Slade sat in his big chair in the computer room. He exhaled deeply as his muscles started to relax. He locked his fingers and rested his elbows on the armrests of the chair and simply stared at the computer scene that displayed many views and angles of the different areas in the city. He made a mental note to install cameras inside the Titans tower, for that was the only location he surprisingly had no videofeed of.

A tall, elderly man walked into the computer room. He had a small tea kettle in his left hand and a teacup in his other. He silently walked up to Slade who acknowledged his presence.

"How was the fight, sir?"

Slade did not answer Wintergreen immediately because he was thinking, but eventually responded. "It was good. They're still predictable, but much stronger. I actually broke out into a sweat fighting them."

Wintergreen chuckled at the comment and poured the hot tea into the cup then looked up at Slade. "So what is your purpose with the Titans now?"

Out of character, Slade shrugged his shoulders and gave a heartfelt laugh. "I have no true plans for them; I merely wanted to see if they have improved. However…"

"..however?" Wintergreen was now truly confused. He has known the mercenary for many years and understood how he acted, but for now, he had no clue what Slade had in store.

"I am interested in one of their members."

Wintergreen sighed and rolled his eyes. "Who is it now?"

"Raven."

"Have you not learned your lesson?"

"She has a large amount of power in her body, Wintergreen. She could destroy the world if she wanted."

Wintergreen stayed quiet. When he found out about the short death of his good friend, he was heartbroken. When Slade came back with his strong, unnatural power, he knew it wouldn't turn out well for him in the end. He told Slade, but he was stubborn and reaped the consequences later. Wintergreen was thankful that Slade was back and healthy, but he surely wished Slade understood what he was getting himself into.

"Don't fret. I'm a grown man, and I know what I'm doing." Slade's voice had a harsh tone to it. He didn't like to be questioned.

Wintergreen didn't flinch at Slade's harsh attitude. "I have every right to be doubtful of your interaction with the Titans." Wintergreen left the tea cup on the office table and turned to leave. "Let's just hope that this time you won't lose your life."

Slade rolled his eyes at Wintergreen's comments. He appreciated his care, but there are times when he could go without his advice.

Slade turned back to the computer. His eyes were glued onto the screen but his mind was far from concentrating on the images. He was focused on the dark sorcerer. During their fight, he took notice of her changes the most.

She no longer wore her leotard. She had a tight romper like jumpsuit on her curvy body. The romper stopped to her mid thighs. Her signature belt was still loosely around her hips. Her boots were the same and she had her usual cloak. Out of all the Titans, she was the least to change, which didn't surprise him. He could tell that she was not a fan of change.

Her powers are stronger. He felt it when she blasted him, but her combat skills deteriorated drastically. "She relies too much on her powers." Slade never went after Raven on his own will, but he was certainly debating on whether to do so or not. Deep down, he started to favor the dark bird. She was mysterious, and he loves a challenge.

Raven opened her eyes and was greeted with bright lights. She hissed and covered her eyes with her hand immediately. She turned and saw that she was in the infirmary. No other Titans were present in the room which worried Raven. The only thing she could remember was a fist connecting to her face and pain. She quickly swung her legs over the side of her bed and ran out of the infirmary to find her friends. She made it to the common room and saw everyone else sitting. Her friends looked up at her and gave a smile.

"Looks like sleeping beauty is up." Cyborg said with a smile.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Calm down, Rae." Nightwing started. "We're all fine."

Raven relaxed when Nightwing placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She nodded her head and went to the couch where she sat next to Cyborg. She noticed him staring hard at her and grew nervous.

"Care to explain why you're staring at me?" Raven asked with confusion.

"Slade punched you real hard." Cyborg used his index finger to raise Raven's face to the light. Her eyes widened with shock.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You didn't notice that black eye on your face?" Changeling asked the sorceress.

"No I did not."

"Here" Cyborg took out a mirror from his forearm. Raven looked at her purple eye that was slightly swollen. She was shocked that she didn't realize the bruise..

"Team, Slade is back. We have to see why he's here and take him down."

"Nightwing, you say that all the time yet we never actually take him down! He's too good." Changeling hollered.

Nightwing gave Changeling an annoyed stare. "No he's not. We beat him before, and we'll do it again."

Changeling leaned forward to take his game controller and play another round before muttering under his breath, "Good luck with that." He was clearly annoyed by Nightwing's speech.

"Maybe if you get off your lazy butt and train more, you could beat him." Nightwing said.

Changeling's green ears twitched at the comment. He shot up from his game and growled at Nightwing. "Don't blame me for not getting Slade! You train everyday, but you didn't get him!" Changeling started to get into Nightwing's face.

Nightwing was also angry. "Atleast I was closer to bringing him down."

"No you weren't! You're such a control freak; no wonder people say you're like him."

Nightwing's body tensed and his anger started to boil over. Nightwing gave Changeling a hard punch to his left cheek, knocking him down to the ground. The other three sprang into action to stop the men. Changeling transformed into a wolf and started to bite at Nightwing's arm while Nightwing punched the green animal's head. Starfire grabbed Nightwing back while Raven and Cyborg took Changeling off his arm.

"Friends! Stop the unnecessary fighting!"

Starfire pushed Nightwing away from Changeling, still holding onto his strong torso. Raven encased Changeling with her black magic and Cyborg was standing between them.

"Why are ya'll fighting? Slade's been back for 5 minutes, and he's already turning us against each other." Cyborg looked at his leader and his best friend. "We're not teens anymore."

Starfire released Nightwing, and Raven dropped Changeling gently. They both ignored eye contact and said not a word.

"I think it's time we all go to bed." Raven quietly said.

Starfire looked at her angry friends and nodded her head. "Agreed."

Raven stared at her discolored eye in the bathroom mirror. She looked like a schoolgirl that was trying to pop a zit. Her face was inches away from the mirror and her hand was tenderly touching the bruised area. She never had a black eye before, so she was shocked to see one on her pale skin. She didn't fret because her powers will heal the wounded area over the night. Raven walked out of the bathroom and levitated towards her room.

She flopped onto her bed and groaned out of exhaustion. She placed her hands on her forehead and started to rub her temples. The whole situation between the team and Slade was driving her crazy. Slade was mentally messing with her and her teammates. It reminded her of their teenage years when Slade was first introduced to the team as an enemy.

Raven couldn't help but wonder why the powerful man came back. She was no future teller; however she was correct with her assumptions of his return. Raven wasn't scared of Slade himself. He was able to be defeated just like any other human being.

Raven sat cross legged on her bed and inhaled a large breath to relax not only her body but her mind as well. She opened her lips and started repeating her chantra.

"Please calm down, my love. You are doing the stressing."

Nightwing shook his head. He was standing in his room and looking down at his desk that was littered with old newspapers and observations on Slade. One could say that he was obsessed, but he would highly disagree. "I'm not stressing Star. I'm trying to make sure Slade gets out of our hair and stays out." Nightwing turned away from the table and stood in front of Star. Her large green eyes were filled with care and worry. Nightwing gave a small smile at his girlfriend and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I need to make sure that he doesn't hurt you like he did in our last battle."

"I understand Robin, but what is the point of protecting me and the others if you are going to become the antisocial and obsessed?"

Nightwing was shocked to hear Starfire call him by his old name. She rarely did so after he changed his name. She would say it out of habit when she is either very serious or in danger. Nightwing nodded his head and looked at the alien princess. "I'm sorry Star. I'll try not to get too involved with Slade, but he's up to no good. I can tell."

"Slade is always up to the no good, but fighting with your friends will not help you stop him."

The truth mentally smacked Nightwing right in the face. "You're right."

Starfire beamed with a smile. "Please, apologize to Changeling and turn away from your studies."

Nightwing agreed to do what Starfire said, but knowing himself, he would be back in that office.

"Are you getting ready for our date on Wednesday?"

Starfire turned to Nightwing. "Oh yes! I do not remember taking such a fancy date."

Nightwing wrapped his strong arms around Starfire's waist and snuggled his face into her neck. "I know; that's why I'm taking you."

Starfire blushed at his actions and giggled.

"C'mon," Nightwing grabbed her hand and brought her to his large bedroom. "Let's get ready for bed" Nightwing said with a smirk.

Starfire smiled and blushed even harder; she knew where this was leading to, and she wasn't going to deny it.

Here's chapter 3. I hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to review!