Ch 13: Interlude

So I got some reviews from an anonymous (I'm assuming the same person since they spelled 'Azarath' wrong both times) telling me Azarath is not a planet but is a dimensional place. YOU ARE SO VERY CORRECT and I apologize for the error of ch11. I will try to go back and fix it (easy fix, really) soon. So, dear readers, I apologize for that one. Completely my bad.

Sorry for taking so long with writing this chapter. Like I said, new internship. I usually don't get home until after 7:00, and by then I'm so tired I don't feel like writing anything. I started this Tuesday and struggled a bit, clearly. The end of the last chapter was more of an impulse rather than a plan, and so it was difficult to get this chapter started since I had to rearrange/rethink some things. The real issue is that I plotted out the plot in advance, but not the emotion and the relationship between our birds because I like to write that organically. Well, my muse is finally eager to write it out, so that's interfering with the push to the rest of the mystery/action. Then again, I did plan on this chapter being a slower one (thus the reason I called it "interlude"), so all hope is not lost. Just delayed. On with the show!

Damn; it's Thursday night and this isn't done. Clearly. Or I wouldn't be writing this. Wednesday was a really late night (at work past 7 cutting up lil panda masks. Ouch… x-acto knifing puts painful pressure on your index finger) and yeah. Real world problems, people. So now it's Thursday night and I have work tomorrow BUT I'M TRYING REALLY HARD I SWEAR!

Okay now it's Friday and I DID IT so here you go! I got to leave work 45 minutes early and my boss sent me out on a "sunshine break" at 3 so I was energized and in high spirits after work. So thank my boss for this one. She's the bomb.

Peace and buh-lessins.

"Sunset," Raven whispered, her voice cutting through the silence in her room. She and Robin had yet to move from their position on the floor, her legs crossed in front of her and his feet on either side of her, upright knees helping to stabilize Raven's still-drained form. Their fingers had not yet untwined, and their foreheads were once again pressed together in silent affirmation that something between them had definitely changed.

The soft glow of the setting sun had awakened Raven from her trancelike state, though. Reds and oranges crept across the carpet towards the birds as the sun managed to break through the thin clouds along the horizon. It was only a glimpse, but it was more than anyone in Jump City had seen of the sun in what seemed like a week, though it was really more like two days.

Robin immediately missed the warmth of Raven's head against his as she turned to watch the light fight against the storm clouds. His eyes stayed on her, watching the light sweep up Raven's face, dance along the curve of her jaw, illuminate the light purple of her irises and soften the exhaustion in her eyes. Not bothering to think, Robin leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the side of her face, just beyond the corner of her eye. He felt her eyelashes tickle his skin as her eyes fluttered closed at the soft touch of his lips.

"Time to go face the world again," Robin murmured. Raven's lips curled into a half-smile and she turned her head back towards Robin, lifting her chin to kiss him.

"And then what?" she asked. Robin chuckled.

"We deal with Tempest, then I get to take you out on a proper date."

"Alright, Boy Wonder," Raven said with a shy smile, slowing rising off the floor to sit on the end of her bed and shake the feeling back into her stiff legs. Robin let her hands slip from his and he stretched his arms above his head, fingers extended towards the ceiling as his shoulders, back, and neck let out a satisfying crack. He stood, twisting his upper body to and fro to release any other kinks in his back. When this was all over, the Titans were due for at least three days of vacation, most of which would be spent sleeping. Robin adjusted his cape, wrinkling his nose as he tried to brush some dried mud off it. He really needed a shower.

Raven was relieved when she found she could stand without her legs shaking. The spell had taken more out of her than she would ever admit, but it had been worth it to feel the heavy presence of the lightning mark disappear. The white of the scar was something she could ignore as it eventually faded, and even if her demon blood could do nothing about the scar tissue, she had rid herself of the last of Tempest's magical influence, and that was a victory. She watched Robin roll his neck and brush his cape off, laughing inwardly as she saw him not-so-subtly smell his uniform. She was sure hers smelled no better, but now was not the time to think about that. Truly, their only focus should be Tempest, but Raven knew that would be a struggle due to one boy wonder. He was holding his hand out to her now, something he seemed to be doing a lot lately, with a smile on his face and a question she had not heard hanging in the air.

"Earth to Raven," he laughed. "Let's see if anyone else is awake."

"Right," she said, letting him pull her up from the end of the bed. She only let her fingers slip away from his when they reached her door, her mind lingering on the feeling that everything had changed between them, yet nothing was any different than it had been earlier that day. Raven cast a quick glance sideways at Robin. He loved her, had loved her for some time, and she was well aware of that fact. And did she love him? If she didn't already, she was certainly on the fast track. And Robin was well aware of that fact, too. She felt him catch her eye beneath that mask of his and she focused on the elevator button instead.

Their walk to the living room was a quiet one, an unspoken agreement floating between them: what happened between the two in Raven's room should stay there, for now at least. Rather, that's what Robin felt like Raven wanted right now. She had let go of his hand as soon as they had exited her room, but he kept catching her staring at him. He didn't mind, if he was being honest. Nothing had really changed between them, but he knew everything would be different. He had loved her before their kiss and acted as such, though not so verbally. The hours they spent alone together working, the not-so-subtle touches. Hell, all the other Titans had said something about it to him before Raven ever did, whether it was a gentle warning in Cyborg's case, a shove of encouragement from Starfire, or a teasing joke from Beast Boy. So no, nothing had changed, at least not for him. The idea that Raven felt something in return was an idea Robin had already dealt with long ago, an insecurity he had bested weeks earlier. His declaration of love to Raven had been on a sunny Tuesday, the day he had decided to forgo any of the emotional barriers he usually maintained around the dark empath. When her only reaction had been a curious glance at him followed by a secretive smile, any worries he harbored had vanished, and he knew all that was left was to wait for her to figure herself out as he had figured his own heart.

"Hmm," Raven hummed, shrugging as they entered the quiet living room. The sun had just set, so Robin mused it couldn't be much past 9:00, but the room was deserted. The others must still be sleeping, or they had stayed awake through the afternoon and had turned in early. Regardless, there was no sign of any of the other Titans, and Robin felt a yawn coming on. If they weren't awake, he might as well go to sleep, too. Raven brushed past Robin towards the kitchen to put the kettle on the stove. Robin watched with a touch of confusion as she poured the hot water over a teabag and moved to perch on one of the barstools.

"What?" she asked him.

"There's nobody else here," Robin said. "Don't you want to go to sleep? Especially after what you've done today?" Raven shrugged.

"I could say the same to you. You were with me the entire time." She took a sip of the tea, steam curling around her face.

"I napped," he responded, moving to stand next to her.

"Ah," Raven said, nodding. "Well, there's no time for sleep now. I need to talk to Starfire."

"They're all asleep, Rae," Robin told her. "And you need sleep, too. We're all pretty much useless right now."

"So go to bed," Raven said, putting a gentle hand on Robin's arm. "Naps don't count as a full night of sleep."

"I'm not leaving this room until you do," Robin replied lightly, moving to sit next to her. Raven smirked but kept her eyes focused on the wall in front of her, making it plain that she would sit there as long as she pleased to enjoy her tea. Rolling his eyes with a smile, Robin settled his chin on his hands to wait. Raven ignored his stare as she sipped on chamomile, and when she finished, she carefully washed out her cup by hand, never once looking towards the waiting boy wonder. Mug safely back in the cabinet and tea box stowed away, Raven stretched and began walking towards the door. Robin leapt off the stool and followed her.

"Don't tell me you're going to follow me all the way to my room," Raven said dryly.

"Your active listening needs work, Rae," Robin quipped. "How many times have I told you this: I am never letting you out of my sight ever again."

"Aren't you supposed to sleep, too?"

"You mean you don't want a repeat sleepover?" Robin grinned dangerously. Raven raised an eyebrow and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, a similar smile playing on her face.

"You said you wouldn't be my teddy bear."

"I never said I wouldn't," he recalled. "I just never explicitly volunteered my services."

"Your loss," Raven said airily as they reached the end of a hallway. Raven's room was down to the right, and Robin's to the left. "Goodnight, Robin."

"Not so fast," Robin said in a soft singsong. He grabbed her wrist as she turned to walk down the hall and pulled her into him, lips capturing hers. Raven pressed her body against Robin's for a few blissful seconds, mouth moving with his as her fingers tugged at his hair, before she abruptly stepped back from him. Robin pouted as Raven smiled up at him.

"What happened to waiting until the storm blows over?" Raven asked. Robin had not let go of her wrist yet, and so he tugged her back towards him.

"I'm impatient," he said simply. "I've been waiting for this for weeks, maybe even months; you know that."

"I know," she said. "But we haven't even had the chance to really talk about all… this." Raven waved her hand a bit to emphasize the 'this' that lay undefined between them.

"What's there to talk about?" Robin grinned, mouth darting back to Raven's. She dodged with a smirk and gently pushed on his chest with her hand, prompting him to lift his lips from her neck.

"There are several things to consider here, Boy Wonder," she replied with exaggerated patience. Robin just barely noticed the twitch of her smile. "My emotions and powers, the team dynamic, villains, we—." Robin silenced her with a finger against her lips.

"Excuses, excuses," he said, shaking his head. "But fine, have it your way. Just know I can't be held accountable for my actions if I happen to catch you without anyone else around."

"Deal," she smirked. "Now, goodnight, Robin."

"Goodnight," he said softly, dropping a chaste kiss on her forehead. Raven felt the wash of his love run across her, sending pleasant shivers up her spine. As she watched him turn and walk towards his room, she couldn't help the soft sigh that escaped her lips. She didn't know if she could quite call it love yet, but something wonderful bubbled up in her chest as he turned his head to give her one last smile before slipping into his room. Raven turned to her own door, grimacing as the warmth drained from her as she saw the reminders of reality littered about her carpet. Spellbooks, flasks, candles, and various bottles begged her to clean up, but she was too tired. Lightly stepping across the mess, Raven collapsed onto her bed without so much as removing her cloak.

…

As light glared at Robin's closed eyelids, he realized with a groan that he had forgotten to shut his curtains the night before. Somewhere between showering and falling into bed, that piece of his nightly routine had fallen to the wayside. Honestly, he had supposed it would still be black out this morning, despite the glimmer of sunset he and Raven had seen last night. With that in mind, Robin cracked his eyes open to glare at the offending light, undecided on whether or not he liked it. On the one hand, it was finally almost sunny. On the other, he was tired and it was around six in the morning. Robin grumbled to himself and turned over to drift into that odd dreamlike state between sleeping and waking.

A little after eight, the boy wonder finally decided it was time to drag himself to the living room for coffee and to plan their day. Tempest would most likely be preparing for another attack; he had enough time to recover from whatever wound Starfire and Cyborg dealt him, right? Robin slipped on his belt and his boots and headed into the hall.

"Raven?" The words escaped him before Robin could begin to think. The empath turned her head to regard him with tired eyes, her hair still damp from her morning shower. Raven blinked a few times, clearly drawing herself out of a deep thought.

"Coffee is already made," she said softly, gesturing towards the kitchen. Robin cocked an eyebrow at her, but turned to go pour himself a cup and allow her another minute of alone time. When he returned, Raven was staring out the window again, knees drawn to her chest with her tea mug resting delicately on top. Robin frowned slightly as he took in the shadows under her eyes.

"Did you sleep at all?" he asked quietly, sinking onto the couch next to her.

"A bit," she replied.

"Are you sure?" Robin pried. He saw Raven's shoulders rise and fall ever so slightly as she sighed.

"Nightmares," she mumbled. Robin was the only one she would ever admit something that to. She saw his sad half-smile out of the corner of her eye and relaxed when he turned his head towards the window, as hers was, and dropped the topic. He understood; he wouldn't ask any more questions. Propping his legs up on the ottoman, Robin leaned back into the cushions and rested his arm along the back of the couch behind Raven. He lifted the coffee to his lips and inhaled the bitter aroma.

"It will all be over soon," he whispered, taking a sip of coffee.

An hour later, the silent pair heard the door swish open.

"Friends!" Starfire exclaimed. The seated couple turned as Starfire moved to hover behind the couch. "You are back! Did it work?"

"I think so," Raven said. "It's just a scar now."

"Thank goodness," Cyborg said. "We were beginning to worry when we didn't hear from y'all all night."

"It was a process," Robin replied. "I fell asleep a few times."

"Way to go, watch dog," Cyborg said as he punched Robin lightly on the shoulder.

"Did you find anything else out?" Raven interrupted, looking up at Starfire. The redhead nodded gravely and landed on the carpet.

"I am afraid so. Galfore has informed me the mages have been hunting down Caliban for years now trying to get the swords back."

"But they're just swords, y'all." Cyborg moved to sit on the ottoman, pushing Robin's feet away. Starfire joined him.

"If only that were true," Starfire admitted. "But they are so much more than just simple artifacts."

"How to explain," Raven mused, setting her tea aside. "You know the story of Arthur and Excalibur?"

"Duh," the boys replied at the same time. Raven rolled her eyes.

"It's like that. Well, it's the best parallel I can draw. The weapons of Medeca, the swords, are like Excalibur, only Caliban came by them illegitimately. They were not meant for him, and he stole them, so the people of Sycorax have no doubt been scrambling around looking for them for years."

"Yes, this is what Galfore says. They have been searching everywhere for almost a flortnex."

"A decade," Raven clarified. "If they haven't figured out he's here yet, they will soon. I was in his mind. I think he senses them coming for him, and he feels cornered."

"We should wake friend Beast Boy. There is much to do today, I think."

"Star's right," Robin said, rising from the couch. "We need to put together a plan for today and figure our next move before Tempest figures out his."

"In that case, I'm going to need a big breakfast," Cyborg said, also standing. He and Robin moved back towards the kitchen, leaving Starfire and Raven facing each other at the couch.

"Truly, friend, you are better?" Starfire asked, her voice soft. Raven locked eyes with her and took a deep breath.

"Here," she said, rolling up her sleeve to show Starfire the thin white outline.

"It has ceased the glowing," Starfire observed. Raven nodded and pushed her sleeve back down.

"I don't know the extent of the magic, but I can't sense anything else, at least. But who knows…" Starfire nodded, her thoughts following Raven's.

"It is a different magic. There could still be remnants," Starfire said. Raven looked grim.

"Let's hope all of this disappears when Tempest does," she said. Starfire stood and beckoned Raven to follow her. The girls went to the kitchen to watch Cyborg cook, both hoping for a small distraction. As the teens walked away from the living room, neither noticed the sky outside begin to fall dark once more despite the rising sun.

I'll try and do the next chapter before Sunday! Please review! It really does inspire me to update faster =)