Again...forgive me for the lateness. Please re-read the past chapters. I don't believe you will be lost or anything...I just want your input about what I was revising.

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: chapter one should have it

Argent. She was a puzzle, someone that Derek couldn't seem to understand. For one thing, she always seemed to just appear...most of the time out of thin air. Right now was a perfect example, seeing as he had been in Raven's room for almost a half hour...before noticing that Argent was even present.

How could she have gotten in? Especially when the windows and doors were closed. How could he, a seasoned veteran in the art of stealth, have missed the signs? It was impossible...his paranoia was too perfect. Argent had to have been here from the beginning, Derek concluded. He was too wrapped up in what was going on to notice.

Another puzzle surrounding Argent was her seemingly overbearing attachment to Raven. Perhaps it was less of an attachment, and more of an extremely close friendship, Derek really couldn't tell. Still, he never saw Argent when Raven wasn't around. And when the two were together, their affection for each other was painfully obvious.

That day Raven dragged him to the beach, he wasn't really expecting a reunion. From what she told him on the way, it was simply 'the team getting a day off.' There were about six people on their team...so he really wasn't expecting almost twenty people. Derek didn't really care, he had been dragged against his will... and besides, he got to see a different side of Raven that day, the carefree childish side.

She had taken him around the beach, shown him a large collection of seashells she had collected over the months, even given him a few 'as a memento.' While it had been a nice and friendly gesture, Derek often wondered where he stood, at least when compared with Argent.

It wasn't like he was looking for a relationship...although his brother was always harping about settling down soon. His exact words were "You'll be thirty before you know it."

Was that supposed to reassure him? Sure he did get around some (OK, quite a lot) but it wasn't like he had completely thrown the prospect of marriage out the window...Derek decided that now just wasn't the time.

All he wanted with Raven (at least he told himself this) was to be her friend. Still, he couldn't help the jealous feeling that crept into his mind as he watched Raven and Argent lazily strolling along the seashore, hands clasped tightly together and gentle knowing smiles; nor the dirty thoughts that entered his mind at the sight of Argent gently rubbing sun tan lotion up Raven's creamy white thighs.

He couldn't help wondering how soft her skin would feel in his hands; he fantasized about the sweet peachy taste on her lips, and what it would be like to...

CRASH!

Derek's thoughts fled as several heavy books tumbled from Raven's crammed shelf. His eyes rose slowly from the floor before finally resting on Argent clutching a dusty old picture album. The teenager looked back at him scathingly. Derek resisted the urge to laugh.

"Looks like I'll have to start from the beginning...I hope you have the time." Why was she so...hostile all of a sudden? Maybe one of those books hit her foot? Running his hands through dark tousled hair, the young man sat down beside Argent on a small dusty couch, slightly hidden in yet another corner of Raven's room.

Really this was getting too much. How big was this place? You'd think there were secret passageways hidden in the walls. The teen beside him sneezed as dust escaped the old album. When it finally cleared, Derek was finally able to see the old photos.

He was startled, to say the least. Who would believe that this sweet looking bubbly kid was Raven? The cute dimpled grin, frilly doll looking outfits and small magic wand...did not seem like the Raven of now. When did she stop smiling? When did she stop having fun?

He flipped the pages again, this time gazing at numerous temples and tall spiraling buildings. They looked like nothing he'd seen...on earth. "Where's this?"

Argent looked at them. "This is Azarath. It is in another dimension...that's where she was born." She smiled slightly. "I wanted to go there once, but Raven wasn't 'ready'. Something about her mother and a fight."

He nodded solemnly, pointing at another picture. "This is her mother?" Funny, she didn't look like Raven's mom. More like a sister. Frankly the similarities between the two were eerie. Now he knew where her dimples had come from.

Chocolate. There was a lot of chocolate in the pictures, many consisting of elaborate chocolate candies or the sweet dark substance, smeared on a young Raven's face. Derek understood now, her strange fetish for the treat. It seems like that's all she ate growing up.

The red haired teen beside him chuckled. "She's still like that sometimes. Raven can eat that stuff for days. It's sickening. If you ever do get her chocolates, they have to be dark."

"Who said anything about getting chocolates?"

Argent laughed, flipping the pages to yet another stage in Raven's life. She was a little older now, more serious and apparently learning kendo. Her cute innocent smiles were less now, and her mother seemed to be less and less involved. In the few pictures they were together, Derek could almost sense a tension and hesitance...something that wasn't there before. He couldn't understand why.

"Raven was about seven or eight when her powers started causing trouble. After something happened to her babysitter, she was sent to live with a priestess. She couldn't see her mother for a little while."

Derek bit his lip. "What happened to the babysitter?"

"She was killed...and everyone thought Raven was responsible. They wanted Raven to confess but she couldn't remember anything." Argent flipped a few more pages, before stopping, this time at several photos of what seemed to Derek like a wedding ceremony.

The pictures depicted a neat, well manicured lawn, white lace canopy and orange flowers...the kind his cousin Jessica called marigolds. He looked closely at the people standing beneath the fancy covering. The boy in the picture was young-looking, like someone who had barely started high school.

His hair was blond and his eyes were a dark shade of green. The boy was smiling in the picture,however, it seemed to be a strained and uncomfortable smile...like someone who hated taking pictures and was forced. He obviously wasn't happy about the ceremony.

The girl in the picture was wearing a white lace dress with long flowing sleeves. She also had a strained smile on her face, and Derek could see the bouquet of flowers in her hand wilting under her angry grasp. This was Raven...he could tell that much from the hair and eyes, but who was the boy?

Why was she getting married?

oOoOo

Argent bit her lip at the confused and appalled look on Derek's face. How was she going to explain this? "When Raven turned ten, they decided to marry her off. The temple priestesses thought that if Raven wasn't 'pure', her father wouldn't want her anymore."

'That definitely wasn't the way to explain it', Argent thought, mentally slapping herself. Derek's eyes were smoldering, and the teen watched as he clenched his jaw several times...probably trying to calm down.

"I-It's not like they gave her away to some random person. The boy in the picture was her best friend." It was to be expected...Argent could sense that he liked Raven... probably more than he would admit. Maybe what she said wasn't the best of explanations, but it did calm him down a bit.

"What happened to him, the boy in the picture?" His quiet voice saddened Argent. Was he sad for Raven...or for himself? She really couldn't tell.

"He died about two years later. He had leukemia...everything they tried failed. When he died, Raven swore never to fall in love again."

"How old was she when she came to earth?"

Argent bit her lip, trying to calculate. "Well, time on Azarath is different, so I'd guess about thirteen or fourteen? Anyway, she arrived in Gotham, and lived on the streets for a while... till she met Erik."

"Who's Erik?"

"Someone who took her in, let her go to school...promised he'd take care of her." Of course it was all a lie...I don't know all that happened, Raven wouldn't really tell me. But after a while she ran away, he's been looking for her ever since."

"I'm still failing to see how any of this has to do with her mind falling apart."

Of course he was...everyone was failing to connect the dots. But the red-haired young woman couldn't blame them. Not many people knew that vampires existed. And even fewer knew about their unique powers and abilities. She couldn't tell Derek this...he was a civilian, and knowledge of vampires was technically classified.

Argent nodded. "Well, I'm not sure how exactly, but he does have some powers. And you know how Raven can read minds? Well, he can do that too, and for the past year or so, he's been trying to enter her mind...by force.

Forcibly entering someone's mind can be painful...and Raven's been trying to hide it by taking everything from pain killers to sleeping pills."

Derek grimaced finally understanding what he saw all that time ago. Those haunting violet eyes, her small shaking hands and the bottle of pills.

"I've never told anyone this...and she trusts you." Argent wrung her hands nervously. "His persistence is becoming something of a burden. She's throwing so much time into holding him back...everything else in her mind is falling apart. There are times when she can't distinguish what's in her mind from reality. Thing is...Raven doesn't seem to care."

"I tell her that she needs to fight back, only then she'd be free." Argent sighed, her red eyes clouding. "Raven sees nothing but terrible things in her life...things she regrets. Raven can't see happiness anymore. She refuses to see the love around her...and it's tearing her mind apart."

"You don't know. Robin how can you not know? Is it that hard to not fight Raven?"

His blood pressure was rising, at this rate; he'd die an early death. Why can't Starfire just fuck off? Standing, Robin crossed the room, resting his head on the cool glass.

He didn't mean to pick fights with Raven...they kinda just happened. He'd grate her nerves, she'd punch him...and of course he'd hit back...it went both ways.

Many people mistakenly believe that abuse in relationships were one sided. Unfortunately, that wasn't always the case with everyone. He wasn't condoning his behavior...on the contrary he was quite ashamed. Bruce warned him about his rash temper and impatience. His mother warned him as well. She often told him that anger never solved anything.

To be completely honest, he was surprised the very first time Raven gave him a black eye. It was totally unexpected. He couldn't even remember what the argument was about. Of course if he hadn't pushed her into the wall...nothing would have happened. But Raven was willing to stand up to him...despite the fact that he was the leader and everything. She defied his authority and refused to give him respect.

It was a welcome challenge.

Robin sighed. They were best friends at times, they were lovers at times...but they often fought like enemies. He wanted to let her go, wanted to move on...but found it impossible.

"Robin, perhaps we should take a break...give each other 'the space'. So you can work out your differences with Raven."

The Boy Wonder laughed cynically. "Why do you make this all about me? You think I don't know...about your crush on Speedy."

Starfire paled. How could he have found out? Only Raven knew what happened...how could Raven betray her like this? She promised!

"How did you know?" She must tread carefully, act innocent. Perhaps he didn't know the whole truth...perhaps he didn't know about the abortion. If he did...she was doomed.

"Starfire, I'm not stupid.I see how you look at him. I suppose it is partly my fault...I never meant to ignore you. " He turned, his masked gaze suddenly sending chills down the alien's spine. He seemed so frightening at this moment..."I won't be mad if you choose him...after all, I was the one who ignored you first."

He won't be mad...so why was there this evil aura in the air? Why did Starfire feel that Robin was just an inch away from losing that calm, cold exterior that he always displayed?

Why did she feel so relieved? Robin was her first love...he was someone she wanted to be with, so why would her heart leap for joy at the prospect of leaving him? Was it because she was guilty? Guilty of lying and betraying him?

"R-Robin...I don't want to leave you. I don't want to give up on what we had to-" She was cut off as Robin replied swiftly.

"What we had together?" The Boy Wonder chuckled softly as he trailed a gloved finger down the huge glass window. "You gave up on that the minute you two started messing around." Robin's voice was cold and cryptic...he sounded so much like Raven right now. "I know everything Starfire.."

The alien bit her lip, hoping her hands weren't trembling. Wasn't she supposed to be interrogating him? When did the tables change? Why was she the one caught red-handed? Did Raven tell him what had transpired that night?

Robin wasn't even there! He had gone on a trip to Gotham...and a day or so after he departed, Raven and Beastboy decided to throw a huge party. One with booze and loud music...the kind you would see in movies.

There was strip poker, beer pong and somewhere in between, Starfire had sex with Speedy. She couldn't even remember what had transpired that night...the alien had simply woken up with a horrible headache and a naked Speedy beside her.

Robin had come back a week later and punished Raven and Beastboy when he found pictures of what happened. He never said anything to Starfire...perhaps he just assumed that she wasn't involved.

"W-what is this 'everything' you speak of, Robin." Starfire questioned, hoping the innocent look was fresh in her eyes. It used to work before...Robin always gave in to the innocent look. Perhaps this would be no different. He would realize that he was wrong and then this threatening aura would go away.

Robin's mask suddenly took on a frightening look as he took several steps toward her, doing nothing to hide the hideous smirk on his lips. Starfire never knew Robin could be so...scary.

Suddenly, Starfire realized that there were things about Robin that she never understood. This strange suffocating aura was one of them. Robin had always seemed like a calm peaceful person, someone who preferred negotiations over heated confrontations. The Robin Starfire knew would never lash or hit anyone out of anger...nor would he possess this kind of evil aura.

It was one of the reasons why she refused to believe that Robin would ever hit Raven. She had assumed it was Raven that instigated all their fights. Could she have been wrong? Could that have been the reason Raven grew angry when she proclaimed that Robin cared?

Starfire cringed as Robin began to trace his finger up her arm. Shivers ran up her spine. Why was he acting this way? His hands were cold...deathly cold. The kind of cold that no doubt gleamed in his hidden eyes.

Robin never showed her his eyes...which meant that he didn't trust her, right? What else could explain his obvious attempts to hide them?

Even when the two were alone...his eyes stayed behind that mask. From the beginning...Robin never trusted her. Exactly what did she mean to the Boy Wonder? Was she just a toy, something to pass the time with? Was she simply a replacement for Raven, whose shoes she would never be able to fill?

Starfire gasped when Robin's cold hands gripped her arms tightly. His warm breath tickled her neck and his hot, wet lips seared her skin. What was he doing? Why was he scaring her like this? Why was her mind clouding at his touch? What was he trying to tell her? Did this mean she was forgiven?

Starfire cried out when he sank his teeth into her neck. His kisses were demanding and rough, while his hands continued to keep her in place. She couldn't move, she was trapped. Why was he doing this? What was Robin trying to prove?

Suddenly, Robin pushed her away and she fell to the floor, biting her lip against the pain. Robin was scaring her...something that had never happened before. His mask seemed more ominous than it usually did and the alien held her breath, as she felt blood trickle down her neck.

"You underestimate me, Starfire. Did you seriously think I wouldn't figure it out?" Robin laughed, an amused smirk on his now red lips. He didn't know how much he sounded like Slade. "You have no fear...did you seriously think that I couldn't hurt you? That because I actually loved you I would simply forgive and forget?"

"R-Robin, please...forgive. Forgive me..."

The Boy Wonder laughed sadistically. "Forgive? But Starfire, what if I don't want to forgive? What if I want you to suffer...to be eaten by your guilt? What if I want you to regret everything?"

"Robin, please! You don't understand how bad I feel! You don't know how much I'm regretting what I did! Ro-" The Tameranian stopped speaking abruptly, when Robin's finger touched her lips. She held her breath, frightened at what he would do next.

Softly he whispered in her ear, his words chilling her to the bone. "Tell that to the child you killed. It needs your forgiveness more that I do."

Starfire clasped her hands around her aching heart as Robin left from the room. Her chest heaved as she drew in difficult breaths. It hurt to breathe...her guilt was slowly killing her. "Sh-she needs my for-forgiveness."

Starfire burst into tears.

A tense silence filled Raven's room, causing Argent to nervously bite her fingernails. Derek had been quiet for some time now, perhaps it was too much to take in. Maybe she should have left the whole marraige thing out. Or just skipped the whole Erik part.

His male pride would no doubt cause him to start searching for the man...a typical Robin move. She couldn't let him do that...to fight against a vampire one-on-one would be suicide. Especially since he was human.

Neither of them spoke as the bed covers rustled quietly behind them, and Raven sat up, her eyes glaring intensley at Argent's back. It was unnerving, so much so that the red haired teenager finally spoke out in a frustrated voice. "Raven, please don't do that. It really creeps me out."

The sorceress sighed, perhaps more from defeat than from tiredness. "When I told you to keep me in check, I didn't mean to drag someone else into my problems. He has nothing to do with this..."

Argent groaned in annoyance. "How else was I supposed to help you! Did you really think that hiding things would somehow make the problem go away? Did you seriously think that no one would notice your obvious mental instability? Starfire already knows...and if she tells Robin you'll be quarantined. And then what will you do?"

Raven's purple eyes danced in irritation...and her red lips turned down into a frown. "I don't see how dragging an innocent man into this will help me. You of all people know what Erik is...so tell me why should he help? Explain, since I am apparently too stupid and incapable of reasoning anymore. Enlighten me, Argent."

The honorary titan bit her lip, sensing that Raven was no longer in any mood to listen. It always amazed the young woman how Raven's emotions flitted back and forth. Usually, her mood swings were almost impossible to detect, seeing as her voice never betrayed any feelings whatsoever.

Her face, and body were equally as expressionless...but her eyes were a completely different case. Raven's vibrant purple eyes were filled with expression, they glittered when she was happy and amused, and they often smoldered when she was angry and annoyed. Now, they raged with a silent foreboding wrath.

Argent looked at her brown leather designer boots. Perhaps now would be a time to keep silent. Let Rav

en's anger wear off and then address the issue once more. The young woman glanced up, only to stare into the golden eyes of Derek. Funny, she never noticed how...intense his eyes were. Perhaps it was the glasses. She raised an eyebrow...why was he looking at her like that?

"Argent...I'm curious. Why exactly did you think I could help Raven?" His face was blank and expressionless, but his eyes glittered with amusement and mischief.

Raven snorted in annoyance. "Please, playing dumb doesn't suit you. Did you really think I couldn't connect the dots? Did you seriously think you could hide your double life from me?"

Argent's eyes widened when she saw Derek pale slightly. So Raven was right! She kept insisting that there were familiar things about Derek...things that only tied in to Red X.

Argent had refused to believe any of it. The whole idea was absurd in her mind. If Derek really was Red X, then why did he keep spending time with Raven? Why was he always saving and helping her? Wasn't that just giving himself away?

The young man sighed. "Nothing gets past you, Princess." The look on his face wasn't one of defeat or anxiety. It was strangely...calm and peaceful. As if he'd been waiting for this to happen.

Raven scowled at the nickname. "Of course...no one else in California has such a strange accent."

oOoOo

Derek sputtered. "St-strange accent! I have an accent? Since when?" This was news to him. No one had ever said anything about an accent before... then again Derek couldn't forget the strange knowing nods that were often routine when he said he was from Canada. Derek could never understand them.

Argent nodded emphatically. "Yes, your accent is rather peculiar...I believe that you are from up North? Like New York? Or maybe Vermont?"

Derek groaned inwardly. "I grew up in Canada." Why were the gods against him? How could he have gone through such pain to hide his identity, only to be discovered because of his accent? Was it that noticeable?

Perhaps the frequency on his voice scrambler needed to be edited. Derek sighed with regret. He should have gone with the Darth Vader sounding machine...no one would have noticed him then.

Raven's eyes glittered with interest and she rattled of a few sentences in French. Derek replied before he could restrain himself. Damn instinct.

"So you do speak French! But, not everyone in Canada speaks it, right?" For someone so knowledgeable...Raven didn't know much about Canada.

"No, not everyone. French is spoken in Quebec, and that's where I grew up...at least for the most part."

The sound of the air conditioner hummed through the room, filling the strangely comfortable silence. The birds flew lazily passed Raven's window, as the clear blue sky began to change into a dusky orange-red color. It would soon be dark...

Raven bit her lip. "Derek, what Argent says is true...and while I don't think you can help me, it wouldn't hurt to at least explain." She chewed on a finger nail for a moment before she spoke. "I have been keeping track of everything you steal...and somehow, it always ended back up where it belonged. I also know that all those stuff you steal...somehow gets into the hands of wanted traffickers before they are returned. I don't know who you are working for...but in the end, you are on our side."

Derek's eyebrow rose in surprise. She's been keeping tabs on him? How did she get the clearance to even track those stuff in the first place? Mr. Kent promised that 'all evidence leading to you will be destroyed.' "What exactly do you want me to do?"

The sorceress's purple eyes were somber as she spoke. "The Justice League has been trying to track down Erik for sometime now...they know everything about him, but without proof, he can't be apprehended."

Her voice dropped to a whisper...one that seemed more fearful than in control. "Erik is not someone to be double-crossed. He's after me cause I know everything. He is dangerous...and I do not want anyone to get hurt on my account. Therefore you must be careful who you steal from, and where it goes. Erik can read minds..."

Raven's voice trailed off for a long time. Time seemed to hold it's breath as everyone waited to hear her next words. Derek bit his lip as the tension began to grate his nerves.

"Stay out of Gotham City."

Ack! I wanted Robin to come off as a sadistic type person. It was an obvious epic fail. Still, isn't he creepy?

Are things beginning to make sense? Is the plot finally coming together? (Can everyone see Raven's obvious instability? I realized I hadn't really expounded on her strangeness...so I went back and redid certain scenes)

Does everyone now understand why vampires made a random entrance into this story?

The first few chapters are choppy, but everything seems to flow together in the middle now(at least I think so.) Please confirm or disprove this.

Review!

~heartless16