To Miss Geek: 1) I'm glad you're hooked, that was my plan Mwuahah! 2) Haha, yes pancakes are the appropriate punishment for them, the stickiness will linger on the creators for days and they'll cry because of the yeasty smell. (Well, in my head that's what they would do) Haha. I'm sure your punishments were fifty times more intense! Definitely keep reading I really appreciate it!

A/N: Everyone's support is really fueling me. I love you all, and I appreciate your interest as well as your comfort of being there for me. Thank you all! WARNING: This chapter contains a scene that may or may not upset some of my readers. If you do not like it you may skip it, I personally know first-hand what this feels like and writing about it was a difficult task for me.

"Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundations of humility." Saint Augustine.

January 5 (Nighttime)

Tamaran

Starfire POV

It is done, I am forever bound to the endless matrimonial contract that I have with Karras. He owns me and I am eternally bound to his needs and wants, forever. I salute my fellow Tamaranians as I walk down the pathway leading to the royal palace, the place that I now call prison. They cheer me on, as they all know very well what comes after the marriage of two leaders.

The palace has been cleared so no guards interrupt. My heart is racing as Karras places a hand on my buttocks. The crowd roars appreciatively and my small frame shivers with fear and courage at the same time. The doors to the palace swing open and we salute our nation one last time before the ceremony. As soon as the doors slam Karras looks at me with a dark and threatening gaze.

I bite my lip, another habit I have picked up on Earth. "I have one last request, one tiny request." I say in a small but sturdy voice.

He looks at me quizzically. "Let us not talk, but express passion, get to our room and be prepared for me before I return." He says haughtily as he begins to unravel his royal garbs.

I allow myself to breath for a moment. "I just want to take things slow." I say cautiously, afraid of his wrath and surprise attacks that he has been known to inflict.

He jaw visibly tightens and I know that I must not disobey or object any longer. He glares at me, his face tightening. "You are not authorized to rule this marriage, I control YOU." His voice slightly rises. "Now do what I say and get to the bedroom!" He yells.

I scurry up the stairs and play up my frightened look; little does he know that I have been acting so afraid. My abrupt facial expression is a result of what earthlings would call good 'acting skills'. He does not know my true strength, he does not believe the stories his advisors have told of me. I open the door to my chamber and clamber onto the bed solely.

I quietly ponder on my thoughts and think back to when my life was joyous, and each day felt like pure happiness. Even through my break up with Robin, my pain was not as severe as the fear and indecisiveness that I am feeling now. I peel off my clothes and cover myself up with the covers, the soft silk brings me no comfort, and I feel my body contract in on itself. Neither my body nor my soul wants to do this, so I must be the one to end it, but how?

My thoughts end abruptly as Karras enters the chamber, completely naked. I look away quickly before he notices and I hear the bed creak as he climbs on it. His mouth approaches my neck and I flinch very unnoticeably. "How should I start, Koriand'r?" His hot breath makes me shiver uncomfortably.

I say nothing and stare straight ahead. I am as stiff as a board, nothing he can do will make me open up to him; nothing.

He licks my neck smoothly and growls, it is a primitive sound that makes me want to kill him. Before I know it he is on top of me, his tongue making my neck wet, and his hands are squeezing and touching me in places that are very sexual. By this point I feel very violated and I wait for the opportunity when he is the weakest. His manhood is prodding my hip, and suddenly the air becomes very cold. The silk blanket is gone and I am left exposed.

His eyes widen at the sight of me, he wets his lips and touches my thigh. I take this as my cue and light up my eyes. I feel intense anger bubble up within me and I shoot him in the face. He flies off the bed, falling with a loud thump sound. I jump up and attempt to run out of the room but warm hands close around the back of my neck. I screech and light up my hands.

"Stop the nonsense, Koriand'r!" He shouts.

I spit in his face and kick him right where I know it will hurt. He crumples into a heap, shouting many words in our language. I shoot my bolts at him a couple times, his skin scorching and I smile as he screams in pain. "You will not take the advantage of me, not now, and not ever!" I scream and grab a robe from the back of the door. I pull it on as I run out of the room. I stumble once and find my footing.

I honestly hope he falls unconscious; it would make my leave much easier. I run down the hallways at an invigorating pace, I cannot fly for the immense loss of happiness I am feeling. All I feel is anger, all I feel is deprivation, all I want is to return to my real home and plot my revenge.

As I near the door to where I know my Pod is I hear a noise behind me. My heart quickens and my tiny bit of hope crumbles. I slow my breathing and look around the corner, nothing is there. I hope it was just an act of my mind.

I push open the doors and look around the large expanse of space. My eye spots the outline of my Pod and I run to it, there is a large blanket over it so I yank it off. I suck in a breath as I realize that it is in shambles. The glass is broken, the control panel smashed, the exterior torn to bits. Some parts are even missing. A sob makes its way up my throat and I sink to my knees. I feel the knee skin split open once I hit the pavement like ground. I do not know what to do now, I wrack my brain for another plan and I think back to the Tamaranian fighting ships. The landing area is miles from here, but I might be able to make it, if I try. I stand up and turn around but beady eyes meet mine. I scream in terror and fire starbolts everywhere in the room. The amount I fire is overwhelming; the damage will be hard to clean up. I back up and my spine slams against the derelict Pod.

I stop my assault and calm my breathing. I keep my hands lifted, but I shut down my bolts. I do not know if it was my imagination or real. I swear I saw his eyes, his beady little eyes. I look around the room and begin to cautiously leave from the way I came. Hopefully I can make it to the Landing compound without being noticed. My feet make sticky sounds and my palms are sweaty, I wipe them on the thin robe I am wearing.

As I crack the door open, I peak out carefully. The coast is clear, as Robin would say. I bite my lip, focus. I step out into the hallway and tiptoe on the soft carpet. As I descend towards the front of the palace I configure a plan in my mind. I will have to go unnoticed so I will stick to the far side pathways, it will work, it has too. No one uses the far side pathways during this time. As I approach the front doors my heart jumps ten feet into the air, I can make it, I can make it! I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

A hand clamps over my mouth and I scream out. I fire up my hands and let loose a tyrant of attacks. I scream even louder and bite down on the hand holding my face. I taste blood and bile in my mouth. I keep shooting and kicking in his arms until I feel something sharp prick my neck. For a moment I pause, my attacker is poking my neck? Fear courses through me as I realize what it is. A syringe. I scream even louder and the behemoth throws me to the ground, I see stars momentarily as my skull thumps harshly.

Karras looks down at me, his naked body fully erected, he is enjoying this. His body is marked with blood, and burn marks. His skin is partially seared on his chest and it brings me a quick moment of joy to know that I was able to inflict pain on him. He smiles and my joy dissipates, maybe he cannot feel the pain. "I just injected you with paralysis poison from the 'Poythras' that live south of here. The venom will not kill you; just paralyze you for a grateful amount of time."

I look down at his feet and notice the syringe, it is empty. I power up my hands and shoot a numerous amounts of beams at him. I fire up my eyes and chase his figure across the room. I lift some furniture that lies in the hallway and throw it at him. It shatters on impact with the floor. His figure emerges from behind it and he's chuckling softly. "I am the fiercest warrior on this planet; I believe I can dodge your botnet hindrances."

My vision blurs slightly and I power up my eyes again. This time I feel my neck ache and no power comes. I scream in frustration. "You will NOT touch me!" I scream again and attempt to throw a shard of the couch at him. My arm gives out halfway through the throw and it flops a couple feet from me.

Karras chuckles louder and approaches me. His eyes are smug, and he is still fully erect from seeing my distress. "I will do as I please, for the simple reason of power. I own you, you are mine. If you do not conceive I will kill you and move on to another worthy bride. This is how things are Koriand'r, so please do not make things more difficult for yourself. Welcome to the tradition of Jurktha." His gaze will forever haunt my deepest nightmares.

I scream as my legs give out on me. I awkwardly slump to the floor, my body ignores my commands and a putrid frustration grows in my chest. I continuously attempt the power up my hands, and the obstacle is impossible. My arms grow limp and soon I cannot feel anything but the tears that trickle down my face. I do not want him to see me cry, but I have absolutely no control over my body. "DO NOT TOUCH ME! I WILL UNLEASH X'HAL'S FURY ON YOU!" I scream, but my voice sounds garbled and soon I cannot talk.

Karras's eyes read pure ecstasy and he kneels down over me, one leg on each side. I whimper, and that brightens the look on his face. "We will bear picturesque children together." He whispers and begins to rub the tender parts of my body. He tears off my robe, and I cannot feel the cold hallway air.

I imagine myself in a different world; I imagine fields of green grass that smells like lemon. I imagine puffy white clouds float over my head. The field is bright and alive with color and at the end of the field is Robin. He is holding a bundle of white flowers for me in his hand, and I run to him. I keep running and running until my lips find his. He hands me the flowers and for a brief moment everything is alright, everything is how I want it to be.

But the moment is over as quick as it came and I feel more hot tears run down my face. I open my eyes and to my horror Karras is still there, panting and grunting. I give up on pursuing happiness; happiness is something that was never likely for a girl like me. I give up and I feel emptiness.

I fall in and out of consciousness; one moment imagining something different and the next I am watching Karras destroy my life. Every time my eyes darken I feel Robin's hand in mine. Longing is the last emotion I feel before I give up for good.

January 6

Wayne Manor

Raven POV

The ride here was aggravating, and noisy. Flash is just as bad as Beast Boy. He would not shut up the entire time, and I was honestly considering throwing him out of the ship.

Right now he and Beast Boy are exasperating Alfred with questions about Batman as he carries their bags to their rooms. Everyone is in absolute awe of Wayne manor. It is vast and looks like it can continue on for days. The hallways are long and complete with decorative mirrors and tables.

A girl with red hair that reminds me of Starfire smiles at me as I walk up the main staircase. "Welcome to Wayne manor, I'm Babs." She stretches out her hand.

I take it and shake it slowly. "My name is Raven." I say in my usual monotone.

"I'll show you and your pink haired friend where the girls' rooms are." She says and quickly walks down the hall.

I didn't realize Jinx is behind me, but she follows me. Babs turns down a hallway and opens the first door on the left. "This room is for Jinx." She says with a smile.

Jinx tosses her bags in and admires the room. From here the walls look white and the curtains are billowing in the breeze from the early morning.

The door shuts, blocking my view and Babs is already down the hall. She opens a door on the right side of the hallway. It's a dark red color and the bed is covered in dark red blankets. There's a bookcase and a desk, perfect for me. I place my bags down, I'm about to say thank you but she grabs my wrist and drags me down the hallway. "What are you doing?" I ask.

"We have to save Richard, no time to waste." She drags me forward dramatically and I stumble down the steps and down another hallway. Outside one of the doors lining the hall is Batman himself, I know it by the way he stands, even though he wears no mask.

Babs releases me and I sigh. "What's his condition?" I say.

Bruce opens the door. "I think you should see him for yourself." He says quietly.

I walk in quietly and look at the bed he's in. His mask is off and he looks years younger than he actually is. He has no apparent bruising, but his skin is extremely pale, I can see the veins on his eyelids. I press my hands to his heart and release my energy; I feel it expand through his chest cavity and through his ventricular system. I reach towards his neuroma-fissure and I sense the poison, it's a sleep agent that's slowly decaying his body. I gasp and start to absorb the poison. I try to diminish most of it but the way my body heals other beings is usually by absorbing the pain, and brunt of the injury. I feel my hood fall, and I gasp for air as the poison makes its way through my bloodstream. It's stronger than I expected. My body starts to weaken, and I collapse, falling lithely towards the ground. I drained him of the poison; all his body has to do now is heal.

Arms are suddenly around me and I open my eyes. To my surprise Beast Boy is there. I try to scramble out of his arms but he shakes his head. "Are you okay?" He asks.

I nod. "He was filled with a sleep inducing poison that was slowly decaying his body." I exhale a couple times and catch my breath. "I couldn't actually heal him without getting rid of the poison, so I absorbed it into my bloodstream."

Beast Boy's eyes widen. "Why would you do that Rae?" He says with pain in his voice. I ease out of his arms and catch Babs' eyes.

"I can heal faster than him, my body will disintegrate the substance, his body could not. He's only human." I say and look at Richard. He is breathing more steadily now, and his face has some color. I have no idea how Beast Boy got in here, but I shrug it off. Bruce touches my shoulder and I turn to look at him.

"Thank you for saving my son." He says quietly. He leaves the room as Flash enters.

"Is he better yet?" He asks too excitedly.

"No." I say with a drip of annoyance. "He needs rest; he'll be fully healed in about five days. Until then no missions or patrols, it will only induce more pain." I look at Babs and she smiles gratefully.

"Thank you; I don't know what we would've done without you." She says. Flash approaches Richard's side and frowns deeply; I didn't know he had the power to frown. Babs is by his side and they look deeply relieved and saddened.

I nod but the room spins, and I fall into a heap on the floor. Beast Boy lunges forward and picks me up gently. "I think you need time to heal Rae." His green eyes look at me forcefully and I bite my lip. He carries me out of the small hospital room and down the hallway. I look at him closely, trying to read his emotions. My powers are nearly drained so I can't.

"You're not going to snap at me again, are you?" I ask him.

He shakes his head and avoids my gaze. "No, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." His voice is nervous, which makes me feel slightly jittery.

We arrive at my room and he opens the door. Beast Boy gently plops me down on my bed and hands me a water bottle I didn't see earlier. The door behind him clicks shut.

I look at him wearily. "So?" I ask, growing tired of waiting.

He sighs and leans against one of the far walls, the room is huge so he's a good distance from me. He clears his throat. "I wanted to apologize and tell you that, I'm getting worse and that wasn't me." He says.

My eyes widen, and I pull my hood up. "What do you mean?" I ask, even though I already know what he's talking about.

He rubs a hand over his green face and begins to pace. "I'm turning into the Beast. I know it! I feel it in my bones, my muscles, and sometimes he takes over what I say to others." He grunts in frustration. "I can't stand it, and I'm afraid…" He stops walking and looks at me.

"Afraid of what?" I say quietly.

He makes his way over to me and sits on my bed. "I'm afraid of accidentally hurting someone I care about, like you." His eyes stare into my hood, and I swear my heart leaps. I have no idea why he has this effect on me, but I can't stop it willfully.

We sit silently for a moment and an idea sprouts in my head. "What if I could somehow, suppress the Beast until we can make the trip to find Tesla?" I ask.

His eyes light up in apprehension. "How?"

I sigh. "Maybe I could soul search you and just bring more of the guy I know to surface, I would just dig around in your conscience and brain every night until you take the cure." My voice hitched on 'cure' and I hope he doesn't notice.

He nods. "Fine, anything to keep everyone safe. I don't think you should tonight though, you're weak enough with healing Nightwing."

I shake my head. "No, tonight would be a good place to start. The only problem is you have to remain calm, and relax. Any sign of trouble or interruption could possibly kill you."

He gulps and I frown. "Tonight then, I'll bring my teddy." He says to lighten the brooding mood.

I smirk at his comment and yawn. "I need to rest, I'll see you tonight."

He nods and leaves; before he does he looks back into the room. "Thanks Rae, you don't know how much this means to me." The door shuts and I close my eyes. Little does he know how much this will take out of me.

January 6 (Nighttime)

Wayne Manor

Richard POV

I feel calm and serene, my thoughts are no longer muddled and all I feel is a tranquil happiness around me. I see red hair and I know that I'm at home. My heart skips and I reach out my hands. They meet her soft hair and I turn her over, her face is sleeping, her skin is as soft as silk. I want her eyes to open so I can look into her green irises. I miss them so much, I gently shake her. Trying to wake her up, I shake her again, but her eyes don't even flutter. My heart stops and I place my ear to her chest and listen; no sound. I yell out cradle her in my arms, but it's too late. She's been long gone for hours. Her cold golden skin is not warm but ice cold, I feel sudden guilt roll through me and I sob into her neck. My sobs are muffled and I can't contain the grief I am feeling. I'm shaking all over and I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Nightwing!" Cyborg shouts and I look at him, holding the lifeless Starfire in my arms. "Nightwing!" He shouts again and darkness envelopes me.

My eyes peel open and I see light everywhere. I sit up quickly. "STARFIRE!" I shout noticing my empty arms. I feel intensely confused until I see a very familiar face.

A hand touches my arm, it's Cyborg. "Nightwing, calm down, it's only me." He says.

My eyes scan the room, and I realize that I was dreaming. "Cyborg, what's going on?"

He smirks. "Glad to see you're awake. You were attacked, we don't know by whom. Batman and his team found you on a rooftop, unconscious. You've been out for a little while. You had some deadly body decaying poison in you, but thankfully Raven healed you." He says as he hands me a glass of water.

I drink it hastily. "Who called you here?" I ask, hoping for an answer that doesn't disappoint me.

"Batman." He says with a smile.

I'm disappointed, but I ignore the feeling as a pain stabs through my head. "Ow, what the hell happened to me?"

"You're going to need a little while to heal; your body took a brutal beating. You got shot, and then the poison weakened your muscles." Cyborg smiles sincerely at me. "I'm glad to see you're alive."

I smile and touch my face; my mask is gone and panic courses through me. "Where's my mask?"

"No idea, don't worry. It's only me; we all know your identity Richard." He emphasizes my name and it makes me wince.

A knock sounds from the door. "Come in!" I yell eager to see the rest of my team. To my dismay it's only Babs and Bruce.

Babs rushes towards me and gives me a considerable hug that nearly chokes me. "Babs…enough….I'm….alive!" I breathe as she lets me go.

There are some tears in her eyes along with some anger. "What the hell happened?" She demands.

I sigh and plop my head down on the pillows underneath me. "First off, we need to start keeping track of the mafias ruling in Gotham."

Bruce's eyes widen considerably, meaning he's also been getting signs of trouble brewing between mob bosses. "Is Tommy Dario finally making a move?"

I shake my head and swallow the lump in my throat, I know for a fact that he hates new villains, or problems to deal with. "Tommy Dario is dead; a new guy named Vincent Bellerose now owns the mob. He said to call him Vinnie." I don't know why I said the last part, am I starting to feel intimidated? What a joke. I watch Bruce's expressions change and Cyborg frowns, looking quite uncomfortable in this situation.

"I knew we should've stopped them when we had the chance." Bruce grunts in frustration. "Did he do this to you?"

I nod my head, which spreads more pain through my cranium. "This was his message to you." I gesture myself.

Bruce grunts again. "Does he seem like a serious criminal?"

I swallow again, I don't want Bruce to get the wrong idea and begin attacking the wrong people. "Yes, but we shouldn't draw up the wrong conclusions. We need to be smart and not jump into attacking him." I know I sound too urgent, but we need to be tactful.

Bruce frowns and leaves the room, my anger tickles at the back of my throat and I look at Babs. "What the hell was that?" I ask her.

Babs' eyes look sad. "He doesn't like people messing with his family." She says quietly.

I try to hide the shock in my eyes, but I feel unsuccessful. I clear my throat awkwardly. "Follow him, and make sure there are enough people for patrol tonight." She hugs me one last time and hurries out of the room; Raven enters just as she leaves.

I look at Cyborg and he sighs heavily. "The whole team is here, the City will be fine but you need rest."

Raven lowers her hood and looks at me. "Your muscles are going to be weak for quite some time. So take it easy and allow yourself to heal."

"How long?" I ask with some annoyance in my voice. I don't mean to be rude, but the throbbing in my head is too much for me to handle.

"Five days." She says as she pulls up her hood again.

My anger bubbles over. "Five DAYS? How the hell am I supposed to patrol?" I look at Cyborg and he shakes his head solemnly.

"You need to heal, so the Team is here to help out the new Robin and Batgirl." He smiles at me and I rub a hand over my face.

I sigh heavily and I can feel Raven roll her eyes at me. "Who's going out tonight?" I ask impatiently.

"Robin, Batgirl, Flash, Jinx, Beast Boy, and me." Cyborg says proudly.

Raven suddenly lowers her hood; an alarmed look spreads on her face. "No, Beast Boy is staying here." She says quickly.

The room grows quiet and I look at her in apprehension. "Why?"

For the first time Raven looks flustered, and slight panic courses through me. "Is everything okay?" I ask.

She nods. "He needs to stay here, something is off with him and I need to find out." Her eyes dart from Cyborg's face to mine. I'm not sure if I believe her entirely but who am I to involve myself in more problems when I have enough of my own?

Cyborg shrugs. "We can spread out everyone along the borders of Gotham, we'll be fine and we'll watch out for that Vinnie guy." Cyborg claps me on the shoulder and I bite my tongue trying not to wince.

They start to leave the room. "Wait." They turn to look at me. "Don't call him Vinnie, call him Bellerose. If you see him tell him Nightwing says hi."

Cyborg chuckles. "No problem, anything else?"

"You should call and check on Starfire." I say quickly before I think about the repercussions of what I'm saying.

Cyborg smiles cheekily, rivaling Beast Boy's expressions. "Worried?" He asks smugly.

I feel the heat rush to my cheeks. "I just have a feeling that something's off." I rub the back of my head, knowing well that Raven is detecting every ounce of emotion pouring out of me.

"Yeah I'll check the UTC devices, okay? Now get some rest." He leaves and Raven stares at me like I'm hiding something.

I chuckle nervously. "Thanks Raven, I think I'm going to get some rest now." Her eyes narrow in on me, and I feel smaller than a bug.

She sighs. "Worrying doesn't take away today's troubles; it takes away tomorrow's peace." She leaves in a blur and relief courses through me before dread.

She can feel my emotions for Starfire, she knows. All I can do now is wait, and heal, and reflect on how stupid and mediocre my decisions have been for the past ten years.

Raven POV

Cyborg is immediately in my face as soon as I walk out of Nightwing's hospital room. He's smiling stupidly at me, making me feel heavy under his gaze. I walk away from him but he still follows me with that stupid look on his face. I turn around on him fast. "WHAT?" I say with enough threatening tone to scare Freddie Krueger.

"What are you and BB really doing?" He asks with the smuggest look on his face that he can possibly muster.

I roll my eyes, and feel the same uneasiness that I was feeling earlier. "I told you, I just need to talk to him."

He rolls his eyes this time. "Yeah, 'talk'. Okay, that's a great lie."

I sigh heavily. "Why does it matter?"

"Well, you're taking away a valuable member of the Team tonight so you can 'talk' to him. Does that not sound suspicious to you?" His voice carries strongly but I sense a tiny bit of hurt in his emotions. Is he upset that I'm not coming to him with every problem?

I turn away from him fast hoping he didn't see the heat spreading across my face. I pull up my hood and begin my trek to my room. I hear Cyborg chuckle behind me. "Don't think I didn't notice your glances you've been giving him!" He chuckles again. "Or your conspicuous costume change!"

I feel like I've been caught so I melt through the floor and reappear in my room. I breathe a sigh of relief and take off my hood, my hair fans out on my back and it makes me shiver. I fold my legs underneath me and precede meditation.

Sometimes when I meditate I feel like I'm in a different world, one that I can call my own. One that no one knows about, it's full of my deepest thoughts, worries, and nightmares. My other emotions are here also, but they usually keep to themselves unless there is trouble or misperception.

When I arrive in my mind, a dark velvet figure is waiting for me. She's wearing the same costume I am but on her stomach is a belly button piercing, its jewels match my chakra that lies on my forehead. Her hood covers most of her face but the shadow ends at her lips which are coated in a deep shade of red.

I fold out of my lotus position and approach the figure, it's another one of my emotions but I can't tell which one. "Who are you?" I ask boldly.

Her figure doesn't waver, and it frightens me slightly. "Who are you?" I ask again.

Her tongue flicks out and licks her lips. It sends a shiver through me, and I take a deep breath. "Who are you?" I ask for the last time with much more force.

"I am what I am." She says in a deep echoing voice. The sky turns a shade of deep red, it looks dangerous but beautiful.

"What emotion are you?" I ask as I attempt to look underneath her hood, there's too much darkness so I can't see anything. "Are you dangerous?"

"I am the darkness and the light; I am the solution, and the problem. I am fear and joy. I am what I am. Tell me Raven; are you afraid of the unknown?" Her voice carries around my mind and in the distance some of the rock pillars I embedded in here crumble and fall into the dark space beneath the long winding pathways.

The figure begins to approach me and I back up, when she reaches out a hand it's bony and unrecognizable. I shudder and fold back up into my lotus position. I chant my mantra and land on my knees in my room. I take deep breaths and try to pull myself together.

Knocks sound from my door and I rush to answer it, hoping that I can distract myself. I yank it open and see Beast Boy standing there. "Come in." I say.

He scrambles in and looks at me funny. "Is everything okay?" He asks me with alarm in his eyes.

I nod. "Why do you ask?" I try to calm my heart rate.

"Well, you're breathing heavy and your arms are glowing." He looks around the room. "Plus its pitch black in here too."

I look down at my arms and frown, they are glowing. The marks of Trigon are glowing, but slowly fading. I barely feel a sting, but it's not a good sign. I reach for the light switch and the room becomes light again. I sigh and cross my arms. "Is everyone gone?"

He nods. "They're on patrol. Mind telling me what's bothering you?"

I shake my head afraid to open my mouth. "No, let's get started."

He claps his hands together awkwardly. "So how are you supposed to do this? Touch my head or something?"

I grunt in slight aggravation. "No, take off your shirt and sit on the bed, and remember to remain calm."

His green eyes light up and his famous cheeky grin lights up the room even more. "If you wanted a show Rae, all you had to do was ask." He chuckles.

I snort and watch him take off his shirt. Instead of having a small layer of fat, which I expected, he is completely ripped. His tone pecks mesh right into his ab muscles. He's not as fit as Nightwing, but for his skinny build and height, it's pretty impressive. I quickly look away disgusted and amused by my thoughts. He sits on my bed and I use my powers to lock the door.

Beast Boy stares sadly at me. "Are you sure this is going to work?" He asks with an ounce of fear dripping from his body.

"I'm not sure, but I'm hoping it will. Lay down." I demand as I lower my hood.

He smiles at me again. "Didn't know you were so bossy, you better watch it Rae-" I slap my hand over his mouth.

"No dirty jokes, I'm trying to match our heartbeats so I can do this properly." His green eyes shimmer back at me, and my heart speeds up. Damn it. I remove my hands and he's still smiling.

"You've been around me too much." He says with a chuckle.

"Why do you say that?" I ask inquisitively.

"I wasn't going to say anything dirty. You just thought of that on your own." He chuckles some more and his emotions drip enthusiasm.

"Shut up, maybe I need to find a better taste in friends." I say to prick his heartstrings.

It doesn't work. "Friend? Yes! A new title for the day!" He pumps his fist into the air.

I groan in frustration. "Shut up! Lay down!" I press my hand to his chest and push him down; he quickly quiets down and looks into my eyes. "I need you to be very still, I'm going to literally enter your mind and see what's going on. If you even fluctuate emotions I could die, understand?"

He nods slowly and his heart rate rises then falls. "Do what you can Rae, I believe in you." He places his hand over mine and I close my eyes.

I still feel his gaze on me, but it doesn't disconcert me or bother me. I reach to the furthest part in his brain and transfer my emotion-self inside. This is the first time I've done this so I'm careful. As I land in his brain I take in my surroundings.

I'm in a lush green jungle, huge green leafs are blocking out the sky but I can still feel the intense glow of the sun on my skin. Many sounds circulate around me, birds caw, water bubbles, and leaves rustle. If I wasn't on a mission I would take this time to meditate, and center my mind. Instead I begin walking through a worn path. I arrive at a small camp; two tents and a fire pit stare barrenly at me. The place looks abandoned and there are claw marks on one of the tents.

"Hello?" I shout and surprisingly all the noise the jungle was emitting ends. Like a switch, the birds stop and the water sounds seize to exist. The sun that was piercing my back starts to feel cool and the sun rays that were shining through the leaves disappear. The silence is threatening and seems to engulf every move I take.

"Hello?" I say again but with less shouting, my voice comes out squeaky and small. I walk further into the little campsite and see smashed glass along with dented cans and scattered supplies. Whatever happened here was bad, really bad. "Beast Boy?" I shout louder into the forest looking deeper into the bushes.

I sigh and look inside one of the tents. A bloody sleeping bag is all that is left; paw prints and scratch marks make it nearly unidentifiable. I hear a grumbling behind me and I turn around. A few feet away from me is a patch of large bushes with thorns.

I look closely at it and approach cautiously, watching my step. Glass pieces crack underneath me, giving me an odd sense of reassurance in this now quiet jungle. My palms grow sweaty and I wipe them on my bare stomach. My cloak slithers around me and I look even closer into the bushes.

I am suddenly lifted off of the ground and catapulted halfway across the campsite. My back slams into the ground and I temporarily see stars. I groan and quickly stand up; I reach for my energy orbs but my emotion connection is cut off. I have no power here. My heart leaps three feet in the air and I look towards the bushes. A slumped figure makes its way towards me. It's large and green and growling at me. Its fangs are the largest feature on its face, and hair coats every inch of its skin. Talons elongate out of the creatures hands and I shudder in fear.

I scream out in terror as it races towards me, when I look into its eyes a pang of familiarity hits me like a ton of bricks. It's Beast Boy in his feral form. I scream again as I stand straighter. "Beast Boy, it's me! It's Raven!" I yell but the creature continues to charge towards me.

The bushes behind me rustle and more fear courses through me. I'm halfway glad my powers aren't working; if they were this place would be destroyed with the irregular emotion influxes. I look at the bushes and I see the familiar green eyes again, this time they're surrounded by a tiny face. A child. "Come with me!" He says in a tiny voice. He begins to run away and through the bushes.

I look back at the Beast and he's closer than before, I run after the tiny boy. The leaves scrape against my skin, I feel their fiery scratches scathe across my skin. I follow the tiny boy, and I feel the Beasts' breath on the back of my neck. I keep running, pushing myself further and further into this uninhabited jungle. Tree bark bumps me here and there but I keep going, ignoring the intense pain in my legs.

"Where are we going?" I scream at the little boy.

He doesn't look back at me, but he keeps running. "We have to escape, trust me!"

I keep running but the bumbling footsteps I hear behind me are growing closer and closer. The grunts are blowing hot steam onto my back, and my pace begins to slow when I realize the forest is thinning out. Before I know it the little boy is standing in the middle of a clearing that looks like a wide field. The field ends on a cliff and the little boy is looking over it. Vast mountains touch the grey sky; the mountains are jagged and rocky.

I catch up to him and look behind me; the Beast is bearing down on us. "What do we do now?"

The boy looks at me dead in the eye for the first time; there is no fear, but faith. He smiles, and I notice his teeth are normal. "We rise and fall." He giggles and jumps off the cliff.

I am too frightened to scream, my breathing stops and everything seems to slow down. All I hear is the blood rushing through the veins in my ears. The Beast is huffing, and a little boy is falling. I look over the cliff and for the first time in my life I trust my existence in the hands of others, even if they are tiny. It's time to rise and fall.

I jump over the cliff as the Beasts' talons graze my skin. Before I know it I'm falling, my hair is whipping around me and the only sound I hear is my screaming.

A/N: An extra-long chapter for everyone! (Happy Holidays) I hope you liked it, and I know what most of you are already thinking. "Where is all the RobStar?" DO NOT FRET! It is on its way, the BBRae stuff sets up the story line and some future missions. I hope you all enjoyed this, it took forever to write, and now I'm POSITIVE with what I'm going to do with the plot.

Please tell me how I did. Follow, Favorite, and REVIEW!

Next Chapter: A journey like no other, Flash and Jinx have a serious talk, and a message is read. More epic stuff is going to happen in the next chapter but I don't want to spoil anything. TRUST ME YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Thank you all XOXO.