A/N: I just wanna repeat myself and say thank-you to all who have reviewed this story. It's you who keep me going! Also, beware this chapter is a tad longer and...deeper. This relationship touches me the most out of all of them. Remember, there is no intended romance!

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Robin heard them before he saw them, and it was just as well. If he hadn't ducked in time, the little monsters would have ripped his head clean off his shoulders.

He stood back and stared at them. They looked like crows, almost, except for the glowing, red eyes. There were at least ten of them, now all perching on the awning above the cafe in front of him.

He was in the northwest part of the city; a shady district full of illegal dealers, runaways and fast cars. It was here that Raven's favourite cafe was located, but as soon as he had neared it, he'd been attacked by these...these creatures.

Robin held a birdarang in each hand, ready to fend them off if they attacked again. But they just perched there, on the awning, as if waiting for something. Or perhaps they were guarding the cafe. Whatever the reason was didn't matter – he needed to get inside. It was closed of course, but he knew that locked doors wouldn't stop Raven. He just had to get past the strange birds.

It was obvious that they were a figment of Nevermore, the encroaching darkness that was swallowing the city. They looked like they could even be Raven's pets; he wouldn't put it past her to get vicious guard-birds. However, Robin wondered if he had to hurt the birds, would it count as hurting Raven? Weren't the pink Raven and the yellow Raven figments, too? What happened if they were hurt, out here in the real world?

"Turn back." The sound shook him awake. It sounded beautiful, like an angel's voice. He looked around, holding his birdarangs in front of him.

"Who's there?" he called out.

"Turn back." There it was again, the musical voice. Robin wasn't stupid, he knew it meant trouble. He turned back to the birds to watch his reflection in the cafe doors' glass, in case someone was sneaking up on him. Then he heard it once more,

"Turn back," the birds chimed softly, gently. It was easy to fall into the beauty of their voices, and so Robin backed away from the cafe. Talking birds...of course. What next?

"Sorry, birdies," Robin muttered. "I'm going in." In one leap, he cleared the distance between himself and the entrance to the cafe. Quickly, he sliced a birdarang down the centre of the doors, breaking the lock easily. However, before he even pulled the birdarang back out, the birds were upon him.

They were everywhere! It seemed that hundreds of the things had suddenly spawned around him, attacking him with their talons and flapping their wings loudly, stealing away any sense of direction. "WARK! WARK! WARK!" they screeched, the angelic voices gone. Robin covered his face with one arm and attempted to bat them away.

They just kept coming at him. He couldn't see anything! Robin blindly reached into his belt and grabbed a small pellet, before throwing it straight into the pavement.

Boom-psshhh... Smoke exploded out of the pellet rapidly, clouding the cafe's entrance in its thick smog. The birds let up on him slightly, dazed from the dark vapour, and Robin used the opportunity to slip into the unlocked cafe and bar the door behind him.

Once he was inside, the birds attacked the glass, but couldn't manage to even land a scratch on the perfectly flat surface. Enraged, they glared at him with their ominous, red eyes and flew off as a flock. They were finally gone. Robin leant his back upon the closed door and slid to the ground, breathing fast. "No offence, Raven," he gasped. "But you have really bad taste in pets."

"Sorry. They aren't really pets...but sorry." The voice came from someone who had simply appeared beside him, and Robin jumped sideways in fright, landing awkwardly back onto his backside. It was Raven...again.

"Stop...please stop doing that," he groaned.

"Sorry," she whispered again. "I didn't mean to scare you, sorry..."

"Stop saying sorry, Raven," he pleaded.

"Oh, sorry."

He looked at her with hard eyes, and she shut her mouth. This Raven was clad in a grey cloak, and was twiddling her thumbs nervously. Her eyes were searching his own for something; as if she were scared he would disapprove of something else she did. He quickly put two-and-two together.

"I was wondering if I'd meet you," he said thoughtfully, almost to himself.

"We've already met, haven't we?" she whispered back to him. "I mean, we're on the same team and...and we're..." she couldn't finish for some reason. She only looked away, eyes cast downwards.

"I meant this side of you, Raven."

"Oh..." She then closed her mouth tightly and hugged her knees.

"You know why I'm here?"

She nodded, and silently pulled a small piece of glass from her cloak, before slipping it back inside. Robin bit his lip, trying to be patient. He spoke again, the sound seeming ugly in the quietness of the empty, dark cafe.

"Raven, I need to fix the mirror. It's very important."

She still wouldn't answer him, eyes glued to the checkerboard floor.

"Raven, I – we – need to help...er, you." The sentence made no sense, but they both understood. Raven looked at him, eyes now wide and watery.

"Why? Why do you need to help me? I'm okay...there's nothing wrong with me..."

"Of course there's nothing wrong with you, Raven," Robin sighed, trying to hide his frustration. He wasn't in the mood for a quiet conversation; he needed to help the real Raven as fast as possible. But this Raven was extra fragile – in fact, she was almost a complete opposite from the pink one he'd just met before.

"Then why do I need help?"

"Your mirror...it's broken. We need to fix it before the whole city is eaten by this 'Nevermore' world. And you – you're sick. I mean...the other you." Nothing but meaningless trash was spilling out of his mouth, and he hated it. It wasn't going to cheer Raven up, and it was making him sound selfish. He changed tactics and moved closer to her, making her shuffle backwards nervously.

"So there is something wrong with me?" She looked about to cry, and it absolutely killed him inside to see her so hurt.

"Not in the way you think," he murmured, moving closer still, until they were sitting side-by-side, shoulders almost touching. "It's kind of hard to explain, I guess." The proximity seemed to make her incredibly nervous, but she didn't move; still hugging her knees tightly and staring at the floor.

There were still tears in her eyes, but she was holding her face bravely, as if he wouldn't notice. Something about the pain in her expression tugged at his heart, and he decided to ignore the crisis at hand until he'd made her feel better. "Raven," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing. I'm okay. Sorry for making you think-"

"Raven," he repeated. "What's wrong?"

"I...I..." she looked into his honest eyes, and gave in. "I'm...lonely."

Even though he was glad she'd answered, Robin was surprised that she had. This Raven was obviously the shyer one, the most sensitive. He hadn't expected her to be so upset that she'd actually talk to him. He continued to look into her dark eyes, showing her his sincerity.

"You're lonely?"

"Y-yes."

"Why do you feel lonely, when you have four other loyal friends who will stay with you through anything?"

"I...do? Who?" Her reply surprised him even more than her first did. He stared at her, incredulous.

"The Titans!" he said. "Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg and I. We're your best friends."

She merely looked back to the tiled floor. "Oh, yea."

"You don't think we are?"

"N-no, I mean...you are...but you-I mean...sorry..." Raven screwed her eyes shut, hoping to make her little tears vanish.

"Don't be sorry, Raven," he whispered. "Say what you think. Please?"

"It's just that, you all think I'm creepy!" she suddenly blurted. "I know you do. You all think I'm weird...too quiet and too dark. I just...I just don't fit in..." This time, the last word was a strangled sob, and she buried her face in her hands. Robin felt his heart shudder to see her like this, and slowly, nervously, put his arm around her shoulders.

She didn't shrug him off. He pulled her close and rested her head on his shoulder. "How long have you felt like this?" he whispered softly.

"Always..." she sobbed. "I just...I just ignore it. Oh, sorry, I'm getting your cape wet..."

"Raven," this time his voice was harder. "We don't think you're creepy, not at all. Sure, you're a little different, but who isn't? We all know you're a caring, loyal friend, and you're part of the team. You matter so much more than you think you do." He awkwardly wiped the corner of one of her eyes, feeling a little silly, but knowing it mattered. "Raven," he continued. "We're your friends, and we...we love you."

"You...love me?" she choked.

He squeezed her even tighter. "That's what best buddies do, Raven. That's why we're trying to fix the mirror. Raven - the full, true Raven - she, no...you might die if we don't."

Raven gently pressed the tiny shard of glass into his free palm, at the same time wiping her eyes and lifting her head. "Sorry..." she whispered.

"Don't be sorry. I'm the one who should apologize." Robin suddenly felt terrible. "You've been feeling like this for so long...and we never realised. I'm sorry Raven, for letting you think you didn't matter."

Finally, like the sun appearing after a storm, a tiny smile appeared on her tear-stained face. "Thank you," she murmured.

"It's okay Raven, we're best friends. It's what we do."

"About the mirror..." she said, still wiping her face, embarrassed. "There's something you have to know..."