A/N: Yup...and there you go. Really should have had this one out sooner but I can't even find the motivation to review, let alone write long chapters, but I'm working on it...doing my best which obviously isn't really that good...so anyways, I can honestly say, I have no friggin idea what I'm doing anymore...good luck with this one

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

Trying to Do the Right Thing

Chapter 32:Found and Still Lost

By: Finalitylife

Raven had been sleeping comfortably for sometime she figured, feeling very relaxed, straddling that fine line between still asleep and waking up, when a surge of dark, disturbing emotions suddenly began flowing into her mind. There were no physical visions or anything to tell her what occurrence was the source of the emotions, but she knew they were from Robin because she could hear him screaming for her...screaming for her to come save him. They began to push harder against her mind like a dagger directly into her brain. Her semiconscious mind began yelling his name, and Raven was sure she was physically calling it as well, a desperate plea for him to answer though just as desperate for the pain to stop. The pain started to increase, but thankfully, someone began shaking her to fully wake her up, breaking the connection, a final ragged call by Robin being cut off with it.

"Raven! Come on wake up..." Raven heard the male voice speaking to her, and instinctively called out the name that was on her mind, still sounding desperate and frightened.

"Robin?" The response was exactly as the logical part of her mind expected, though was still disheartening all the same.

"No Raven its Speedy...are you okay?." Raven absorbed the information slowly before realizing truly who it was, shooting up to a sitting situation eyeing the red-headed archer standing there in the darkness of the room, still fighting pack the slight remnants of the emotions she had been feeling, bring a shaky hand to her head to try and calm herself. Those emotions...Robin's emotions were imbalancing her own and her mind, however she did her best to respond to this highly undesired intrusion.

"What are you doing here?" Raven's voice came out far weaker than she would have ever wanted Speedy to here it as...she didn't like people to know she was slipping because then they would start asking questions and Raven didn't want to talk about it...especially with an immature womanizer like Speedy.

"What am I doing here? I come home from a date and the security system starts picking up a heat signature in Robin's room, but doesn't raise any alarm because it completely recognizes it, and upon inspection I find you thrashing around in Robin's bed. Seriously Raven, I'd like an explanation. I'm worried that you're here...worried that I found you like this."

"I don't owe you any explanation Speedy. Now if you excuse me, I have to be returning to the other Titans. They need me." Raven tried to stand up, stumbling over still unable to find her balance as her body did not seem to want to cooperate with her shaky mind. However, she was caught by the steady hands of Speedy. She just wanted to get out of here, away from questions and prying eyes, but she knew she wasn't ready to travel the distance she needed to until she was calm and back in control.

"Easy there girl...just sit down for now. You don't have to tell me anything, but I'm seriously not going to let you leave like this." Speedy helped Raven to sit back on the bed, helping her settle though she resisted his contact and his help as best as her current 'state' allowed. Raven truly did not like the prolonged contact and glared up at Speedy as she sat down.

"You can let go of me now Speedy." Speedy pulled his hands away quickly, standing up and scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry Raven...force of habit to keep my hands on the beautiful women." Raven again glared harshly at Speedy, and he laughed nervously. After that, the room took on a silence as Raven closed her eyes, chanting her mantra over and over again feeling her balance starting to return. Her concentration was broken by Speedy's soft voice, uncharacteristically soft because there was a slight quiver to it she only noticed with the help of her empathy telling her the emotions behind it. She looked up at the red haired archer with a curious glance.

"I know I said you don't have to tell me anything, but could you...could you at least tell me if you've found anything new about Rose?" Raven felt her heart soften, remembering that Speedy had known Robin before the Titans were even a thought, and probably was hating the fact he could not look for him himself. Cyborg had done his best to keep all of them updated, but Raven was unaware just how often that was.

"No...nothing as of yet. She's still always one step ahead of us, but we will find her eventually because I know we will never stop looking and its only a matter of time before she makes some type of mistake." The lines sounded almost rehearsed from Raven's mouth, though in a way they were because she said them anytime of the Titans started to feel glum about the chase.

"I know you guys will. You'd never give up on finding Robin...none of us would." Again silence took over the room. Raven tried to find her center, but simply could not. She felt so very tired, as if everything she had felt from Robin had sapped away the rest she had received and there were times before from other 'flare-ups' of their bond that it was indeed the case, leaving her needing more rest despite already sleeping some. Perhaps it was a side effect of the bond and the black magic that coursed through Robin. Again Raven raised a slightly shaking hand to her head, something Speedy did notice, and Raven could not deny the caring in his voice.

"Hey Raven...maybe you should rest a bit longer...you don't look so good."

"I'm fine..." Speedy shook his head at hearing Raven's weak voice.

"Now I'm not one to normally call bullshit Raven, but its quite clear your not fine. It won't kill you to rest a little bit longer."

"But it might kill Robin." Raven's cold voice chilled Speedy slightly, and he imagined that was Raven's intention so that he would just let the situation go. He was not going to do that however.

"Raven..." Speedy sat down next to Raven on the bed though a good three feet away, Raven giving him a glare as he did so.

"We all understand just how serious this situation is but...but you need to take better care of yourself. You know Robin...if something ever happened to you while looking for him, you know he's never forgive himself. That self righteous bastard...no matter what he always only wants the best for all of us, and from the bits and pieces I've managed to get out of Cy, I think your well being matters the most to him." Speedy smiled one of his cocky smiles as Raven looked slightly nervous at what Speedy seemed to know, though she inwardly smiled at thinking about Robin and his sweet, caring nature.

"I'm going to harm Cyborg severely when I see him next." This only caused Speedy to laugh.

"Aw don't blame the man. I can be quite persuasive and pestering when I want to be, and I'm sure if Robin was around he would have mentioned it to me anyways. I mean seriously, you two make a really cute couple."

"That's it I'm leaving..." Raven stood up swiftly, wanting to get away from this topic of conversation with Speedy of all people but she felt a rush to her head, again causing her to stumble and once again Speedy caught her, preventing her from falling.

"That's twice Raven...you really need to relax more." Raven looked up at Speedy smiling at her, realizing just how close the two were, him holding her tightly, and she imagined it would have looked bad for them two if someone saw it. However, the only reason Raven wasn't pushing herself off with authority because she was suddenly extremely tired, her body feeling very heavy finding it difficult to move at all.

"Just admit it Raven, you still need to rest..." Raven managed to nod weakly, hating how vulnerable she was looking and acting right now, but her body and mind screamed at her to sleep, and she was finding it impossible to argue anymore.

"See that wasn't so hard. I know your tough Raven, but even the toughest chicks need sleep after enduring everything you've had to deal with the past six months. How about you go to sleep for two hours, and I promise to wake you up, won't tell anyone you're here either." Speedy helped Raven get her legs up onto the bed.

"It's a deal Speedy...just don't ever call me a chick again." Despite her weariness, Speedy still found force behind the threat.

"Alright...alright...you just rest." Speedy stood up and pulled the blanket up for Raven so that she just wasn't using her cloak for cover. He watched her continue to fight her eyes from closing for a few more seconds, clearly losing.

"Just go to sleep Rae. Robin would never forgive himself if something happened to you while he was away, and as his oldest friend, I know he would never forgive me if I let something happen to you if I could prevent it. You just sleep Raven...just rest for a little while. You know that's what Robin would want from you right now." At his words, despite losing to her weariness, Raven found herself wanting an answer to a question.

"You've known Robin a long time Speedy...how come you never joined the original Titans all that time ago? I imagine Robin would have asked you." Speedy too a few seconds before responding.

"Honestly, he did ask me Raven. I said no. I said no because I knew that Robin would insist on being the leader, and I know I could never constantly take orders from him. Robin and I grow up as friends but as rivals as well, always wanting to out do the other, to honestly think I could be on a team where I always had to answer to somebody who I wanted to beat at every bastion of life, well I think you can figure out that it wouldn't have worked without us trying to killing each other. Friendly competition between the two of us...but competition nonetheless. I mean I'm sure he told you about that Master of Games tournament we got dragged off to and that was a mild spar considering some of the battles we've been through. Leader and subordinate really wouldn't work...of course after seeing you and Starfire, I do have to slightly question my decision..."

Speedy went to give one of his sly smiles only to realize Raven was asleep, not really knowing how much of his explanation she had actually heard. Speedy shrugged and quietly left the room, setting an alarm on his communicator for exactly two hours. He would keep his promise.

Of course what neither of them knew was that the whole encounter had been seen through a security camera in Robin's room that though only having video and not audio, captured enough. Without Cyborg, by far the true technical and computer genius, the security encryptions had been an easy target for Slade to maintain his observation on the tower. Slade laughed to himself from his 'throne room' as he replayed the scene on the monitor in front of him, pausing at the part where Speedy held Raven, the two almost looking like they were going to kiss. Again Slade laughed to himself as he started adjusting the tape.

"I do believe my apprentice will love to see this. He would find it most interesting to know just how quickly they've all forgotten him."

--

A few hours later, after getting her much needed two hours of sleep, Speedy had indeed woken up Raven so that she could return to the other Titans, a new found vigor coursing through her body as if she had been re-energized, though the information from her magical books still weighing heavily on her mind, and she doubted that would ever leave. She stood for a few seconds on the roof of the tower...her home...by herself, before forming into her soul self, taking off into the sky.

Raven reached the current 'headquarters' of the Titans in the city they were searching in, taking a few seconds to gather back her energy from the trip, when her communicator started buzzing. The other four Titans were out searching the city, and she was surprised how quickly they were contacting her as it had only been a few minutes since they would have realized she was back from the locator signal the communicator provided. The second she pushed the button to receive on the communicator, Cyborg's slightly frantic voice came through.

"Rae...you won't believe this. The lights are on and somebody is home. I'm picking up a distinct single heat signature in this place. I repeat, she's here...she's here...we found her." Raven couldn't even imagine what was actually being said, that their long sought prey had finally been found. Maybe found, but definitely not caught...how difficult that would be remained to be seen, and if she was truly Slade's daughter, than it would be problematic at best. It really all just felt surreal to her at the moment but the tone in Cyborg's voice was undeniable.

"I hear you Cyborg. Get everyone in their positions. I'll be there in a few moments." Raven did not disappoint, appearing quickly, though to the Titans that were there, it felt like an eternity in the confines of the intense situation at hand. It did not take much communication to see up a plan because the Titans had done this same thing dozens of time in the past six months searching for Rose, and it had become almost routine searching out buildings like these, this one appearing to be a rundown apartment building in a mostly abandoned part of town though indeed lights were on.

However, the Titans knew this was the absolutely real thing, and the plan was modified a bit. There would be as little direct attack as possible until the exact moment it was needed. Raven would make the first move, Cyborg and Starfire would provide cover, and Beast Boy would be the ace in the hole, hiding as something almost too small to be seen, acting if things quickly got out of hand.

The Titans silently got into position on the ground floor, their target in a wide open space that probably was once a lobby when the building was still lived in. Starfire made her way up to a balcony hanging over the ground to provide air coverage and was the first one to see their target though it was only seconds that the rest did, music greeting them all as well.

What the Titans found did not seem to be an immediate threat. Opera music blared through out the building, echoing on the walls, a soothing, graceful melody filling the air. In the middle of the room was a young woman who could be no older than they were with long white hair, a lithe yet muscular body, and most notably, a black eyepatch over her right eye. Her height was somewhere in between Raven's and Starfire's, though probably closer to Starfire, and the skin tight black outfit she wore clearly showed just how in shape she was. She seemed to be in the middle of some type of training session, moving perfectly fluidic to the music as she spun her body around in complex yet perfectly executed movements while slashing and stabbing elongated daggers in the air.

Raven hated to admit it, but it was very beautiful to watch, reminding her of some of Robin's training sessions that she used to watch what seemed like so long ago, content to simply watch him move in his perfection of action. Raven also noticed that the girl who could only be Rose, had her one eye closed as she went to the motion, seemingly lost in the music, and Raven couldn't help but think that maybe this would be somewhat easy.

Raven remained in the shadows, moving unseen closer and closer, taking the point of the confrontation while Starfire and Cyborg continued their back up duty while Beast Boy was already closer than anyone could see in the form of an insect, only noticeably to those who knew what to look for. Raven's first direct action would trigger them all to converge, but some one beat her to the punch. Rose spun around one last time, and in a single, barely seen motion, a dagger was flying through the air, stabbing into the wall right next to Raven's head.

"I see you..." Rose responded in a feminine sing-song voice as she smiled directly at where Raven was. Raven found herself unable to move, shocked at her sudden discovery. Thankfully, it was Starfire and Cyborg who attacked, starbolts and sonic cannon erupting but only hitting the ground as Rose, acrobatically flipped backwards a few times to avoid the attack. Beast Boy transformed into a large gorilla behind her only to receive a back elbow straight into his jaw with devastating effectiveness causing him to crash back into the wall. She had known he was there. Rose did a few more flips away from everyone landing in a half crouch brandishing her dagger at the Titans with still the same smile on her face.

"Oh hello...the Titans I presume. No need for further violence. I mean it seems you have been looking for me for some time so I am curious to know what you want. I mean 6 months is such a long time to chase me...it must be something especially important...oh what has my Father done...killed that precious leader of yours finally?"

Raven noticed that the only word that wasn't said with sarcasm or slight laughter was Father. It was clearly said harshly and with disgust, something Raven took as a decent sign that Rose was not a fan of her Father. None of the Titans said anything, gathering closer to each other, Beast Boy painfully rubbing his jaw though ready for anything.

"We've been searching for you because we need..." Cyborg was cut off.

"My help I imagine, and it seems like it might be a possibility. You see my abilities have been warning me of your approach since you started your search, but this time, I received no warning. I guess I was meant to be found this time, and I am a little sad our game is ending. Its been awhile since I really had anything to do except train." Again she laughed still sounding like she hadn't a care in the world. Starfire unexpectently burst forward with anger in her voice.

"This was nothing but a game to you? "

"Of course, but look at the bright side...you kept me amused, and isn't that what really matters?" Rose's laughter was cut off by Starfire's enraged voice, mirroring all the Titans thoughts that Rose had so much fun while they fought so hard to find Robin.

"How dare you!" Starfire flew forward intent on delivering a punch to Rose's face. Rose mock yawned as Starfire flew forward, moving her head to the side at absolutely the last second, her dagger coming up, stopping just short of Starfire's eye, stopping the stunned alien princess in an instant.

"You can stop now unless you'd like to have matching eyepatches with me. We could be twins..." More slightly crazed laughter caused a slight chill to run down Starfire's spine as she found herself unable to move. Thankfully, Raven came to the rescue, black energy forming around the dagger, throwing at the wall next to the other one in a moment. Rose did not seem to mind.

"Well now that's over, tell me what you want? I'm still betting its revenge on my father for killing your leader since I don't see him anywhere nor in any of my visions. Is that it Rae? I can call you Rae, right? Raven did not take the bait to argue, but did take a direct route.

"Close Rose. Your father has taken Robin through means against his will, and is intent on making Robin his apprentice, someone to take after him. We hope that you, as his daughter, can help us find him." For the first time, the smile on Rose's face left, leaving a very dark and cold look that was chilling to all except Raven though the look as quickly gone, the smile returning as Rose casually walked over pulling her daggers from the wall.

"Well I guess I can help you with your search, since like I said, I have been bored, and I do believe it is finally time for a reunion with my father dearest. I do believe I am ready to see him again. For now, make yourself at home. I'm going to go shower, anybody want to join me?" She turned around with a very sultry smile, eyeing each of the four Titans who weren't really sure what to do. Raven noticed her one, cold grey eye remained longest on Beast Boy, like a predator who had spotted the weakest of the prey, causing the young changling to fidget underneath the gaze.

"Oh well...suit yourself." Rose soon disappeared into a nearby hallway.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on because seriously, I don't know what just happened?" Raven agreed with Beast Boy in her mind, though would never admit that fact.

"Yeah I'm going to have to agree with grass stain over there, is this girl crazy or what? And seriously, am I the only one who just wants to wipe that damn smile off her face right now." Raven reluctantly did her best to calm everyone down and make some sense.

"Alright...we need to be smart about all of this. It seems Rose is not a fan of Slade either despite him being her father, and it looks like she will be willing to help us. This is what we wanted, and now we have it. This...this is our best hope to find Robin, just don't turn your back on Rose...she may want to help us, but that doesn't mean she can be trusted. Is that understood?" All the Titans nodded to Raven's words.

"Hey Raven? What do we do now?" Raven took a few seconds to consider the question from Beast Boy.

"We wait until she comes back out here so that maybe she can clarify a few things. To be honest, until she wants to do something, we're at her mercy. We just have to be patient..." Raven almost cringed at that word again. Patience...she just didn't know if she had any left in her, and she hated the fact that for a moment she had actually contemplated ripping apart Rose's mind for the information she hoped to find. It would have been a monstrous act against someone who had shown no proof she was evil, could have potentially devastated her own mind as well yet still Raven had considered it, and she hated that fact all the same. Raven needed to control her desperation if they hoped to succeed. They had found Rose...there chances could have only increased now of finding Robin...hadn't they?