1A/N: Took a bit longer than expected because of work and the fact I've been spending time catching up on reading stories and doing some reviewing.. Quite a few good ones out there. Anyways, I think readers will enjoy this chapter. I guess its my way of making up for I Served My Purpose which was depressing, even I'll admit that. Ending may not make sense but it will eventually. Well, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, but hey, I think we all knew that already

Trying To Do the Right Thing

Chapter 10

By: Finalitylife

Robin P.O.V:

Raven had got quite a bit in front of me, having the distinct advantage of being able to float over the hot sand rather than running on it. Despite my exceptional balance and agility, I was still finding it difficult to keep my footing at the incredible pace I was trying to run to close the gap between me and her. She could have easily just formed into her soul self and went home but I doubt she was thinking very clearly right now. She was hurt, that asshole having attacked an obviously very sensitive subject with the dark young woman. I remembered when she was in the infirmary following the confrontation with Starfire in Raven's room that resulted in her being hurt, I remembered when she asked me if the handsome prince could ever love the ugly witch. I remembered how vulnerable she had sounded when she asked that question. She really did look down on herself, really took to heart when someone said those horrible words to her. I really couldn't understand why she looked so down on herself but there was quite a bit I didn't understand about her.

I wasn't entirely sure where she was fleeing to, hell I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to say to her when I finally caught up to her. As I raced after her, I noticed that there seemed to be no people on this area of the beach. It was a far more secluded area than where we had been. Eventually, I realized I was not going to catch her but for whatever reason, she suddenly stopped. She hovered there, only a few inches off the ground, the breeze sweeping by though it seemed to not affect her at all. I finally made it up to her, nearly ready to collapse from running, bending over with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. She made no movement at all as I sat there panting and wheezing though as I started to look closer at her, I could see her form shaking the smallest bit. I also noticed a few tendrils of black energy manage to snake their way off her form though after a brief second, they were pulled back into her. Raven had learned incredible control of her power and for her to be fighting this hard for control, meant she was really upset, and again I just couldn't understand why those words had hurt her so much, why she had said she wasn't worth it, wasn't worth to defend. It left a strange feeling in my chest as I thought about it.

"Raven..." I managed to say her name finally after catching my breath. Her reaction was to land on the beach, ending her hoovering. The sand barely shifted under her weight, the only sound was the gentle crashing of the waves on the shore, her back to me, her body clad completely in her dark cloak. I decided to start out by thanking her for what she did.

"Thank you for stopping me back there Raven. Thank you for stopping me from making a huge mistake by punching that guy out." She responded though her voice was distant and faint.

"I was not going to allow you to do something that I knew went against everything you believe in. And besides, its not like what he said about me isn't true. I am a freak." The last words came out even quieter than her words yet they echoed loudly in my mind. They were full of such self loathing, such pain.

"Raven..." Again I said her name though this time it came out more as a pleading for her to stop saying such things about herself, though she did not listen.

"You would think I would be used to words like that by now, think I would be used to the stares of strangers as they look upon my disgusting appearance. I've heard those words from the moment I was born yet they still hurt so much. Why must people always remind me of how different I am, how much of a freak I am." Her voice was shaky and cold. I could feel the presence of so many repressed emotions, so many old wounds being reopened in the young girl, so many unshed tears. I took a step toward her, reaching out a hand, gently grabbing her wrist. She flinched slightly at the touch.

"Raven...please..." I could feel her body trembling, still trying to hold back the tears that she stubbornly refused to let fall. Instead, she spun around, lashing out in anger, an emotion almost always repressed by the stoic young woman. Her eyes stared out from under her hood, boring into my own under my mask.

"You have no idea what its like Robin. You are a human, a normal human. You have no idea what its like for people to stare at you like your some type of circus attraction, like you belong in the freak show. You have no idea what its like to hear there whispers, their snickering, their comments about my hideous skin color or my strange hair. You have no idea what its like to actually feel their waves of disgust toward you radiating off of them." Her eyes were heated yet I could still see the tears within them. I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Actually, I was a circus attraction." Her anger seemed to fade for a second, her blinking in slight shock and confusion, probably not expecting that as a response. She had been in my mind, but she must have not put all the pieces together, or simply had not bothered out of respect to my privacy. However, that look quickly faded and once again returned to one of anger.

"That doesn't matter. You are still a regular human. You can walk away anytime you want from this life...but me, I have no choice. Beast Boy and Cyborg, they look the way they do because of a tragedy. They weren't born that way and hopefully, one day, science can help them, but there is no helping me. I was born looking like this and there is nothing that will ever change that." I continued to hold on to her wrist, matching her intense gaze though she could not see that. Again, I simply did the first thing that came to my mind. I pulled her small form into a gentle embrace, wrapping my arms around her. She resisted, trying to pull away from me, yelling at me.

"Let go of me Robin...let go of me now." I did not let go, only tightened my arms around her. I could feel her small hands pushing against my chest, trying to get away from me, her voice becoming more strained.

"Let go of me, let go of me, let...go...of...me..." Her voice weak, the tears could not be held back any longer, finally breaking through her resistance. She reached her arms around me, burying her face in my chest, as she cried. Again she was crying in my arms, just like a few days ago. I heard something explode somewhere though I really didn't care at this moment.

"Why do I have to look this way. Why do I have to be so ugly. Why can't I be beautiful like Starfire." I only held her tighter, rubbing my hand on her back, doing my best to comfort her. I spoke quietly and gently to her.

"Stop saying such things Raven, just stop saying those things. Why can't you see the truth Raven, why can't you see that your not a freak, that your special, and so very, very beautiful." Her response was still so sad, so defeated.

"Please Robin, I don't want your pity." I gritted my teeth, finally having enough of this. I pulled back from Raven, grabbing on to one of her hands, pulling it to my chest. I reached up and pushed off her hood, revealing her delicate face and she quickly looked away from me, closing her eyes.. I tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear so that her face was not at all hidden from my view.

"Look at me Raven...please." She didn't react immediately but after a brief pause, her head slowly turned, her eyes opening and once again I was seeing two amazing eyes, only this time they weren't filled with anger, but something else I couldn't quite recognize.

"You can feel people's emotions Raven so tell me, do you feel disgust coming from me, do you feel pity, do you feel a single damn thing that tells you what I said isn't absolutely true." My voice was filled with as much conviction as it was when I spoke in battle, completely and totally unwavering in my intention. I felt her studying me, trying to read me.

"No one...no one has ever called me beautiful before." She sounded like a child, unsure of her own words and actions.

"You are Raven, you are so amazingly beautiful. I just so badly wish you could see that. You have no idea how hard it is for me to hear you say things like you've been saying about yourself, such hurtful and untrue things." My words were simply coming out of my mouth, my brain really not registering what I was saying as the words flowed freely from my heart. She only continued to stare at me with her incredible eyes, a look of uncertainty still lingering in them. I knew it was hard far her to believe in my words because I knew she was telling the truth when she said she had heard those terrible things all her life. This was something that had been ingrained in her mind long ago and it was not something that would simply disappear but I knew I would make sure it eventually would. I still held her hand at my chest and I was sure she could feel the rhythmic beating of my heart. I saw something pass through her eyes, as if she had come to a decision. She reached up with her other hand and unclasped her cloak, it slowly falling to the ground, revealing what she looked so down upon to my eyes. Again her words were unsure and fearful.

"Do...do you still think I'm beautiful?" I stared at the sight in front of me, taking in every inch of soft, gray skin, every delicate curve, and I realized I was probably staring just as I had when Starfire took off her clothes earlier. Raven was wearing a modest black bikini, nowhere near as small or revealing as Starfire's though she looked just as stunning. It conformed to her curves perfectly, her flat, bare stomach revealed to me for the first time in all the years I had know her, outside of her dreams though even they were never as vivid as reality. She refused to look at me as she stood there, bearing her body, though in a way bearing her soul, fighting with one of her deepest problems.

"Raven, honestly, I don't think beautiful is a good enough word to describe what I see in front of me." She still didn't look at me, but I could see the smallest of blushes appear on her face, and the faintest of smiles. I couldn't help but smile myself. It made me happy to see her like that. She rarely did smile and seeing it at this moment made me realize just how much I loved to see her actually smile. I flinched slightly at that single word...love. That word did not need to be coming up right now. I suddenly felt Raven pull her hand from mine breaking contact with me but the loss of her touch only lasted a few seconds before two slender arms snaked their way around me and I felt Raven hug tightly against my bare chest. When I had been holding her a few seconds ago, she had been covered by her cloak, but now I could clearly feel her warm, soft flesh as it pressed against mine, and it felt good. I felt strange sensations coursing through my whole body, many I did not recognize and at that moment, I really didn't care to figure them out. I was simply happy that I was getting through to her.

"Thank you Robin. Thank you so much." I held her as she held on to me and the two of us simply stood there for however long Raven needed me there. I couldn't help but notice her scent. I wasn't sure what it was, wether it was perfume, sun tan lotion, or simply her but it was intoxicating. I breathed it in as we stood there, the scent relaxing my body. Eventually, she pulled away from me, giving me one final squeeze before separating. She seemed like she was at peace now, seemed happy. Of course little did I know that she was also incredibly turned on right now but that was something that I wouldn't have known. She turned around and bent over to pick up her cloak and just like three days ago, I found myself with the flawless, firm behind of Raven right in front of my eyes. However, much more of it was clear in a bikini than had been in her leotard. I felt my eyes go wide and fought to repress a groan at the sight and the urge to reach out and grab it, to see if it was as firm as it looked. Damn hormones. They are only going to get me into trouble...or dead. The moment which seemed to go in slow motion finally passed and Raven was again standing straight up putting her cloak on. She gave me a look telling me that she was okay but still wasn't completely comfortable in her current attire in front of other people. I would be the only one lucky enough today to see what was under that dark cloak though I realized that when it came to Raven, there were quite a few things only I was worthy enough to experience, well at least in her opinion. She finally said something, breaking the silence that had been there for a bit.

"Lets go back to the others. I think its time to go home." I nodded as we both started walking down the beach. Even after everything that had just happened, an awkward silence had somehow settled between the two of us as we walked. I guess neither of us were sure what to say. I glanced over at her as we walked, she now with her hood down. The wind blew her hair back just a little bit and she seemed to walk with a small bit of satisfaction on her face. I felt myself smiling again. She finally decided to break the silence, catching me off guard.

"So I'm guessing an acrobat." I looked at her slightly confused.

"What?"

"You said you were a circus attraction, I'm guessing an acrobat because its really the only thing that makes sense. Of course one would look at your uniform and assume a clown of some type." I stopped and looked at her, unsure of what to say. First I didn't want to talk about who I really was or my past and secondly, did she just insult me? She noticed that I stopped and turned slightly showing me the smallest smirk before continuing on back towards the others. I continued to stand there for a moment before I finally came up with the perfect response.

"Hey!" And ran after her. She floated away, sending a small bit of black energy at my feet, causing me to fall down, landing face first in the sand. I laid there for a second, trying to figure out what just happened, coughing out some sand that had gotten in my mouth. I looked up at Raven who was hoovering above me still with that look of satisfaction on her face and a smile gracing her face. She was finally enjoying her beach trip. I shot to my feet, chasing after her. She decided to give me a fighting chance and actually ran on the sand instead of floating.

"When I catch you, you are in such trouble Rae." She kept a few feet in front of me and almost sounded like she laughed.

"What did I tell you about calling me Rae." I laughed as she tried to sound threatening.

"Well what did I say about calling me a clown?" I managed to get a hand on to her cloak as it flew back from her running. The sudden resistance to her movement caused her to stumble and so did I, both falling to the ground. We landed in a heap on the warm sand, both trying to catch our breath, though Raven finding a way to look more graceful while I openly panted for breath. She spoke to me as she looked into my eyes.

"Well the clown issue hasn't come up before, though I'm sure many people have thought it many times." I gave her a 'ha-ha not funny look' as I looked down at her, realizing just how close me and her were. Her hair cascaded around her head, probably getting tons of sand in it and I'm sure when she got up, she would be upset about that fact, but at that moment, she didn't seem to care at all, only continuing to smile at me with that so rare, so precious, so beautiful smile. I found myself getting lost in that smile, that face, that scent, this moment. Our bodies were intertwined on the sand, yet neither of us seemed to care. Well I knew she didn't care about the contact but for me, it was strange that I didn't immediately get myself out of the situation, and that probably was a poor choice. Something was driving this moment forward, something I didn't understand, and I couldn't seem to break my gaze from her face. My body felt like it was tingling from her touch, her cloak having fallen in a way so that her body was revealed, her skin touching my skin, heating both of us up. It happened before I even knew it was happening and I found my lips tasting the softness of her own on my accord, not hers. The kiss lasted only a few seconds before Raven pushed me away with a stern look in her eyes.

"We should stop this Robin. We need to get back to the others." She slowly pried herself from me, pulling her cloak back around her body. I could only look at her, not only confused by what I had just done, not only confused by what was flowing through my body and mind at this moment, but completely confused by Raven's reaction.

"Let's go Robin." She extended a hand to me, helping me to my feet. I shook a little sand off of me, giving Raven a strange look though she didn't look at me, only further fueling my confusion. She pulled her hood up and walked away, me following close behind. The silence between us as we walked back to the other Titans had moved far beyond awkward.

Reviewer Responses:

evilsangle: Ha. You'll make sure of it. You talk a big game but...I don't really know where I'm going with this. Thanks for the review as always and hope you enjoyed this chapter. Also, thanks for reviewing my one shot. Yeah Robin was pretty bad but I think that story really went well the way I wanted it to. A sad ending indeed.

Cherry Jade: Yeah, don't worry. I won't do anything unless I think its really good and entertaining, cause the goal is always to entertain. Raven was definitely down at the end of that chapter. I think it makes sense that she would have issues with herself, being demon and all but things hopefully will work out. Honestly, I have no idea if they will since I haven't planned out any of this story in advance. Feel free to rant anytime. Holding in things just leads to problems but trying to understand how people are is impossible sowhy not just relax. Oh and sorry for depressing you with that other story but I guess I was just in one of those moods. I think this one will make you feel better. Peace C.J.

zadeon: Interesting point and I'm going to have to agree with you on that one. Its good to be well informed. Anyways, thanks for the review and also for the one for my oneshot. Exceptionally kind words. Thanks.

spiderbob: Good points in that review. It was a pleasure to read. I think this chapter covers most of the things you were looking for, well almost everything but there's a good chance those things will be in the near future. Well thatz it.

sailorgirl16: Nice to see someone new reviewing the story. Sorry about the P.O.V. thing. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for that but this story is only Robin so it should go smoothly. Also thanks for the review for my oneshot. I guess the goal was to make the reader simply think after reading it so it looks like I succeeded.