Robin's office hadn't changed one bit over the years. The walls were still covered with news clippings, mostly related to Slade. The desk was no different, buried under false leads which didn't pan out, the latest of which Robin scrunched into a paper ball and with a frustrated groan tossed into his waste bin.

Six months had passed and Slade had simply vanished. This wasn't unusual behavior for the one eyed villain, but Robin knew that it meant only one thing, namely that Slade was getting ready to do something big, something really big.

It was of course the Titan's job to stop their nemesis. As usual, Robin had no idea what Slade was planning. Was he going to attack with a huge army of robots?

Robin shook his head. No, it wouldn't be that. Slade had done that before, and if there was anything Robin knew about Slade is that he never tried the same approach twice. Whatever he was going to attempt it would be clever and unexpected. Bruce always said that when you dealt with the Joker that you had to expect the unexpected. Robin firmly believed that the same applied to Slade, except that unlike the Joker, Slade wasn't insane. Robin wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

His office door swished open. Without turning around he knew who it was. Starfire quietly entered the room and approached him. Robin pushed away from his desk, making room for her as she sat down on his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"You have not found any clues about Slade?" She asked.

"Another dead end." He replied as he caressed the crown of her head.

"You will find Slade and we will defeat him. But perhaps you need to take a break."

Robin tensed up. He knew that when it came down to Slade that he could at best be described as obsessive. Cyborg was right; he always had Slade on his mind, and for good reason. The man was a fiendish mastermind, one who was always plotting. Nothing was beneath him; he once sold out the entire world in a bargain he made with Trigon. This was not a man you could afford to ignore.

But there were other parameters that had changed in Robin's life. Starfire was now his girlfriend of over two years, and with that relationship came some rules. One of those rules was that she could make Robin stop obsessing for a moment and focus on their relationship instead. Robin often regretted agreeing to that rule. Like he had any choice in the matter.

"I take it that you're invoking the couple time clause."

Starfire giggled.

"You are correct. I was thinking of doing the double date tonight."

Robin's masked eyes boggled.

"No, not with them."

"Yes, with them. Beast Boy has found a delicious vegetarian restaurant and I thought it would be glorious if we joined them."

Robin's head dropped in defeat, and not because of the menu, but because of the couple.

It all began shortly after Christmas. Cyborg had prepared one of his "meatastic" breakfasts, the ones that included bacon, sausage, fried chicken and steak. Somewhere lost in the mixture there were some eggs as well. As he set Raven's plate before her she calmly announced that she was now a vegetarian.

Beast Boy found himself on the receiving end of a collective glare from Robin, Cyborg and Starfire.

"Beast Boy played no part in my decision."

Cyborg stared incredulously at his gray teammate. "You mean to say that you made this decision on your own … why?"

Raven sighed.

"As you all know I was born and raised on Azarath. My former home is a very serene place, a spiritual place, where people spend hours in meditation and chanting. Azarathians are also vegetarians."

"What?" Beast Boy shrieked. "Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"The first time I ever ate meat was after I arrived on Earth. I won't lie to you, when I first tasted meat, it was delicious. No, correction, it was scrumptious, a delight I never imagined."

"You got that right girl!" Cyborg cheered while the changeling's ears drooped.

"In retrospection, I think that it was my demonic half that was delighted by the taste of flesh … anyway … you're probably wondering what set the wheels in motion … it was watching you celebrate Christmas … it made me realize that I wasn't being true to my own heritage and beliefs."

And from that day forward Raven was a vegetarian. And that meant that she was suddenly dependent on Beast Boy showing her the ropes on how to be a vegetarian on Earth. Raven never had to cook on Azarath, as she was always at Azar's side. Meals were prepared by the temple staff. So now Raven was stuck at the changeling's side as she learned the elemental basics of cooking. Cyborg face palmed more than once seeing Raven sautéing one of the grass stain's disgusting recipes. Eventually he would just turn away, whimpering "I don't wanna look".

After Raven mastered the basics, Beast Boy took her out to Jump City's vegetarian eateries, so that she could taste what more sophisticated vegetarian cuisine was like. Eventually these outings became a regular occurrence, leaving the other three Titans wondering the same question: "Are they dating?"

Robin snapped back to the present where Starfire was still sitting on his lap.

"OK, fine. But don't complain to me later when this turns out to be a disaster."

"A disaster? Robin, why do you have so little faith?"

Robin shook his head. "Forget I said anything. Let's meet at 6 and head on out."

The princess smiled as she levitated off of her boyfriend's lap.

"You will see, Robin, it will be a glorious evening! I will now go confirm the time with Raven!"

Without further ado she flew out of the office.

"Yeah … glorious … right." He muttered sotto voce as he headed off to the common room.

-( scene break )-

The common room doors opened, revealing Robin's sullen figure which walked down the steps. Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing some racing game on the GameStation and as usual Cyborg was winning.

"No fair! You always cheat, chrome dome!"

"Nuh uh! I'm just better than you, admit it grass stain!"

Without saying a word Robin stepped up to the console and turned it off.

"Yo Rob, what's with you? Can't you see I'm whipping B's butt?"

Robin ignored Cyborg's complaint and instead focused his attention on the changeling.

"Beast Boy, we need to talk."

"We do?" He replied in a confused tone.

Robin sat down on the couch next to the changeling. Cyborg put down his controller, the aborted game forgotten. Whatever this was going to be, it would be juicy. Robin gave Beast Boy a glare worthy of the Dark Knight.

"What's going on between you and Raven?"

Cyborg cracked a huge grin. "Hey, I've been wondering that myself. You guys seem to go out a lot for dinner."

The changeling looked flummoxed and didn't answer. Robin drew closer.

"Are you and Raven dating?"

The changeling shrieked.

"What? Dating? I don't know … I don't think so, I mean I've just been showing Rae where the best vegetarian restaurants are."

"Rae?" Cyborg snickered. "So we're down to pet names, are we? What does she call you, maybe Beastie Boo?"

The changeling began to panic.

"No, it's not like that."

A smug grin appeared on Cyborg's face. "You guys have gone out for diner 127 times and there are only 19 vegetarian restaurants in Jump. Fess up, green bean, you guys are dating."

"I … I … I don't know if we are … I mean … Raven will just come to me and say "want to go out and eat?" … it's all we do, no movie, no walk in the park, no nothing, we just eat and talk.

"What do you talk about?" Robin asked.

"Well, at first we just talked about the team, you know, the last bad guy we nabbed … that sort of thing."

"But?" Cyborg interjected.

"Well … after a couple of months we started to talk about ourselves … you know … what we did before we were Titans. I told Raven about the Doom Patrol for a while and eventually I told her about my parents and how I got my powers … and … how my parents died."

"You've never told us about any of that." Robin remarked.

"That's because it isn't easy."

"What did Raven tell you?"

She told me about her time on Azarath. She also made me swear to not share that with anyone, so don't …"

Robin raised his hand. "It's OK, Beast Boy, I'm not asking you to tell me."

Cyborg chuckled maliciously. "Sounds to me like you guys are dating."

"What? No way! We never talk about, you know, romantic stuff."

"That's not what dates are about. You date to get to know the other person better." Robin remarked.

"And it seems to me that you guys know each other pretty well … so … what's the next step?" Cyborg asked as he wagged his single human eyebrow. "I think Ravie pooh is ready for a kiss."

"There won't be a next step." Robin thundered.

"What?" Cyborg and Beast Boy exclaimed.

Robin sighed.

"Beast Boy … listen … no one is happier than I am that you and Raven have become intimate friends … just that you've stopped fighting and bickering is a huge relief. Heaven knows Raven needs an intimate friend. But … and don't take this the wrong way … Raven … she isn't girlfriend material … do you know what I mean?"

The changeling frowned. "No. I don't"

Robin stood up and nervously shuffled his feet.

"Look … we all love Raven and she loves us … I have no doubt in my mind about that. She would sacrifice herself for us … but … Garfield … I mean … you have to know."

"Know what?"

"Raven … she has … issues … her temper, her impatience … how can I say this?"

The changeling glared at his leader.

"So you're saying that Raven's a bitch?"

Robin face palmed.

"That wasn't the word I was looking for … but … it works."

Beast Boy leaped to his feet.

"Well, then you don't know her!"

"And you do?"

"You bet I do! I know things about Raven that you don't and you never will!"

Robin raised his hands in an apologetic gesture.

"Listen … I'm not telling you what to do. We're all adults now …"

"B's still seventeen" Cyborg corrected him.

"For a few more months. What I'm trying to say Beast Boy is that you do make your own choices … just … tread carefully … OK?"

The green Titan snorted disdainfully. Robin began to walk away, but stopped.

"Oh, and before I forget … we're going on a double date tonight."

"A double date? You mean you, Star, Raven and me?"

"Correct … It was Starfire's idea … OK? Anyway, be ready at six, and if possible, could you pick a restaurant that serves something besides tofu?"

-( scene break )-

Much to Robin's relief the changeling took them to a restaurant that served a few fish courses for the vegetarian impaired. It was a bayside restaurant and they were seated on the outdoor deck with an impressive view of the bay, with the Tower not too far away. The sun was setting and the air was balmy. It was a perfect summer evening.

"I have never seen the Tower from here, it is a beautiful landmark, do you not agree?" The princess asked her boyfriend.

The boy blunder was poking at his food with his fork. It was plain to all present that he wasn't enjoying the outing.

"Robin … would you please stop obsessing about Slade and try to have a good time … for once?" Raven chided him.

"Sorry guys … I was thinking about my parents … you see … they died in an accident when I was a child … something happened today that made me remember them … well … you don't want to hear about that … Star … can you think of some happier to discuss?"

"Oh yes! There is something I have wanted to ask."

She turned to Raven and Beast Boy.

"Friends … I must know … are you the boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

Robin face palmed upon hearing the question. Beast Boy's face blushed while Raven choked on her food.

"Uh, Star … Raven and I … we aren't a couple … a least not yet." He grinned hopefully.

Raven had recovered from her surprise.

"I understand why you are confused about this. It's true that Beast Boy and I have been going out together a great deal lately. Contrary to what you might think, these were not dates."

Starfire looked perplexed. "But you go out so often."

"That is true, but the main reason was so I could get away from watching you eat meat. And please don't misunderstand; it's not that I find seeing you eating meat to be distasteful, far from it. You see, unlike Beast Boy, I still crave meat, and whenever Cyborg cooks, which is virtually always, I find that I need to step out to get away from … temptation. Garfield has been very supportive. He has been patient with my dysfunctional personality and I'm happy to say that we have become very close friends because of our outings, but we are not in a romantic relationship."

Raven sighed.

"We all know such a relationship is impossible for someone of my background and temperament. And I apologize to you, Garfield, if I ever misled you into believing that we might become more than friends. Do understand that it's not you, it's me. I'm Trigon's daughter and I always will be. If it's any consolation, you are my closest and dearest friend."

The table fell silent upon hearing Raven's speech. Beast Boy looked crestfallen while Starfire seemed to be fighting back tears. Robin looked strangely … relieved.

The silence was broken when all four of their communicators began to trill at once. Robin flipped his open.

"What is it Cyborg?"

"It's Slade, he's back!"

-( scene break )-

The five Titans converged at the site of the disturbance, which was inside a local shopping mall. The Slade-bots were wrecking havoc everywhere, destroying small shops, overturning vendor carts and just causing general mayhem. Due to the late hour the mall wasn't crowded and the patrons fled through the emergency exits at the rear of the stores. As they gathered in the main entrance Robin briefed his team.

"There is nothing of strategic value here. We have to assume that Slade wants to engage us in battle. He's been gone for six months, so we have to assume that he has a trick or two up his sleeve. So let's be careful and watch each other's backs."

His teammates nodded their agreement.

"Ok then … Titans, Go!"

The team sprang into action, engaging the horde of Slade-bots. Much to their surprise there was nothing unusual about them, other than their vast numbers. The battle was heavy and was concentrated in the mall's central courtyard, which looked like a battlefield with all the damage that it had suffered.

The five heroes separated into zones where they systematically decimated the Slade-bots.

"What's was the point of this?" Beast Boy shouted before morphing into a Triceratops and plowing into a platoon of droids.

"I don't get it either. Slade had to know this wouldn't work." Robin shouted back in reply.

Raven was fighting at the south end of the courtyard, which led into the now empty south wing of the mall. As the fighting began to subside she heard the voice of a young boy, probably a toddler, crying.

"Mommy, where are you? Mommy, I'm scared."

Raven immediately flew off in the direction of the boy's voice.

"You're safe, no one will hurt you. Just come out and I'll take you to your mommy."

The others saw Raven fly away, wondering what she was doing.

The boy's voice continued to echo in the empty mall, perhaps he was in the JCPenny store at the mall's south end.

"Where are you?" She called out. "I'm a Titan, I'll protect you but I can't do that if I can't find you."

Raven reached out with her empathic senses, searching for the boy. While sounds echoed in the mall, emotions did not. She was close enough now to find him that way.

"Mommy, I'm scared."

Raven halted mid air. She couldn't sense anyone in the south wing, absolutely no one, which meant …

A Slade-bot darted out of a small shoe store, with a rocket launcher on its shoulder. Raven froze; she had fallen into a trap. Thrusting her hands forward she conjured a small but dense shield, hoping that it would be able to absorb the blast she was about to receive.

The droid fired, but instead of a rocket emerging from the launcher a huge net came out; as it approached her it unfurled, wrapping itself around Raven and her small, flat shield. Had she conjured a bubble she would have been safe, but now found she was caught in the net, which suddenly became electrified. The sorceress screamed in agony as she fell to the ground.

"Raven!" Robin shouted as he ran towards her, followed by the others.

The droid dropped its rocket launcher and picked up the gray Titan.

"Leave her alone! Don't you dare touch her!" Robin bellowed as he and his team approached the lone robot. "You won't get away!"

Just as they were approaching several dozen Slade-bots came out of hiding and began to fire their laser pistols at the Titans, keeping them at bay. Another droid joined the one carrying Raven and it slammed a smoke bomb into the ground. It exploded violently leaving a think black curtain of smoke in its wake. The Titans continued fighting and just as they vanquished the last Slade-bot the smoke cleared.

Raven was gone.

-( scene break )-

Raven, a vegetarian?

That actually isn't so farfetched. In the comics Raven is a vegetarian and Beast Boy eats meat. This is first revealed in "Tales of the New Teen Titans #1" (this is the issue where Cyborg's back story is told) from June 1982, on page 3, frame #5, Raven tells Kid Flash, who is grilling hot dogs and hamburgers (The Titans are camping in the Grand Canyon): "Did you only bring meat? I - I don't eat that."

Meanwhile, BB is more than happy to chow down on some meaty goodness (after he burns several hot dogs while telling stories, lucky for him Cyborg saved him a few.)

And now, it's mail bag time!

Dezarulordoftwilight

Oh no, a cliffhanger and yet so much yes for a christmasy moment there. Good job as usual force.

Thanks! When you think of it, Raven has to be a Pagan, so I always wonder how she deals with Christmas.

SaphireDragon15

I love the -( scene break )- 's!

LOL! I started that because the website would sometimes remove the page breaks I would insert using MS-Word.

PaulieJuice

I usually don't read stories like this, but I trust you're work, so I'll be following it. :))

Hmmm… What kind of story is this? Should I be worried?

Glacier

Force! Why must you post now, i'm stuck between addictions, gaming, and the quite often amazing writing you do. This could go places, please continue.

Life can be addicting. Thanks for the kind words.

GreennaveyblueRa

Grr he better not be planing on makeing a clone of Chirstmas I take one realy fluffy bbrae scene

A clone of Christmas or a Raven clone? Maybe both?

Dragonkyng

First, i hate my smartphone's autocorrect. that review was supposed to say "Awesome." It was also supposed to be longer.

I meant to say "Awesome Story, can't wait to see how it goes. Please update soon."

Sorry for the confusion.

I am reminded of a saying: "To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer". And that's what a Smartphone is, a pocket computer. Personally, I hate them and don't have one.

Rosalind du Coudray

Oh boy! Please continue soon! Can't wait to see what's next!

Well, here you go! I won't be updating until Dec 26. See you then.

gabylokita41

Awesome start can't wait to see how this story turns out. . I always enjoy ur stories bet this one will be just as good as the rest

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm really hoping to catch all of you by surprise with the ending.

titanfan45

Promising start! Looks like this story is going to be a good one. I have an idea as to what Slade is going to do with the blood sample he got from the scene of the attack, so I'll definitely be sticking around to see how it plays out. Merry Christmas!

Aw! Am I that predictable?