Raven woke from her restless sleep. She glared at the clock taunting her with its red glowing letters, telling her that it was nine o'clock, telling her to get up, telling her to find a way to help Robin and Abel out of their little jam. She opened her curtains and the sun leaked in, blinding her for a moment. When her eyes had adjusted, she stared out over the ocean, wondering where Slade was cowering with the two people she loved the most. She decided she would take a shower as she thought about it. She entered her bathroom and turned on the shower and let the water wash over her, before cleaning herself. She stepped out of the shower and got dressed. As she walked through the hall, she stopped at Starfire's door. It silently slid open and she peered in. Starfire was not laying her bed in her usual position with her feet on the pillow. Instead she was curled into a ball, with signs of long-dried tears on her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell steadily. She seemed to be sleeping soundly, so Raven continued her journey to the kitchen. As she made her tea she remembered the night Abel had arrived. It was after he had finished explaining to them about how he ended up in Jump City…
I entered my room and grabbed my mirror. I was pulled into my mind and landed gracefully on the rocky landscape. I looked around for my emotions. Intelligence was the only one present. She was sitting at the edge of the rock trail, reading a book. I approached the yellow clad doppelganger.
"I'm back," I announced. Intelligence turned to me and stood.
"Indeed. Come to speak about your new emotions?"
"No. Abel. How do I know I can trust him? How do I know he's even related to me? How do I know he can control his powers or that he won't run away, like Terra?"
"What does your heart tell you?" Intelligence's answer caught me off guard. I didn't expect something like that from Intelligence. A question like that was in Wisdom's department.
"You've been hanging around with Wisdom, haven't you?"
"I have. Answer the question. What does your heart tell you?" I thought long about this before answering. I didn't know how to answer. It had been quite a long time since I had listened to anything her heart had to say. I tried to hear what my heart was telling me.
"Yes," I answered. I could trust him. He practically spat Slade's name. Cyborg ran the DNA test at least twelve times. And control? No one could fight like he did without control. But would he run away? No. I will make sure he doesn't. He is my brother. We have just met. He will stay longer than a couple of days before he even considers running away. That issue settled I turned to Intelligence again, "so what about these new emotions?"
Raven sipped her tea and stared sorrowfully at the wall. She remembered the first time they spent time together.
'Azarath. Metrion. Zynthos'
Failing to concentrate, she walked back to her room. She stopped at her mirror and stared at her reflection. Something on her dresser caught her attention. It was a picture of her and Robin. Next to it was one of the team without Abel and then one with Abel, and finally one with her, Robin, Abel, and Starfire. She picked up the picture of her and Robin and gazed at it remembering the day it was taken, it was the night after the nightclub...
"Hey, let's get a picture taken," Abel suggested as they walked by the picture shop.
"You mean the pictures that cost seventy dollars?" Robin asked, with an incredulous look.
"We can get one, make copies and give them to the others," Abel responded with a shrug, placing his arm around Starfire's shoulders, "what do you say?" he asked her.
"I think it would be glorious!" she said rather loudly. I rolled my eyes as people within the wide range turned to look at her. Robin sighed and looked at me.
"What about you, Rae?"
"Sure, why not?" I responded with a shrug. Abel clapped his hands together.
"Alrighty-then!" we turned into the shop and gawked at the decorations and samples lining the shops walls. Starfire stopped to stare at one of the frames on display. It was silver and had gold butterflies around the corners; in place of the photo was a slip of paper with a Lladro logo. She looked at the price tag. The beautiful frame cost more than the picture they were going to take. I watched as Abel looked over her shoulder and whistled at the price. Starfire turned and walked to something else. Abel watched her walk away and looked back at the frame. He glanced back at Starfire and smiled.
'What are you going to do?' I projected.
'Nothing!' he replied unconvincingly.
'I can read your mind; it's pointless to deny it. You're going to buy it for her, aren't you?'
'No... maybe... yes.'
'And where do you plan on getting money to make such a purchase?'
'I'll worry about that when the time comes. Get out of my head!' With that, he shot up his mental barriers and locked me out f his mind. I scowled at him and he scowled back. Robin interrupted our death-glare battle.
"They're uh… ready for us… something wrong?"
"No," we answered at the same time. Robin shrugged and turned to walk to the back. The photographer was a woman in a red blazer and black skirt. She smiled warmly at us and looked at Robin and Starfire as they walked in.
"You two make such a cute couple!" I was perturbed at the nerve of this woman. It annoyed me even more to think that I wasn't what people expected of Robin. I clenched my hands in my pockets. Before anyone could respond she rounded on Abel and I. "And you two look perfect together!"
Abel's jaw dropped at the obliviousness of the woman. He shook his head and stepped forward to set things straight.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, She's my sister," he said, indicating me. The woman smiled and nodded and Abel continued, "She's my girlfriend," he finished with a gesture toward Starfire. The woman; Barbara, as her nametag read; continued to smile. Abel raised an eyebrow and looked at Robin, who shrugged. Another photographer appeared from a room.
"Hi, I see you've met Barbara, she's a bit spacey and jumps to enormous conclusions. I'm Sheryl. If you'll follow me, I can take your picture if you want."
"That would be… nice," said Abel, he was watching Barbara. She was still smiling and nodding to no one. Her gaze never left the wall, even when Abel waved his hand in front of her face, "Let's get this done, then." He stopped waving his hand and walked in the direction Sheryl indicated. We started to follow him into the back, when Barbara came back from La-La land.
"Thanks for coming, hope to see you soon!" she was still staring at the wall and started waving. When she stopped waving she turned and walked into the staff room.
"Anyway… this way for your photo."
Raven was yanked from her reverie when she noticed her mirror glowing. A portal opened and she gasped at who stepped out.
TT
Starfire opened her eyes. She had been lying awake for hours and closed her eyes when someone opened her door. She wasn't sure who it was until they walked away and she noticed a blue cloak fluttering passed her doorway. She wasn't sure why she closed her eyes. Maybe she didn't want anyone to bother her? Shaking the thought from her head, she sat up and looked at her dresser. On top of it, next to her mirror was a picture of the team before Abel arrived and one two weeks after he had. In the picture without Abel, she stood a little behind Robin and to the left of Cyborg. Beast Boy was squatted on Cyborg's left shoulder with his fingers in a V behind Cyborg's head. Raven had tried to stay as far out of sight as possible, but failed because Cyborg had his right arm firmly around her shoulder.
She shifted her gaze to the more recent photo. It was at the park, on a picnic table. Robin was sitting on the park bench with the bench between his legs. Cyborg stood in the background with his right foot resting on the table and his right arm resting on his leg. Beast Boy was lying on his back on the top of the table with his head dangling over the edge, so he was looking at the photographer. Starfire herself sat at the bench as well, with her feet under the table and her head turned toward the camera. Abel sat at the table to Starfire's left facing away from it with his elbows resting on it and leaning back to look into camera. Raven's position in this photo made Starfire smile; she was not fighting to stay out of the photo, instead she sat behind Robin with her arms draped around his shoulders and her chin resting on her arm. Her smile in the previous picture was forced, but this was genuine; Starfire could tell by the way Raven's eyes wrinkled a little at the edges. It was the most genuine smile Starfire had ever seen on her friend's face.
The next picture on her dresser was one she cherished. It was of herself and Abel. She remembered the day it was taken. She, Abel, Robin, and Raven were at the mall, when Abel suggested they get a picture taken. The initial idea was to get one and make copies, but the photographer suggested a package set. Robin started to refuse, but Abel liked the idea…
"So would you like a package?" the photographer inquired. Robin began to refuse, but Abel figured it would be good idea.
"I don't think…"
"Sure." Robin rounded on Abel.
"What? Getting one picture was your idea!"
"Yes. What's your point?" I watched the spectacle with interest while Raven shook her head and smiled. Abel glanced at me and winked. I smiled back and suddenly had a mischievous idea. I jumped in front of Robin and gave him the look Beast Boy always used on me when he wanted something. I jutted out my bottom lip and stared at him with bi g eyes. I was surprised when Raven joined in next to me.
"Please!" we said in unison. I knew Abel was smiling behind us. Robin looked from me, to Raven, to Abel. He sighed and gave up.
"Fine"
Starfire picked up the picture frame and stroked it. It was the one she had been examining at the shop. After the pictures were taken Abel had disappeared somewhere, when he returned he said he had gone to the restroom. An hour later we returned to the tower…
I held the picture of Abel and me in my hand. I entered my room still looking down; I went to my closet to find a frame. I took one out and went to my bed to put the picture in, but something caught my eye. I looked at my dresser and saw the picture frame I had been admiring at the shop. I gasped and picked it up; it was cool to the touch. I somehow knew it was Abel that bought the frame. That's where he went, I thought to myself as I placed the picture in the delicate frame. After the photograph was in place I set it on my dresser. I exited my room and made my into the living room…
Starfire was pulled out of her trance by Raven's shout.
"Starfire!" Starfire placed the frame on her dresser and flew through her door and to Raven's room. She entered, ready to fight, when she realized what made Raven shout her name. She gasped and unclenched her hands.
"Abel?"
TT
Abel lay awake, staring at the ceiling. He looked across the room to Robin tossing and turning in his sleep. 'It's time to get out of here,' he thought to himself. He grabbed his rosary around his neck and muttered his mantra.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos"
He was pulled into his mind and landed in a grassy field. He looked around and found Happy in his bright green shirt.
"Happy, Where's Intelligence?"
"Yo, homie. Don't know where he is, dude," he replied with an enormous smile. Abel sighed and looked around. He turned to Happy, who was humming something to himself.
"Maybe you could help me then. Is there anyway for me to get to Raven's mind from here?" he asked. Happy stopped humming and smiled.
"Totally, dude. Follow me," he led the way to a rocky arch, "right through there, homie."
"Thanks"
"Keep it real, yo."
"Yeah," Abel stepped through the portal and onto a grassy field. Abel turned around and saw Happy waving at him. Abel turned back around and came face-to-face with Raven in a pink cloak.
"Hey, little bro!" she shouted and hugged him around the neck. Abel pulled away and looked back at the portal. The green-shirted Abel was still there, running around and doing cartwheels.
"I need to get out of here. Into Raven's room,"
"Okay!" Happy Raven ran off shouting for him to follow. Abel ran after her. When she stopped at another arch, Abel ran through it and waved as he did. He stepped out of Raven's mirror and into her room. Raven's eyes widened and she gasped.
"Hey, sis"
TT
Robin woke up and looked around, remembering where he was. He looked toward Abel's cot and found it empty. Robin shot out of his cot and ran to Abel's and found his rosary and his badge. He picked up the rosary and rubbed the crucifix with his thumb.
'Hey, what the hell? It's worth a shot, right?' he thought as he held the rosary out in front of him, 'how did it go again? Oh, yeah. Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos,' Robin stood there but nothing happened, 'Oh, right! Gotta say it out loud,'
"Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos"
Robin was pulled into the crucifix and dumped onto a marble floor. Robin stood and looked around, he was surrounded by bookshelves.
"Nice place," he said brushing himself off.
"Isn't it?" Abel's voice made Robin jump. He spun around and in front of him was Abel, but he wasn't wearing the armor Slade had given him. Instead he was in his usual pants, boots, and shirt. He didn't have any belts and his shirt was brown and he was wearing glasses.
"Abel?"
"In a manner of speaking. I am an embodiment of Abel's emotion, Intelligence. This is my library. Every book my counterpart has ever read is here. Robin looked around again. The bookshelves seemed to form a spiral, and he noticed that the bookshelves got taller as they got farther out. There were thousands of shelves and possibly millions of books.
"Wow. All of them are finished?"
"No. Some are only partial passages, some halfway through, some completely blank except for the covers."
"Wow. Anyway, where's Abel?"
"I have not seen him. He may be in Raven's mind."
"Oh… wait, what?"
"Raven's mind. I can take you there if you like."
"Uh… yeah, take me."
"Come with me," he turned and led the way through the spiraling bookcases. Robin looked around at the books in amazement. There were novels, reference books, comic books, text books, sacred scriptures. Robin wondered if Raven's mind was anything like this. Lost in his thoughts robin didn't notice the spiraling stop and shift into the arrangement of a regular library. When he finally looked up, he was standing in front of Raven in a yellow cloak and glasses. Robin couldn't help but gasp, he knew it wasn't Raven, but it looked just like her. Raven's Intelligence walked up to him and quickly kissed him on the lips. It felt different, but was solid. She pulled away and smiled.
"It is good to see you are well. I assume you would like to get to Raven's room?"
"Yeah…"
"Come," Raven's Intelligence turned with a swish of her cloak and walked down the aisle and turned right. Robin followed and they came to an arch made of rock. Robin stepped into the black spiral and into Raven's room. He looked around at the occupants. Raven, Starfire, and Abel turned to him. Abel was the first to speak.
"It's about time you showed up."
Hey, guys. sorry it took so long to update. I've been grounded for the past month. I think this story will be finished in the next five chapters or so. 'til next chapter.