-A Thousand Shades of Gray-

+The Shade of Sinners+

"They say there's a heaven, for those who wait

Some say it's better, but I say it ain't

I'd rather laugh with the sinners, than to die with the saints

The sinners are much more fun, and only the good die young …"

-Unknown

"Where are we …?" Raven raised a brow as X came to a stop in front of an apartment building and without any fear at all he turned off the bike and walked up to the entrance. Glancing over his shoulder to Raven, the sorceress had to take a double take on the thief when he eyed her seriously … dead serious.

With a jerk of his head he gestured for her to follow, "Let's go, we're already late."

"Wha …" her question couldn't even come to words as she dismounted the bike, and hesitantly followed the thief, observing the cracked and decaying walls of the most unfortunate urban homes. She gulped uneasily when she followed X not up the stairs to avoid the group of young and old men posted against the walls at the hallway, but through them. Feeling their eyes undressing her and shuttering at such negative energy that hovered over the group, she walked a bit faster to catch up with X. Keeping a straight face, but unnerved out of her mind being in such an environment, she gasped softly when one of the men stepped in front of her and leaned down to come eye to eye with her.

Showing her his glazed over look … he must have been on something with that void expression on his face, "Well, well, not too often do we see such a sight like you in a place like this at such a late night … where you come from girl?"

Raven narrowed her eyes and shoved the stoned out man out of her way, "Move it."

"Ooo, she fights, I like that …" the man grabbed her elbow and pulled her back, Raven gritted her teeth, So much for not attracting attention … without warning she turned around and slammed a fist in the man's face.

Not only throwing him off her, but against the wall, he slummed to the ground, knocked out cold and the rest of his friends all eyed her with disbelief. Raven smoothed back her hair and straightened up her shirt, glaring at the men in the hall she growled, "Touch me again, I dare you."

"Hey! Sunshine!" down the hall X sneered, and Raven turned around to glare at him in utter annoyance as he shrugged, "What the fucks the hold up? Pop the clutch and kick it in gear let's go!"

Raven growled and stomped up to him, following after him she commented, "I would have been right behind you if your friends hadn't have stopped me."

"Whatever," he mumbled and turned the corner, Raven close behind him nearly ran into him as he turned into an opened door, a room cluttered in mess, and hot. Raven stayed posted at the door while X navigated nimbly through the messy room, headed for the hallway to the right, Raven braced for whatever would happen next as he shouted from the end of that hallway, "Otto! Where's my bag!"

Raven blinked and raised a brow when she heard grumbling coming from the hall. A slurred response that not even X heard as he shouted again, "Otto! I'm not playing with you! Where's my –"

"I SAID! IT'S UNDER THE GODDAMNED TABLE YA NAGGIN' LITTLE BITCH!" Raven cleared her throat finding it funny how X jerked his head back as if shocked at the insult.

"That's not what your sister said!" X shouted back and muttered to himself as he once again navigated through the mess and looked around for the table this Otto was talking about. Raven didn't know what was going on, but as she scanned the room there was no table. However, X obviously must have been here before because in a matter of minutes he was in what she guessed was supposed to be a kitchen and looking under the found table. Pulling out a black duffle bag he headed in her direction, handed her the bag and jumped out into the hall, screaming back into the room, "OTTO! LAST WARNING; GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUTTA HERE! YOU'RE TAPPED!"

"WHAT!"

SLAM!

Raven backed up when X slammed the door shut and then followed him even further down the hall to another door, but this one was a public bathroom and Raven didn't have a good feeling about this when X gave her the duffle bag. Leaning against the wall near the door he smirked confidently and gestured to the bathroom, "Everything goes sunshine … but I gotta warn ya, I thought Boy-Wonder was gonna be taggin' along, never thought he'd send you."

"Wait," Raven glared at the duffle bag, then looked up at the grinning thief, "what are you trying to pull?"

"A fast one …" X chuckled and opened the door for her, pushing her in gently he snickered, "just let it ride and let me do all the work, all you gotta do is sit there and look pretty. No, seriously, just look pretty."

"Wha –" he closed the door on her and Raven narrowed her eyes when she saw his shadow at the crack of the door and heard him lean on it as if to keep her inside. Not like it matter much, but it still disturbed her that he was doing this, but sighing nonetheless she turned around and hesitantly placed the bag on he sink. Zipping it open she raised a curious brow, then scowled and glared at the door, muttering to herself, "You've gotta be kidding me …"

Moments later, outside, X standing, waiting patiently glanced at his watch – he had it hidden under the sleeves of his jacket – impatiently tapping his foot on the ground he knocked on the door, "You died in there?"

"…" a moment of silence, then he backed away when the door opened and out she came with a pair of sharp dark sunglasses shielding her violet eyes, a long gray trench-coat that she tied shut, baggy black jeans, and converse shoes. She slipped the sunglasses down to eye the scrutinizing X, "Is there a reason why you'd want Robin to wear sunglasses in the middle of the night?"

X shrugged, "Yeah, pass over the bag."

She slipped off the duffle bag that was hanging on her shoulder and handed it to him, he took it and gestured for her to follow him back out, she did and stuffed her hand in the pockets of her loose trench coat. Seeing that the men posted in the hallway were gone she stayed close to X but once again nearly ran into him when he stopped and looked up the stairs. Raven followed his gaze and saw a little girl sitting at the top of the stairs, looking down at them, she smiled shyly at X and waved, X smiled right back and placed the duffle bag at the base of the stairs. Walking away, Raven furrowed her brows together and reached for the bag, knowing that all her stuff was in it, X's voice stopped her, "Leave it."

"But … that's my stuff," Raven glared.

X tilted his head and gestured to the girl, "That girl is only 4 years old, her mother's 18 now and barely able to keep the both of them alive … what good will your stuff do you when it can be a miracle for that girl's family? Her and her mother is all they have."

"…"

And like that …

Raven fell speechless … looking back up the stairs at the little girl who curiously watched them while holding a dirty stuffed bear, her black hair and dark skin with such innocent dark brown eyes. It pulled at her heart strings to know such a story, and what made her feel so guilty was the fact that … she was a hero worried about material possessions. Raven wasn't a material girl, but she was feeling pretty bad right now as she turned back to X and followed him to his bike. He mounted it and helped held out his hand to help her on, Raven looked up at him for a moment and frowned when he smirked, "Hey, that's life angel, you can't have your cake and eat it too."

"This," Raven found herself responding as she climbed aboard and wrapped her arms around his waist, "is very ironic coming from the likes of you."

"Get use to it, cuz' this isn't no one-night stand." X grinned, his "wise" expression completely gone from his jade-green eyes.

Raven sneered, Go figure he had to ruin my second thoughts about him, scoffing she murmured under the roar of the X-bike that came to life and once again woke up the residential area, "I'm going to pretend you worded that differently."

"Whatever your pleasure."

Raven gripped him tight as he sped down the streets of Jump City, not meaning too, but finding she had no control over herself she pressed herself closer to the thief, very uncomfortable with the fact that he was going so fast. Now, don't get it wrong, Raven wasn't a coward when it came to speed, she was rather accustomed to it since her occupation required her to be quick on her feet. She's ridden with Robin before, once or twice, and granted him and X both has the same speeding addictions. However, there was something a little more different about X … there was something a bit more reckless in the way he handled his bike.

Gave her an odd twisting feeling in her gut, that she couldn't explain, and to be quiet frank she didn't like it, Raven held her breath when she felt X pop the front wheel of his bike in the air. Forcing her to hold on even tighter – if it was possible – to him, then she heard him laugh and for a second she thought that he had did it on purpose to scare her. Daring to look up and glare at the back of the thief's head, she gasped and held her breath when he dropped the wheel and picked up speed. Her heart rate picked up ever so slightly and before she knew it, he was slowing down, and she found out that was was a God when he stopped and sat up.

She released him and he looked over his shoulder to grin at her, "I take it you don't like bikes that much angel?"

Raven shot him an annoyed look as she smoothed back her violet hair, which she'd grown for the specific purpose of this mission, trying to look as different as possible. She scoffed and climbed off the bike as she thought to herself, I think I like sunshine better then angel … and my stuff … the transmitter that Robin put it my clothes … with a sigh she looked around their current area and couldn't help to realize that he had taken her all the way to the Southside Docks. The smell of the ocean air and the sound of the swishing water brushing up against the concrete as the dawning breeze swept over them.

Of course it was still dark out, but Raven was pretty sure by the position of the moon it was 1:00 am, "What are we doing here now – ah …!"

She gasped in sudden shock when she felt her right arm clenched and twisted to her back, arching she felt the back of her head rest on X's shoulder. Looking up into his glowing eyes her mouth fell open when she found him wearing a black outlined white eye mask and for a split second she could have swore she was staring at Robin! It was his grin, Robin never grins so lethally and he chuckled, "This might hurt a little angel."

He held up what looked like a nightstick, but Raven felt her eyes bug out when it sparked at the tip and she realized too late what he was going to do. Before she could find the ground to defend herself pain shocked up and down her spine, through out her body. A scream caught at her throat, and before she knew it everything blacked out. X dropped her on the ground and shook his head, "You should have known better than to send your girl on this assignment kid …should have known …"

((--Mid-Morning--))

((--The Docks--))

Robin controlled his anger as he stood and clenched Raven's T-com which he found discarded carelessly on the ground. With Beast Boy fruitlessly sniffing around as a bloodhound, the green changeling stopped at the edge of the docks and morphed back into a human. Sitting on the wooden ground he looked back at Robin and frowned, "Sorry Robin … but … I can't pick anything else up … the trail ends here …"

"It's alright Beast Boy …" Robin said quietly, as if trying to convince himself of every word that came out of his mouth, "… I didn't expect you'd find anything."

He communicator rang to life, Robin flipped it open and Cyborg and Starfire stood in plain view in front of an apartment, Cyborg sighed in frustration, "Rob, you're not gonna believe this … but we traced all of Raven's stuff in some apartment within a black duffle bag. What do you make of it?"

"He made her change," Robin said gruffly, "… and shocked her to disrupt the signal we implanted inside her."

Cyborg raised a brow and jerked his head back in disbelief, "It takes a major charge to knock out the chip … she's gotta be unconscious."

Beast Boy looked out to the open bay, "Damn … he's probably taken her out of the city."

"Kidnap Raven?" Starfire asked suspiciously, "Would he like her as an exchange for some kind of price? His known identity maybe?"

Robin shook his head, "Not his style, X is the kind of guy who thinks he's above using others to get what he wants … no … this was planned, but Raven wasn't the target, it was me. Damn it … I knew this would happen …"

"Robin?" Starfire eyed him carefully, "What is it that you were supposed to know?"

"It was a holo-mask … he was wearing a damn holo-mask!" Robin informed his teammates with great regret, "The one the chief gave us, I knew something was off about it, when I examined it last night, it wasn't real at all! In fact … everything about his arrest seemed staged! How in the hells could a thief of Red X's caliber be taken down so easily by a busted tail-light! It was all an act … he planned it all, everything … and I … I still let her go …"

Cyborg wasn't liking where this was going, "Robin … what are we thinkin'?"

"Jax San Nicolas died in prison 5 years ago … Red X is working for Slade …"

Beast Boy jumped to his feet and stared at his leader in disbelief, "Wait … so … you knew X was working for Slade and you still let Raven go!"

"I had to be sure –"

"Robin! Listen to yourself! You practically sacrificed Raven's own life pushing her to –"

Cyborg was cut off as Robin shouted, "She knows so too! But she agreed to go anyway incase she was captured she'd lead us straight to Slade's hideout! I just didn't count on X actually knowing she had a tracer implanted inside of her."

"So now what?"

"We find her."

Beast Boy snorted and looked out into the open ocean, "Easier said than done … they could be anywhere!"

"We'll we're gonna try … Raven's in trouble and we gotta help her."

((--Unknown Location--))

"Is she conscious yet?"

Darkness … disoriented darkness … forbidding … not at all like the darkness within a dream …

"She shouldn't be I gave her a strong dose from the needle when she started to come through from the shock, she should be out for the entire day."

Numbness … dizziness … disoriented … unfamiliar sounds, who's that talking? Murmuring?

So confused …

"… You underestimate the daughter of a demon … do you hear us child?"

Raven's brows furrowed and the numbness within her body prevented her from moving, from easily opening her heavy eyes to look within the direction of the dreaded voice of the Titans adversary, "… Slade …"

She croaked, she heard shuffling, the other voice, the younger voice, familiar … a mask flashed before her dark vision, and suddenly the strength to feel enraged came to her as she gritted her teeth and moaned, "… X …"

"Ah … so she remembers you …"

"… Whatever, look, she's in mid-condition like I promised, now can you had over my money so I can split?"

"What's the matter? Don't want to stick around to say good-bye to one of the most powerful Titans you have so easily apprehended? I would think it would be most rude."

She fought the heaviness in her eyes to finally open, but when she did open them, her vision blurred out and she might as well have kept her eyes shut. She couldn't see anything, not in the darkness she was in. The dim lighting somewhere off to her left created a silhouette of the two figures she identified as Slade and X somewhere to the side. Fighting the numbness to feel her body once more, she could not determine that her body was in a kneeling position.

Hunched over her hands to her side and her back to what felt like stoned walls, she carefully, oh-so carefully lifted up her head to get a better view of Slade and X and lifted up her hands to block off the light that had flashed in her eyes. Only to realize frightfully, that her wrists were in chains, her ankles as well … and so was her neck! Still a bit disoriented she gulped when she felt her throat was dry and shakily tried to hold her body up from slumping as she found the power to narrow her eyes in confusion, "Wha … what's … going … on?"

"Haven't you realized yet child?" Slade walked up to her, but as she focused on him she found that she was in a cage! For he stopped at the bars and through his mask she could tell he was grinning maliciously at her, "You've been lured into a trap, all set up by this brilliant-minded youth that came up with the concept of your capture all by himself. I applaud his creativity, rather entertaining."

Slade stepped away and Raven focused on the body hidden in the shadows, the familiar figure of Red X in full costume, only without the Red X face mask. No … he was wearing just an eye mask instead, the same ones she saw before he knocked her out with that stick. He seemed to look in her direction, but with her disoriented sight and train of thought she could hardly make it out as she turned back to Slade, "Capture … wha – what do you want with me?"

"Even drugged you can still think coherently, impressive," Slade gripped one of the bars of her cage and leered at her devilishly, "I had originally planned for Robin to be my captive and to once again gain his trust as my apprentice, but I guess there's been a slight change in plans and you were delivered instead. Which means a 10 percent deduction of Red X's payment."

"What! Bullshit!" X exploded, and his shouting echoed through out her prison. Raven hissed when it pounded at her head, but she recognized the echo, Underground … cave setting … liquid … water … ocean … Jump City Bay … she calculated and watched tiredly as X marched up to Slade and into the dim light, "You can't expect me to capture one specific Titan! I told you already that kidnapping is not my style, may be yours, but it's not mine so I handled the situation under the best of my abilities. Hell no are you gonna screw me over like that!"

"…" Slade sneered under the mask, "My army says otherwise."

"…" That shut X up good, and Raven knew if she was bit more cohesive, she wouldn't have snickered when the thief pulled back and thought over this outburst, "… Fine."

"That's a good-boy, now I want you to escort Raven to the Infirmary, and there you'll find your money, after that, I never want to see you again, is that understood."

"Like you're the most generous host on this godforsaken planet," X scoffed and opened the cell, Raven noticed Slade narrow his masked eye on the thief and as X walked into her cell, Slade grabbed his elbow and yanked him back. Face to face, X scowled, "what the fucks your problem. Let up!"

Slade shook him violently, "Do not address me as if I am one of your peers, I am the one paying you here and you shall address me with respect is that understood?"

X pushed Slade off of him and dusted off his shoulder, "Go to hell, how's that for respect? You cut my earnings, I think I'm entitled to be a little pissy, so step off and let me escort your little Titan to your fuckin' Infirmary."

"Ignorant whelp."

"Hard ass bastard." Raven felt X undo her bindings and she saw a chance to cut and run, but she was too weak! The drugs, whatever they shot her with must have been a neurotoxin that affects bodily function, because unless she was pulled up to her feet, Raven knew she held no strength to do it on her own. Walking wobbly, legs feeling like gelatin, collapsing here and there, loathing every moment she had to rely on X to support her fallen body, and hating every second his hands were on her. She tried to fight him, fight the drug, fight everything to get away … but every time she tried she'd stumble and she'd make herself look even more pathetic.

Frustrated, drugged out, tired, and in pain, Raven hissed when she felt X apply presser to a certain location in her back, he immediately removed it and in a surprisingly soft tone of voice said, "Figured that spot was still tender."

She thought about the reasons why he'd say that, then she remembered that he shocked her at the docks and even more resentment showered over her already weak body, "So in … the end … it's all … about the … money … huh …"

It wasn't a question; it was a statement, one that X scoffed, "Gotta make a living somehow angel."

"I see …" Raven sighed heavily and tried not to show that her eyes were watering over. Tearing out of frustration because she was so goddamned weak and unable to do anything about anything! All she could do was talk … and even that was taking a lot out of her, "… do anything to get everything … you're pathetic … you can't even stand on your own without stealing someone else's cane – ah …"

He let her drop to the ground in a tired heap, her legs too weak to hold her own weight she sat still for a second, glaring at the ground feeling her tears creating streams down the side of her face. Gritting her teeth, and refusing to scream, but wanting so desperately to fight back. She looked up into the white mask X was wearing that glared down at her with great conviction, "You talk a lot of shit for a wounded dog."

"But it's true isn't it!" Raven argued, but sucked in a deep breath, never realizing how much screaming could effect her, bringing a shaky hand up to her chest, she tried to slow her increasing heart rate and remove the blurriness from her vision. Not quite sure if it was the cause of her tears or her exhaustion, she looked back up at X and continued softly, "How many identities have you faked? How many lives have you destroyed to get what you want!"

"I never killed anybody!"

"You're working for Slade! That's about as low as it gets …" he was wearing a mask … but Raven could tell she's been with Robin long enough to tell, that he couldn't hold her gaze. Even if his mask made it look like he was matching her glare for glare … he couldn't even win a staring contest if he tried at this point and it sickened Raven to know that this thief actually had a guilty conscious, "You can hide behind every disguise in the world, that still doesn't change the fact that you're just selfish."

A moment of silence, and for a second, Raven thought that X was really contemplating her words, but when he looked at her and sneered, she was dead wrong, "You know … it's preachers like you that really piss me off."

Raven hissed when he grabbed her upper arm and hoisted her onto her feet, his hold on her so tight she was sure it would bruise later as he yanked her towards the Infirmary, "What were you expecting me to do? Suddenly change and see the 'error of my ways'? No, screw you, and your morals, and your little friends."

They arrived at the Infirmary, and without mercy he shoved her inside, gesturing to the Slade-bots that stood guard to wait outside. The doors slid shut and Raven found herself suddenly staring into the thief's mask when he grabbed two handfuls of her trench coat and bent down to be eye to eye level with her, "Don't take your anger out on me because your leader fucked up. You didn't have to believe me, you didn't have to care … why the hell do you think I made it so obvious that I allowed my arrest?"

"…" Raven gulped and confessed, "… I was supposed to lead my team to wherever Slade would hold me captive …" X pulled back, his anger dieing down to astonishment as she looked away from him, "… they would have been here already if you hadn't had destroyed the homing device inside me."

X let her go, "Hold the phone, so you knew I was working with Slade and you still went along with my act just so you can get close enough to this psycho to bring him down? Is that right?"

"It better be," Raven scowled, "because though Robin may barely "tolerate" you … I can't stand the very idea of working with you …"

A set up within a set up … how ya like that … X thought, as he ran his gloved hands through his hair, glancing off to his right where he spotted the black suitcase where he knew his money was being held. He smirked a bit, then chuckled inwardly, shaking his head he glanced down at the tired Raven and his smirk grew wider when she looked up at him defiantly, "Gutsy move for a chick like you angel … you always accustomed to sacrificing your own life for a good cause?"

Raven ignored the sudden mood swing that came from the thief and sighed heavily, whatever drug X had shot her up with starting to go throughout her body once more and numb out her nerves. She closed her eyes for a moment, then reopened them and sniffled, "I'm a hero … it's my job."

"And despite what I am …" X crouched down to her level and in a very dramatic mood swing reached out a hand and gently hooked his finger under her chin. Holding it up and seeing just how regal she looked – even in her haggard state of appearance. X grinned, "I do have my moments … however rare they may be … but hey, what can I say, I'm all for chivalry, saving the day and getting the girl is alright by me."

Raven sneered and moved her head from him, He's all for chivalry … can he get even more hypocritical? "There's no 'girl' you're going to get here … and what are you trying to say?"

"Slade thinks he can screw me over on this deal and get away with it … he's dead wrong, angel," X snickered, "you just gave me a plan."

"No way," Raven scowled, "there is no way in hell will I be your means to an end."

"Aw come on! The enemy of my enemy is my friend … whaddya say? Your boy wants him so bad, let's hand him over with a little red bow as an early birthday or Christmas present, whichever comes first."

"…"

"It's easy … I'll do all the work … all you gotta do, is look pretty."

Raven narrowed her eyes on X in suspicion, He's trying to play both sides of the field … and within my condition … I don't think I even have a choice …

((--The Titans--))

Robin on his bike lead the Titans down the streets of Jump City, determined to find Raven, not far behind him was the rest of his team within the T-car, "Beast Boy said that Raven's trail ended at the docks, X must have taken her somewhere along the coastline. Split up and search the entire –"

"Robin! Behind you! Coming up on your left flank! It's X!" Cyborg shouted, Robin glanced back and true to Cyborg's warning, X was closing in with no intention of slowing down. In full costume, Robin was forced to swerve to the side and avoid a collision with the thief who zipped right passed him and looked back at Robin with a two finger salute, popped a wheelie, then took off in a hot second.

"Damn you …" Robin growled and went full throttle, pulling clean away from the rest of his team to catch up with X who screamed around a corner, pulled a 360 and stopped dead center in the streets. The public who were all there stopped – yes, even those in cars – dead in their tracks as they all heard Robin following up, but also came to a dead halt only 3 yards from the thief, "Where's Raven!"

X revved his engine, chuckled, and leaned forward to grab the handle bars of his bike, mumbling only loud enough for himself to hear it, he was sure Robin got the hidden message, "Wouldn't you like to know …"

And like that, with the smell of burnt rubber hanging in the air, X completed another 360 and lead Robin on a high speed chase for Raven's life.

((--))

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, everybody should know that.

A/N: Well, well, how you like them apples? Review, tell me what'cha think and I'll see how fast I can get the next one up ... by the way, the poem above is one of my favorites, don't know who it's from but I'll spoil you and tell you it's clue for the next chapter ... in fact, the quote that will be in ever one of the chapters will all hold hints for either whats going to happen in that chapter or the next one.
Ya never know, just keep a sharp eye out of those kinds of things.

L8er daez