His breath was hot on her neck as he spoke, arms wrapping around her middle and pulling her into him. Raven breathed in his cologne and the musky scent of him, allowing herself to relax into the embrace.

"Slade," Raven greeted in a bored tone despite the building anticipation in her gut.

Slade's lips pressed against the outside of her throat for a long moment before he chuckled and pulled away from her, spinning her around to face him. "Feigning disinterest only works if I can't feel your heart racing." He lifted a hand back to where his lips had pressed on her skin, the contact sending another spike of excitement through Raven. Beneath his fingertips, Slade could feel her pulse pounding and quickening at his touch. When his eyes travelled over her face, his grin widened.

Raven looked beautiful. Her eyes were accented by dark blue eye makeup that made the lighter tones in her irises stand out. Her hair was curled and falling on her shoulders, drawing Slade's eye down to the leotard he had given her. He'd been thrilled seeing it through a lens but seeing it in person was far better. He traced his hand down from Raven's neck to her exposed shoulder and lower over the material covering her breast until his hand lingered on her side. He was tempted to take it off her now, but he reigned his urge in, gripping her waist firmly as an alternative before bringing his wandering eye back to her face and her lips that shined lightly with a neutral gloss.

Raven was feeling the rush of heat over her body as Slade's hand travelled from her neck to her waist and his eyes drank in every part of her. She felt his arousal and desire for her, and it added to her own. She sensed the momentary struggle in him not to pull off her clothes right there, and Passion was quickly emerging in her mind and begging him to do it. As Slade admired her, she did the same. He was wearing all black which was not surprising in the least, but rather than the armor she was so accustomed to, he wore a tight-fitted t-shirt and black jeans. She'd seen him shirtless before, but seeing the way his arms bulged against the fabric and the outline of his body teasing her through his clothes, she was needing to hinder her own urges.

"Not even a flinch," Slade noted, squeezing her waist again. "And to think you were playing the hero not three hours ago."

"It's going to take someone a lot stronger than Adonis to keep me down," Raven fired back.

"Is that a challenge?" Slade quipped as both of his hands gripped her waist firmly nearly causing Raven to yelp.

Raven rolled her eyes. "And I'm not playing the hero. I am one, Slade, in case you'd forgotten."

Slade cocked his head to one side, his blue eye shining down at her. "Yet here you are, Raven, again. Of your own conscious free will. By yourself. No Titans. No law enforcement. Just you in the outfit I gave you. And looking rather delicious in it if I say so myself." He leaned into her ear then, his breath stirring her hair and whispered, "I'm not the one that's forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten anything, Slade," Raven countered, her voice hitching as his closeness pushed Passion to the forefront of her thoughts. It seemed the earlier failure in Nevermore was not enough of a deterrent to keep the clone away when it came to Slade.

Slade laughed in her ear, turning to stand by her side as his hand moved to the small of her back and guided her forward. "Whatever you say, little bird."

Please, shut up, Raven, Passion said as Raven thought of another retort.

I'll shut up when he stops being annoying, Raven countered, yet she begrudgingly listened to her purple twin and let it drop. Realistically, Raven knew Slade wasn't entirely wrong. To come here, a part of her had to ignore the blatantly obvious about him and about her. She couldn't come to the home of her enemy and, most definitely, not with the expectations she had for how the evening would play out.

Former enemy, remember? Passion whispered to her.

And that was exactly it. Raven couldn't come to the home of her enemy. But if Slade was no longer her enemy, then what they were doing—what she was doing—wasn't wrong. So, she allowed herself to be led from the inside of his home, the living room by the looks of it, to a massive sliding glass door that opened onto a large patio balcony.

The pair stepped outside together, and Raven barely believed the sight awaiting her. The balcony door was facing west and overlooking a decline in the forest, so the view from the balcony extended over thousands of treetops straight to the skyline of Jump City. The sun was at the horizon on the bay, and Raven could just make out her home standing proudly in the distance. It was a stunning vista, but her violet eyes were widening at the balcony itself. A table for two had been set in the middle and at least one hundred candles were flaming all around creating a walkway from the door to the table and lining the rails of the balcony. Familiar blue roses were set in a vase on the table next to an expensive bottle of wine. Raven's mouth hung loose as she took in the scene.

Slade was watching her expectantly, and his typical smug smirk was plastered on his face when she finally met his eye. She was struggling to find words. When he'd asked her to return for dinner, he'd also pushed into her mind that the dinner itself was little more than a vehicle for getting her back in his bed. Yet the scene before her was almost… romantic?

As she continued to stare at him in disbelief, Slade sighed and slid his hand lower onto her ass and squeezed. Instead of yelping like earlier, Raven narrowed her eyes and smacked him on his chest.

"I'm not mute," she gritted out.

Slade grinned wider, giving her an equally hard slap on her ass. "But you are speechless. Admittedly, I'd planned to leave you that way, I just figured it'd be after making you scream."

"I don't scream," Raven said firmly.

Slade shrugged and led her toward the table. "Not yet," he replied confidently as he pulled a seat for Raven.

Raven groaned at the arrogance but sat down without another quip. Mostly because Passion was bouncing up and down at what Slade was saying, and Raven had to focus to keep the emotion in check.

As Slade went to sit in his own seat, Raven smirked and flicked her hand. The chair jerked back as he went to grab it and slid away from the table so he could sit.

Chuckling, he lowered himself into the chair and pulled himself to the table, leaning on his elbows and meeting Raven's eyes. "And they say chivalry is dead," he teased.

"I'm surprised you're familiar with the term," Raven quipped.

Slade grinned and began pouring two glasses of the wine. "You'd be surprised how familiar I am."

Raven took the glass he offered her, taking a sip and never letting her eyes leave his face. "I highly doubt that."

Slade swirled his wine as he stared at Raven. It was… ill-advised to reveal details about his past, but he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to make her eat her words. "I was married once."

Raven choked on the wine, the sound coming from her the least attractive noise she could have made. Coughing and trying to regain her composure, she glared at Slade as he laughed.

"When the hell did you have time to be married?" Raven finally managed. She tried to envision Slade being married. She pictured him causing chaos in Jump, harassing the Titans, and then coming home to a wife as if nothing happened.

Slade waved his hand as if it was all very minor. "It was before I came to Jump. Though," he admitted, "I hardly had time then, either."

Raven stared at him blankly. "So you were just this normal, loving husband before you came to Jump City and tried taking over the world?"

"We all need hobbies, Raven," Slade mused.

"Which one was the hobby?" she countered, still trying to wrap her mind around the revelation.

Slade took another drink of his wine. "Depends on who you ask."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "I'm asking you."

Slade raised his brow at her, his lips thinning. "Why does it matter?"

Because it does, Raven wanted to shout. But when she thought about his question, she wasn't sure why it troubled her so much. Knowing he had spent part of his life committed to something other than evil and chaos… it was both comforting and concerning. She knew there was more to the man than the villain the Titans had spent so long fighting, but learning he had once had another half, a partner he was willing to spend his life with, it bothered Raven.

Slade watched her. She had cast her eyes away from him and was rubbing her fingers on the stem of her glass in agitation. He reached for her mentally, finding it easier each time, and he could sense the distress she was in. What surprised him the most, though, was the tinge of jealousy he recognized in her thoughts.

"I loved her," Slade said finally, keeping his blue eye fixed on Raven's soft face. "But I loved myself more. Back then, I was doing mercenary work, and, one day, my job caught up to me. They took my family, threatened to kill them, but I thought I could get to them first. When I got there, they killed my oldest son and nearly killed my other boy. My wife blamed me."

Raven hung on each word. She felt the guilt and sadness as he spoke, and it was so potent, it physically pained her. Her eyes began to water feeling the tragedy and loss that haunted Slade, and she found herself moving without thought. She had stood from her chair and walked over to him. Gently, she lowered herself into his lap, her hand touching his cheek as she stared into that bright blue eye that so often graced her dreams.

"It was not your fault," Raven said quietly, her empathic nature and their taut bond unable to block the guilt he felt and demanding that she comfort him.

Slade raised his own hand to hers and brought it to his lips, kissing her hand gently. "It was," Slade responded, his voice sad but sure. "I could've done a thousand things differently, and I'd still have a family. But I didn't. And I don't regret it."

Raven's eyes widened. "You don't?"

He shook his head, letting his other hand roam over Raven's exposed thigh. "No. If it hadn't happened that way, it would've happened another. I mourn my son, but knowing Jericho is out there and alive has been enough comfort for me."

Raven nearly fell from his lap. "Jericho?!"

Slade's grin returned to his face as he steadied her on his knee. "He didn't tell you? Well, I guess he can't."

"Slade!" Raven chided, trying not to laugh. Jericho was an honorary Titan. He had helped stop the Brotherhood of Evil all those years ago. And he was mute.

"I can't imagine why he wouldn't want to share," Raven said sarcastically, shaking her head. "But I'm still surprised he never told us."

"Oh, come on, Gem," Slade mocked, "he's not the only hero with daddy issues."

Raven slapped Slade's chest and started pushing off of him, but he caught her waist and kept her on his lap. "I came over here to be nice and supportive," Raven muttered indignantly as he gripped her.

"And I'm feeling like I need a little more support," Slade said. His hands were freely exploring Raven's body, lightly dragging over her skin and gently squeezing sensitive areas. She was squirming beneath his palms, but that only encouraged him. He felt himself getting hard watching her smile and playfully batting at his hands as they roamed but never once putting any real effort into stopping him. Whatever distress Raven had been feeling a moment ago was quickly vanishing as Slade teased her.

It was the sound of the glass patio door sliding open that finally distracted Slade long enough for Raven to dart away from his greedy hands. She quickly spun away from him and into her own seat, a smile on her face and a fire in her belly. Both of them glanced to the door as Wintergreen came out holding a large tray.

Right, Raven thought to herself, dinner. I'm having dinner with Slade.

"Miss Raven," Wintergreen greeted as he set down his tray and began placing dishes before them. "It is lovely to see you again, my dear."

"Thank you, Wintergreen," Raven responded, feeling slightly awkward at the man's kindness. They were practically strangers, but the older butler seemed genuinely glad to see Raven.

Once all the plates were set on the table, Wintergreen bowed to Raven, a soft smile on his face as he looked at her. "I'll be around should you require anything else," he said before giving Slade a curt nod and departing.

"He thinks you're good for me," Slade answered her unspoken question. "Ironically, he also thinks you're too good for me."

Raven smirked, nodding her head. "I imagine most people would share that sentiment."

"Would they?"

"Pretty sure you're still a supervillain, Slade."

"Only by reputation."

"That is how supervillains tend to get the title."

Slade shrugged. "I can't help that I'm good at my job."

"Job feels like a loose description of what you do," Raven commented as she glanced at the food in front of her. For a moment she wondered if Slade had a private chef given how incredible the dish looked. It was a filet with a balsamic reduction and garlic potatoes, and the plate was decorated and presented as if it'd just come from a Michelin star restaurant. "Though it does seem to pay well," Raven said aloud and immediately blushed. She had intended to keep that thought to herself.

Laughing, Slade started cutting into his own steak. "It doesn't. I told you, Raven, I was a mercenary. That's where all of this came from. And that does pay well. Especially for me."

"I've come across my share of mercenaries, Slade, and none of them get paid enough to live like you do."

Slade watched her carefully. He knew the Titans had never put together that Slade was Deathstroke. If he told Raven he was Deathstroke, how would she react? He was certain she'd recognize the name. The Justice League was more than familiar with him, and given that Batman was basically Nightwing's father, he was sure the other Titans would have heard stories of his mercenary identity. When his mind drifted to her this morning, frustrated and upset over the truth of her own identity despite her heroics, it was an easy decision.

Slade cut a piece of his filet and let it melt in his mouth before winking at her and saying, "None of them are Deathstroke."

A/N: This scene took me a while to think through, so I'm going to be splitting up their night a bit more than I intended to make it easier to write. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter and how this sequence is starting!