Shadows In A Mirror

Part Three

by Go-Go Spiders

A 'Princess and the Frog'/'Teen Titans' crossover

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)/Adult!Raven (Teen Titans)

***

Wiping at her eyes, Raven looked over her shoulder as a small elderly black woman using a snake for a cane approached the crypt slowly. She pushed her dark glasses back up her nose when she stopped in front of Facilier's crypt, large discs of gold swinging from both her ears. She smiled a toothless grin at Raven as the large snake slither up her arm and wrapped itself over the back of her neck.

"Hello there, little Miss Birdie," the woman said."Y'all look rather upset. At least, that's was my JuJu tells me. Can't see my own feet with these old eyes nowadays, so I take his word for it most of the time."

"JuJu?" Raven asked.

The elderly woman laughed. "Oh goodness, where are my manners? Forgot to introduce y'all. JuJu here's Mama Odie's snake." She kissed the snake's forehead, and its small forked tongue flicked out in happiness.

"...You're Mama Odie?" asked Raven, staring at her. "The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans?"

"Aw, y'all heard of me?" she asked, showing her gums again.

"Kind of," said Raven uneasily. "I heard you were dead."

Mama Odie cackled again, clutching her stomach. "Naw, that's just what I like people to think. Honestly, those folks wouldn't give me a moment's peace if they thought otherwise. But I'm still kickin' around on the livin' side." She glanced at the face carved into the granite crypt and winced. "Can't say the same for that Shadowman, though."

At the mention of Facilier, Raven's mouth quivered almost imperceptibly. But Mama Odie rubbed her chin thoughtfully before exchanging a glance with her pet. She took JuJu from around her neck and straightened the snake into a cane, turning back towards the entrance to the cemetery. "Come with me, child. I think we need to have a little chat. And maybe something hot to drink."

***

"Y'all take honey in your tea, little Birdie?" asked Mama Odie, knocking the teapot off the table with her elbow. JuJu balanced the scaldingly hot teapot on top of its head, hissing in pain before sliding it back onto the table.

"That's fine," said Raven, seated at the small table. She glanced around the inside of the Voodoo Queen's boathouse while JuJu helped Mama Odie et down two teacups from a high shelf. The boathouse reminded her slightly of Facilier's Emporium, with the vast amounts of jars and bottles and pots and strange items lining the walls. It did make sense – both Facilier and Mama Odie were Voodoo practitioners. But while Facilier had been the shadows, Mama Odie was the light. She almost glowed with it.

Mama Odie hooked the teapot's handle with JuJu and poured out the tea for both her and Raven. JuJu uncoiled himself to pull back Mama Odie's chair as she sat down. She took a small sip from her steaming cup, smacking her lips afterwards. "Herbal tea. Grew and dried them out myself."

Raven took a sip from her teacup as well, letting the taste of the tea linger on her tongue. "It's good," she said quietly.

"Why, thank you kindly Miss Birdie," she said, taking another sip. She set the teacup down, allowing JuJu to flick its tongue in and out of the tea. "Now, why don't you tell us why y'all were at the Shadowman's crypt this mornin'?"

Raven took a long sip before answering. "I was looking for him."

Mama Odie idly scratched the top of JuJu's head. "And why's that?"

"I...I was worried. The last time I'd seen him, he'd been injured pretty badly. I healed him up as best as I could, but when he didn't try to contact me after that, I thought something might've happened to him."

"Hmmn, well, you was right about that one," Mama Odie said thoughtfully, taking another sip.

Raven looked down into her chipped cup. "I wish I hadn't been."

Mama Odie took another spoonful of honey and mixed it into her tea. "Tell me, little Birdie, why are you so worried about the Shadowman?"

Raven ran her thumb over the handle of her teacup nervously. "Because..."

"Because?" Mama Odie repeated.

"He trusts me." Raven paused a moment before adding, "I think."

Mama Odie raised one eyebrow. "Really now? That man don't trust nobody but his own shadow."

"When he was hurt, he sent his shadow to me for help instead of his Friends on the Other Side. I have the same kind of shadow magic he got from the Other Side but he knew I wouldn't try to trick him out of his life. I don't use my magic for dark purposes, I use them to protect and heal."

"But do you trust him, Birdie?" asked Mama Odie as she placed her hand over Raven's. "Y'all know what he's like, I bet, conning everything with a hefty bankroll."

"I'm not sure," Raven admitted. "I've had some issues with that in the past. My last serious relationship ended when the man I loved tricked me." She grimaced. "He turned into a giant dragon and tried to burn me alive."

Mama Odie gave a low whistle. "Goodness."

"But now I don't know what to do. I don't think it's even possible to get Facilier back from the Other Side, and part of me is wondering if he deserves what happened to him." Raven stared down at her reflection in the tea. "I just don't want to be tricked again," she said.

"Darlin', usually I'm a little less blunt then this, but y'all can't love nobody if you can't bring yourself to trust them. Our hearts and our minds are usually at odds, and there are some times to listen to one and some times to listen to the other. What does your heart want?"

"To see him again," said Raven quitely

Mama Odie nodded. "And what's your mind think of that?"

"It's a very bad idea."

The Voodoo Queen leaned back in her chair. "Then y'all got a choice to make, Birdie."