, newfound vigor in his step. He quickly left Raven's view and she stood completely frozen in shock. It took her a few seconds before she shook her head as she walked back into her room, a blank look on her features. She felt strange. Happy and worried at the same time but despite this she knew that the actions that she'd taken were not completely her own.

"What the hell. . ."