A/N: I am SO sorry about the delay. I was sick, and then there was school, and then writer's block, and UGH. This chapter is hopfully leading more into the main point of this story. Next chapter there will be more interaction with the original Titans, promise! In any case... Yeah. It'll all make sense eventually.

Disclaimer: I own everything (plot, Doom, Gwen) in this chapter. Except Raven.

Gwendolyn Logan,

It is with intense pleasure that I inform you that, after some very thorough examinations of your flawless transcript, you are our first choice for the K-3 CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) instructor. Despite your unique background that we are well aware of, we are also willing to give you the chance that you rightly deserve. The children certainly seemed to adore you, and you appear to have the temperament needed when dealing with such volatile matters. If your interest still remains, please stop by the school on Friday, the fourteenth of March, at 10:00 AM. One of our staff will give you the grand tour and make the final decision of whether or not you're as perfect a fit as you seem to be.

D. Stephens

Gwendolyn smiled softly to herself, holding the letter tightly in her hand, her emerald eyes sweeping the words once again by the moonlight flooding in through the wide window. She was secure. When her friends joined their parents in battle, as she knew would inevitably happen, Gwendolyn would not be sitting in the Tower alone. She would be doing something, perhaps doing just as much good as everyone else would be. Her eyes gleamed, her smile broadening. She would be okay.

The shakiness that had been present in her limbs for days, knowing that the moment she was dreading was drawing ever closer, had miraculously vanished. The ache in her chest disappeared and her heart resumed its natural rhythm, unmarred by the worry of a not-so-distant future. She couldn't help it. She let an exhilarated laugh followed by a happy sigh escape her lips. She would be doing something after all.

A pale hand fluttered near her throat, trembling with a giddy delight. Resting her hand at the base of her throat and closing her eyes, she slowly shook her head in disbelief as a low laugh sounded in the back of her throat. She nearly hit the roof when she heard a quiet voice ask, "What's so funny?"

Stifling a shriek, her eyes flew open in a panic just in time to see Doom's feet slip out from beneath him, causing him to land on his back with a thud. Heart in a frenzy, she could only stand completely frozen like a rabbit cornered by a wolf. "What happened?" she whispered into the darkness, her pupils dilating as she squinted in Doom's general direction.

"Slipped on this," he replied grumpily, waving a white envelope in his hand. Flipping it over, he quickly scanned the front. "It's for you."

"I know." She held up the letter, the warm glow of her delight returning to her veins. "I got a reply, Doom."

His grey eyes widened and he passed a hand through his dark hair, eyes never leaving hers. "And?" he prompted, stepping closer. "Did you get it?"

She couldn't prevent the smile from flickering back onto her face. "They said I'm their first choice. They want me to go in tomorrow morning."

Doom let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. "That's great, Gwen! You really loved those kids… Do you want me to…" He trailed off suddenly, wondering if he was possibly overstepping the unspoken boundaries of their friendship. In the darkness, they belonged to each other, though he was never sure why. It was just the way it had happened. During the day… Well, that just wasn't natural.

Which is why he was surprised when she nodded her magnificent head, her hair falling out of the loose bun she had twisted it into. "I do want you to…you know," she finished lamely.

He couldn't help but to grin, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Do my ears deceive me? Did I cause the lovely Gwendolyn Logan to forget her eloquence and be at a loss for words?"

"We were having a moment, you obnoxious prosimian," she snapped, her demeanor shifting altogether. "Why must you do that, Doom?"

"Gwendolyn…"

She opened her mouth to retort, to mock his somber attitude, but found that she couldn't. She gaped soundlessly at him, eyes widening helplessly as she searched him for answers. He only shrugged, a sad sort of smile tugging at his lips. "If you're looking for my first name, Gwennie, you're not going to find it."

She was so taken aback that she let the revolting nickname slide. Her eyes clouded with confusion, her dark brows rose, her pale lips tightened into a grim line. She pulled restlessly on the hem of her camisole, shuffling her feet against the floor slightly. "You mean to tell me that you don't…"

"The Professor never named me." He shrugged indifferently, flopping down onto the couch. "Mostly called me Experiment 3CH5. Three for the age he found me, the two letters to abbreviate what he wanted to turn me into and… the five for how long he thought I'd survive."

Gwendolyn was horrorstruck. She wasn't even aware of her brain alerting her legs to move. All she was aware of was her legs moving of their own accord, propelling her across the room and bending at the knee slightly so that she could launch herself into his lap, her eyes filled with horror. "You don't have a name?" she whispered.

"I do. The one you gave me. Doom." His smile was a bit more heartfelt this time as he shifted his arms around her, pulling her into a more comfortable position. "Remember? The day we met. Your father asked where I was staying, and I said somewhere nearby. You immediately replied with, 'Well, in that case, we're all doomed.'" He chuckled, his fingers finding her spine and rubbing his thumb against it gently.

"You mean…I…" Her heart gave a very painful thud, her stomach lurched, and she felt the angry sting of tears in her eyes. "If I had known… I wouldn't have…"

Perhaps she was feeling vulnerable. Perhaps the emotional rollercoaster she had been stuck on for the past seventy-two hours was finally taking its toll. The fright, to the sense of pride, to the disappointment, to the anguish… And then the giddy relief to top it all off. Yes, that was it. Her emotions were going haywire. She was too unorganized, more unorganized than she had ever been. And this is what prompted her to accept that it was perfectly okay to burst into tears.

"Gwen!" Doom exclaimed, jumping a bit at her sudden wail. "Gwen? Gwennie, you're okay, it's alright, what the hell happened?!"

"If I had known, I wouldn't have given you such an awful name!" she cried, pulling back to see him clearly. "I feel like such a…such a…"

"Oh, come now, Gwen," Doom said with a soft chuckle. "It's creative and, I mean, I think I have the most intimidating name on the team! Besides Jinx. We might be neck and neck with that one." He lifted one of his hands to her face and cradled her head against his shoulder as she struggled to gain control of herself, sniffling as she held back the second flow of tears.

"I just feel so awful!" she exclaimed, her breath against his neck. "If I had known I would have given you a better name… Or at least a real name, and Doom could be your alias, you know?" She trailed off, her silence thoughtful.

"No. It's okay. Really." He sat back, settling against the couch cushions and closing his eyes lazily. He was so comfortable, and so exhausted…

"Why?" she suddenly snapped, lifting her head to glare at him owlishly. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, bewildered at her sudden change of mood.

"That!" she hissed, gesturing wildly with one of her hands. "Letting me off the hook all the time, never getting mad, never even getting irritated!"

Doom shrugged, a crooked smile on his face. "What can I say? You balance me."

She opened her mouth to, most likely, ask him exactly what he meant by that but he patted her on the top of her head with a sense of finality. "In any case… I'm exhausted. You probably are, too. We should head to bed."

"I am." With that said, she tossed a pillow into his lap and put her head on it, curling up until she was comfortable. "Goodnight."

He had to laugh. She was just funny like that. One moment she was yelling at him and the next she was cuddled up against him, falling asleep with her head in his lap. He was certain that he would never understand her. His notion was solidified when she suddenly looked up at him, her eyes half-closed with exhaustion.

"Alexander," she muttered, her voice hoarse.

"Um, what?" Doom asked uncertainly. Perhaps she was still asleep…

"I'm naming you Alexander," she said a little louder, placing her head back on the pillow. "You can't go around introducing yourself as Doom. So… Alexander."

"Why Alexander?"

She shrugged, her eyes closed. "It means 'protector'." And she would say no more.

--

Somewhere across town, a man was chuckling to himself. His plan was working perfectly. The magnificent creature would be in his clutches soon and her long hair would be his to play with, her eyes his to tamper with, her DNA his to…fix. He grinned at the thought, a manic glint in his eyes.

She would serve well. And her protector would be able to do nothing to stop him.

--

A floor above the two teenagers in the common room, Raven jolted awake with a small cry. Her chest heaving, she reached out in a panic, gripping the sleeping Garfield's arm, her shoulders shaking. The image would never leave her mind. Never would she be able to forget that nightmare, that awful image of her daughter… Her bright and witty daughter with every shred of humanoid appearance gone from her body, with eyes that showed no sign that she had ever been human.