It had been a week since Raven had fled to the desert. Her prized cloak was getting filthy with sand and was getting tatty at the edges, where it was starting to fray. Raven had found a small oasis, after three days of wondering, her only companion her demonic voice. Sitting at the edge of the oasis Raven dipped her now dark grey feet into the water, which was warm from the relentless heat from sun in the desert. Raven sighed, her sadness shining bleakly though her pitch-black eyes and then she muttered, "I want to go back, but there is no way Robin would even consider me going near the rest of the team and even if he did. How could I face them?" then the demonic voice came from the back of her mind, "let me deal with them, Raven"

"No, I'm not desperate enough to let my demon side 'deal' with my friends." Ravens voice held only just kept its monotone.

"Is it really such a silly idea, Raven?" the voice talked in a reasoning tone of voice, "I mean I am essentially you, so to some extent I want what you want. Plus I'll actually be able to defend us, if Robin orders the others to attack us without questions, unlike you. You would just go running to mummy, oh, wait, we don't have a mummy and it is all your fault." the voice started in a mocking tone, driving Raven back to her own insecurities "It wasn't my fault she got killed with your powers, I wasn't around then, I only came into play when you summoned, good, old, dad to Azarath in your despair at having killed mother in your childish anger. Do you remember his promise, Raven? Do you remember when he said 'I can make it so you never feel guilt, sadness and despair again. All you need to do is consume this' and he brought forward a soul of one of the massacred monks of Azarath, and of course, you knew, that it was bad so father roared and forced the soul into you and so blessing you to become the creature you are now. Even though you vanquished father, you still have the power to bring a great darkness to this world if you feel despair, like you did on that day so many years ago. And you know, you will feel that despair, when you see the fear in our friends eyes when they next see you, but I can control that power, I can make it so we can see the Titans again without dooming the world, because I am the stronger side of us."

Raven was sitting there, now with her knees tucked up under her chin, replaying the worst day of her life over in her mind, "No, I shouldn't let you because you are evil and just want to kill my friends" but Ravens voice was unsure and her resolve was weakening.

To reply to this the voice said, "I' not evil I'm just, slightly darker, I promise not to kill the titans, because you would probably kill me afterwards and once, I fix it so I'm sure, the Titans won't turn on us, I will let you have control back and to sweeten this deal, I will let you be in control whenever we're alone with Beast Boy. Yes, I can feel the emotion you feel for him, no matter how much you cower from it." if the demonic voice had a face it would most defiantly be smirking now, the demonic side thought, 'I'll let the Beast Boy thing be true, but I'll never give her full control back again once she accepts me, I'll need the body for a while for my plan to work'.

Raven, who was still emotionally weak, believed her demon side would be true to its word, though, deep down Raven knew it would be wrong to let her demon side take over her conscious, but so deep was her desire to see her friends again it blocked out the warning and she said, "Okay, but you can't have my body for too long."

The demonic voice replied quickly, "Fine, fine. Lets just get on with it." The demonic voice could not wait for the change of power in Raven. Raven shut her eyes and after what seemed to be an eternity, but was really only a few seconds, they opened again. The pitch-black eyes were colder than before. "Lets get going then" the demonic side of Raven said but though Raven's mouth so she now sounded exactly like Raven. The demonic side then whispered, "Ooh, I have the perfect way to make them drop their guard again!"

"What's that?" came the true Ravens voice in the demons mind.

"You'll see when we get there!" the demon Raven said with a smirk and then she melted into the spirit form of a raven and started flying back towards civilisation.

--------------------------------------- TITANS TOWER-------------------------------------------

"She's been gone a whole week now Beast Boy, she might not be coming back." Cyborg spoke in a quiet tone trying not to set off his friend. All the titans were in the main room, thinking about Raven.

"Of course she's coming back, Cyborg. She's in trouble, I know, but I also know she will come back!" Beast Boy shouted the last part.

Then Robin asked, "If she comes back will she look like normal, or will she still be transformed?"

"Why does it matter what she looks like it is still…" Beast Boy stopped mid-sentence and he held his head at angle that suggested he was listening intently to something then he nodded, "Footsteps in the hall" he said in a hushed tone to the other titans. They all slipped out of the main room to find, "Raven!" Beast Boy shouted pleased to see her, while the others took in 'Ravens' appearance, they were shocked she was still in her new form, but her cloak was filthy and basically in rags and her feat were bare. They were all rooted to the spot in shock.

"Beast B-B-Boy" the Demonic side of Raven deliberately made her voice sound weak and then stumbled forward for a good effect before falling to the floor, seemingly unconscious.

"Raven!" Beast Boy shouted again as ran to her and when he reached her, Beast Boy picked up 'Ravens' seemingly unconscious form bridal style, "Lets get her to the infirmary" said Cyborg, the shock he was feeling evident in his voice. Beast Boy gave Cyborg a grateful look as he passed his metallic friend, as he made his way to the infirmary with the other titans in close pursuit each one thinking, 'What the hell has happened to Raven?'