A/N: Boy its been a while. Lets see. I'm making some progress, though I'm stalled on the next chapter of the TotC fic. I'm working on it. Also, feel free to start a story from any of the chapters. I don't mind, as long as you state where you got the idea. It would only be polite after all. Besides, some of these starts seem to deserve a finish wouldn't you say? Enjoy.

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F is for Fantasy

There were those who thought that the darkness never bothered Raven. Since she was obviously so dark and "creepy" than all things dark and creepy would be right up her alley.

In reality though, she was a lot like everyone else. She'd never admit it but she was. The shadows and what they could hold made her slightly fearful, just like the monsters they constantly fought made her jump awake in the night. The empath just had a better poker face. No one could see the fear in her eyes, and she would make sure it stayed that way.

When she was at her most thoughtful, like now, she lamented that it wasn't natural to fear the dark. She was after all born in darkness. Her sire was a demon for Azar's sake. But her mother's side was of the light as far as she could tell. Perhaps her resistance to the dark and evil of the world wasn't entirely unnatural.

As she stood on top of Titans Tower, she thought back to when she had actually let the darkness win. Her gaze watched the sunset without recognition as to what she was looking at as she reflected back.

~~~Change Scene~~~

When she had lost the battle with her father, she'd let the light inside die away. The runes had come off of her skin and the flash of light blinded her. It seemed both an eternity and but a few seconds before she opened her eyes again. When she finally did, she gasped.

Whatever she'd been expecting of the world beyond death it wasn't this. It wasn't her.

A little girl too small for her age stood there, leaning against a crumbling stone pillar. Amethyst eyes were open wide in fear. Short purple hair glinted in the light of what looked like hell's fires. She world white robes, seemingly symbolizing purity. But it was her eyes that Raven found herself staring at. They were so innocent… How long had it been since her eyes were such a pure, untainted shade of lavender?

Raven watched this girl, floating above her in whatever spirit form it seemed she'd been given. She wasn't sure of anything right now, like how to control it or how to stop this vision, if that was what it was. Was it real? Was she the vision? But nobody could see her.

The empath lost all track of time. Seconds, minutes, and hours ceased to matter. In what looked like the ruins of a church, she watched the girl-the little Raven-wonder around. Little Raven ran her fingers along the benches, stooped to pick up little pieces of glass, and held the stained object above her. In the light of the depths, it was beautiful to Raven. It seemed this little Raven agreed.

It wasn't until she heard a familiar voice that time caught up with her. It was Robin, the one that had held her heart captive for such a long time. It came back to her, what he'd done before she'd ascended…or descended. He'd grabbed her hand. In his eyes, she could almost see salvation. But this was Trigon, and there was no way they could win against Trigon.

The masked teen looked weary. Sweat dripped from his brow, and there were numerous tears in his uniform. Raven glanced at the sword in his hands. Why was he here?

When Robin saw Little Raven, he tried to reach out to her. To talk to her. She ran from him before she could hear any of it. Raven felt a tug than, not just within herself but also from another source. As Little Raven ran she could feel a heavy thumping in her chest as though she were running also.

She followed them closely, capturing in her mind everything Robin said. She memorized all the minor details about it. From the sweat dampening his hair, to the blood slowly seeping down his front from the many cuts, to the way he bit his bottom lip as he struggled to keep up with the little girl, nothing escaped her interested and watchful eyes.

Finally cornered, Little Raven stared at him in fear. What was she afraid of-Robin or the fact that she would have to face reality? Raven wasn't sure herself. She didn't want to go back, so why should Little Raven? Why couldn't they spend an eternity in hell, staring at the engravings and scratches on the ruins and looking at the fire through stained glass?

When Robin convinced the girl to give him her hand, Raven felt a painful longing. Why couldn't he have offered her his hand before all this? There was just no hope for a second chance. But as Little Raven climbed on his back and they started the journey back, she had to wonder if they could manage to win. What then?

The climb to the surface of earth was tedious, and Raven felt bad that she could float while Robin had to carry his precious cargo on his back. And later, when she saw her likeness falling, it was with awe that she saw Robin dive after her. Even as he caught her, Raven questioned not his heroism but his motives. He cared for Starfire, if she remembered correctly. Was he rescuing her because of some lingering loyalty to the team? If so, they should have counted her dead and not bothered.

Raven knew nothing of what would happen in the future. The uncertainty of Little Raven and the determination of Robin was all she could feel. This was her present. The past leaked into her mind, giving her memories back. Even as they came, she tried to push them back. Trigon could not be beaten…or could he?

Robin seemed to think so. He looked like he fully believed it. In the face of such optimism, Little Raven couldn't help but start to believe too. Such was the joy of being a child. You could always believe there was a better world or alternative waiting for you.

For her, it seemed that Robin had had her heart for so long. It'd been years in fact, in spite of everything that told her she shouldn't care for it. All of her emotions, especially Intelligence, counseled her against it. Rage pointed out cruelly that if he had a woman like Star, what would he want with the runt of the proverbial litter like Raven?

A girl could dream though, and countless times she had. She liked to lie in bed at night and wonder what it would be like to fall asleep with Robin slumbering next to her. The sorceress imagined what his kisses would feel like, and how it might feel to be held in his arms. Though such thoughts were dangerous to entertain, she found she could without fear of her powers lashing out as long as she intensely meditated beforehand. A few times, she'd even considered what their life might turn out like if they actually got together.

Would they have children? Would she be able to control her powers during the hormone-wracking pregnancy? She thought of what she would want to name her first child. Being the empath that she was, she was fairly certain she would have a daughter first. In fact, Raven thought that if she had a choice, she'd want to have a girl like this Little Raven who was so sweet, innocent and trusting.

What sort of father would Robin make? The team would probably find out someday, after he married Starfire. This is, if the team was still together by then. Nothing could be counted on these days; she'd come to learn.

It was pointless to dream of such things anyway. The weight of the world rested on the shoulders of a little girl with amethyst eyes and lavender hair. This girl was smudged with dirt on her cheeks and hands, and her white boots were scuffed. Tears had made track through the grim on her face and fear still largely dominated her gaze. How could such a timid creature possibly be strong enough to save to world?

Raven decided than that any future was uncertain. Much more so than ever before, but she continued to follow the pair. The ruins and the lava sank back into the distant depths, never to be seen again outside of dreams. The stained glass Little Raven had held to the light lay shattered on the ground where she'd dropped it after hearing Robin. Hopefully, the world would be in better shape come the dawn.

~~~End~~~

Okay, I was going to put this whole happy ending there, but I realized that not every story needs one. Also, I thought this was long enough. I know there are the one shots out there several times longer, but I thought it best to leave things while they were decent. If you're looking for music to listen to, Within Temptation, Evanescence, and Nightwish set a pretty good tone for this one. That's what I listened to while writing it. Thank God for ;). I'll get started on the next chapter soon. Later.