A/N: Hey, long time no see! XD Anyways, not much to say except that I'm running into this blind and all the characters are doing as they please now. So hold on, and enjoy the ride, because I have no idea where this will go. . .

Disclaimer: If I owned all of this stuff, I wouldn't exactly be sitting in this small room typing away at about midnight, hoping my mom doesn't catch me on the computer this late at night. Capeesh?

Ch.5: While Angels Slept

It was currently a little past three in the morning, and still Draco found no solace in the temptation of sleep. His mind tried in vain to remember if the strange man asking for him had any real connection to his former self. Still, he had never heard the name 'Mad Mod' until Robin had later briefed him a little on the criminal of European origin.

He turned onto his side in the bed, facing the moonlight that streamed in through the uncovered window. In a sudden ironic moment, he thought of his former competition and schoolmate, Harry Potter. And for some strange reason, he wondered if the brunette might be looking at the same moon he was now. And if he was, what was he thinking? What things were burdening his shoulders? Was he winning or losing in his struggles? Most likely, he probably had found a loophole by now, and Voldemort was screaming in frustration.

He grinned at the thought.

The Malfoy heir had seen him do such before. Of course, at the time it hadn't seemed as funny. Things then had been different; so different in fact, that sometimes Draco wondered if what he believed to be his past had been nothing more than a horrendous nightmare. But it was at moments like these that he looked down at his hands, finding scars and wounds that had been left behind; reminders that it had happened. Reminders that his parents had paid the consequences of his actions.

Reminders that he was Draco Malfoy, and that no matter how far he ran, things would never change and Voldemort would always be lurking in the shadows behind him.

XXXXX

She wasn't exactly sure why, but no matter how much she tossed and turned, something inside her told Raven that sleep wasn't an option tonight. She blamed the last skirmish the Titans had encountered at the hands of Jinx and her pals for the kinks in her back and wished nothing more than to relax, but knew the night would yet be a long one. Still, stubbornly she stayed in bed, hugging the covers and literally diving into her pillow with a huff as she readjusted for what seemed the millionth time.

It was hot.

She kicked off the covers, growling in frustration as she finally gave in and sat up.

The titan sat still for a moment, lost in the silence of the night. Not even the waves lapping onto the small island seemed to make a sound. For a brief moment she wondered if Control Freak had gotten loose again and had pressed mute on the world.

Shaking her head of such bizarre (yet amusingly possible) notions, she lay back down in bed, facing the ceiling. Her violet eyes trained on the gray surface of the shadow infested paint, wondering once more why she hadn't attempted to redecorate again. Of course, the thought of a certain Tamaranean finding out and dragging the poor empath on a trip to the mall suddenly reminded her why her plans for such had crashed and burned.

A sigh.

Tonight was getting nowhere fast, and neither was Raven's impatience and frustration.

Sitting up once more, she stretched her sore back, lifting her hands and clasping them together as she arched her back like a cat. After bringing her hands back down, she shook her head as if to clear the cobwebs forming there, scooting herself to the edge of her bed.

Swinging her legs over the edge, she winced as a jolt of pain ran up her left leg. Of course. She had been kicked squarely in the ankle. And of course. She had forgotten that she was temporarily maimed.

Cursing both Jinx (who had paid said kick with a vengeful elbow to the nose), and her own impatience (even her demonic powers couldn't heal pain that quickly without draining her sometimes, so she avoided unnecessary use of it--it wasn't like in those animes Beast Boy enjoyed, where the half-breed demon simply healed in the span of two seconds), Raven hobbled over to the door, leaning on the doorframe for a moment before finally hopping out of her room.

XXXXXXXX

To her surprise, when she silently shuffled towards the den, she wasn't the only one there. Standing by the window, lost in thought completely, was Draco.

She wasn't sure whether to join him or not. After the whole Mad Mod incident, he had closed off completely and said nothing of what had been mentioned about him. Though Robin had tried to attack the problem head-on as usual, Draco had simply said it was none of his business and had no right intruding on his affairs. After a brief argument (in which Draco was almost kicked out of the tower), the other four titans managed to calm the Boy Wonder into rational thought once more, reasoning that if Draco left, then they would have no idea what was going on with Mad Mod. Robin had simply nodded, glaring at the European boy's turned back as he retreated to the seclusion of his room.

It had been three days since then, and to add insult to injury, Mad Mod hadn't shown his face around town since then.

Still.

Raven swallowed, joining him at the window.

"You couldn't sleep." It was a rather awkward statement that fell pathetically as an attempt to get him to talk. Nonetheless, he surprisingly answered.

"No. Too much to think about."

Why was he telling her this?

"I see."

No she didn't.

His eyes met hers as he glanced at her calmly. He clearly knew she didn't understand. Still, he didn't argue the point. Instead, he led his gaze back out the window.

"You once said. . ." Draco hesitated, the question lingering on his lips. He didn't dare look at her now. Her gaze was boring a hole in him. . . Or was that just his nervousness?

"You once said," He began again, swallowing as he kept his eyes trained on the water below, "that my emotions were what kept you away because they had connected to yours."

He could feel her suddenly tense.

"But you never explained to me. . ." Draco let the question hang in the air, turning to her slowly to gauge her reaction.

For a moment she was silent, her eyes flickering with an emotion he didn't quite grasp before it disappeared behind her usual poker face.

"There are things in the past that aren't meant to be mentioned. Just like you I made mistakes I'll regret and carry for the rest of my life. Just like you I carry a burden that kills me a little more each day. And just like you, I'm trying to find the redemption for things I can no longer change."

"Mistakes like what?" Draco prodded.

She turned to him, her face emotionless as she uttered a simple phrase that left him reeling.

"I was born."

XXXXXXXXX

Draco awoke to the sounds of Beast Boy and Cyborg running down the hall after Starfire, who he later found out had stolen their beloved Playstation in an attempt to blackmail them into going with her to the mall.

Once he had fully dressed in black jeans and a black turtleneck (Starfire's choice; she had dragged him out wardrobe shopping with Robin once--he wouldn't commit that mistake ever again), he made his way up to the den, watching as the elevator passed the floor where Raven's room was. For a moment he thought of trying to go talk to her, but dismissed the thought as absurd when he realized there wasn't much to say.

Sighing, he watched as the doors sluggishly pulled open, allowing him to enter the hallway leading to the den.

Once inside, he found it nearly empty. Robin was watching TV, waving a hello as he quickly filled in Draco on where the others had gone.

It seemed Starfire had gotten her way once more.

As for Raven, the only other remaining titan in the tower, she was still in her room.

After what she had said last night, he wondered what exactly she had meant. She obviously wasn't suicidal. If she was, he would've picked up on it. Being a death-eater meant he could pick up things like this a mile away, and she didn't radiate that type of energy.

So now what?

Here was where he was hesitant to act.

From what he had observed, Draco could tell there was a strong link between the boy currently in front of him, and the girl downstairs who refused to say much. Prying the Boy Wonder would be a million times easier than prying Raven herself, but it would still be very hard.

Not only that, but he was quicker to anger.

But what other choice did he have left? Maybe by helping her first, he could find a way for his own redemption. So sitting down next to Robin, he stared blankly at the television and leveled out his voice.

"Robin, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. . ."

XXXXXXXX

For the umpteenth time, Robin glanced up at the clock.

"They're fine." Raven said evenly over the edge of the book she was reading. She didn't even bother to look up.

"It's getting late thought, and none of them have answered their communicator. Maybe-"

"They just lost track of time." Draco interjected from his spot on the couch. His arm was lazily draped over his eyes as he tried to take a nap. Raven glanced at him, her eyes falling back to the words on the page.

"But-"

"If you have such a bad feeling about this," Raven grit out in frustration, glaring at the Boy Wonder, "then check on their location with the computer."

He seemed to think about it for a moment, running a hand through his jet black hair as he finally sighed.

"Yeah, I'll do that." Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

He could hear the clicking of the keys under Robin's nimble fingers, a continuous beep announcing it had found the signal of the communicators.

There was a strange silence for a few moments.

"Raven. . . . Come here now." There were few times when he actually took a commanding tone with her, and she knew to listen well when he did. Getting up with a curious look on her face that quickly passed, she silently set her book down on her spot in the couch.

Joining his side, she looked on where he pointed. Draco sat on the couch, his ears perked up as he listened in.

"See it?" Raven nodded.

"What is it?" Draco asked, his curiosity finally getting the best of him.

"These." Robin pointed to the three blinking dots on the screen. Draco looked at them, wondering what was the big deal.

"Yeah. . . . What about them?"

"They haven't moved."

"And that's. . . . bad?" Magic was his thing, not computers.

"Those dots represent Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg." Raven explained calmly as Robin typed something into the computer. "Those little devices we carry," she showed him hers, "they have a special thing in them that allows us her in the tower to tell where those people are." Draco nodded. It sounded like the Marauder's Map.

"Why aren't they moving?" He questioned. Robin frowned.

"That's what's so strange. We don't know. Something could be wrong, or they could just be hanging out at the movie theatre."

"That's on the other side of the mall." Robin countered as he rezoned the map. Now the area shone was that of the mall area.

Draco suddenly had a bad feeling. It didn't help that Raven seemed to ask and pinpoint his worst fears.

"You don't think Mad Mod has something to do with this, do you?" Her violet eyes turned to Robin.

And as if on cue, the screen suddenly changed, the British flag waving in front of the camera, suddenly changing back to the normal screen.

"Does that answer your question?" Robin muttered with a scowl.

And without a second thought, he and Raven dove for the door. As for their Slytherin guest, a shiver ran down his spine as he watched the two remaining Titans leave. He just hoped that they made it on time.

XXXXXX

Next time on A Breath of Life!

Robin and Raven are racing against the clock to find their fellow Titans. And while that's happening, Draco's going to have to face some problems of his own when he comes face to face with his past! Is redemption truly possible for someone like him?