Author's Note

Thanks to everyone for the reviews, they've done wonders for my ego. : lovingly strokes Ego: Nice Ego. Good Ego. :CHOMP: uh…ouch. . . . :tries to tug arm out of Ego's mouth: . . . . he seems to have gotten a bit bigger. . . . um . . . little help? . . .anyone?

Anyway, for all you Raven / Robin fans, I know I haven't gotten to any gushy romantic bits yet but they're coming. If you want a bit of a sneak peak at a later chapter, you can check my profile for a link to a fancy picture my boyfriend and I cooked up.

Sorry this took a while to get up. I've been laid-low by a nasty bugger of a cold. It's complete rubbish.

Oh, and let me know if these chapters are too long and I'll try and break them up better.

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"You know, Raven. If my thought . . . . uh . . . projecting bothered you so much, you really could have just told me. I would have tried to stop."

"I believe I did tell you."

"Well . . . yeah, but I mean. . . . I thought . . . that is, I didn't realize . . . . you're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

Raven shot a glance towards her leader and had to bite her bottom lip to keep from chuckling. Robin's face was scrunched up in a scowl; his lips were twisted together in a pout and his eyebrows were drawn together into a "V." He looked very much like a child who had been scolded by having a special privilege taken away from him. She didn't need to be an empath to know what the source of his irritation was, though she could feel the embarrassment rolling off of him in waves. Boys, no matter how well mannered, or how well versed in sportsmanship, did not take well to losing to a girl, and Robin was no exception to that rule. Though she was quite aware that she could level the entire city in two blinks of an eye, she wasn't offended by his attitude. It came from his intensely competitive nature. He would have been irritated if he had lost to anyone. It was difficult for her to be angry with him about that, since it was the part of his character that she liked best. His dogged determination and belief that he could be stronger, faster, and smarter than anyone else is what had drawn her to him in the first place. Humans. So intense. So passionate about everything. In Robin's world you either did or you didn't. There was no in-between. She admired that about him, even if he did tend to be a bit obsessive with it. And part of her, the part she was forced to keep ruthlessly locked away, wanted to experience that intensity. But though she herself could not, not without destroying everything she cared for, she could imagine what it was like through him.

"Naturally," she answered dryly and watched his face drop even further. Her heart gave a little sigh of pity. Really, it was such a little thing and pride, though dangerous at times, was so easily hurt and just as easily mended. "I did have a bit of an unfair advantage."

Robin perked up immediately at that, just as she had known he would. "Yeah? You did, didn't you . . . After you show me how to keep my thoughts in my own head, you want to go at it again?"

She raised an eyebrow. "And risk my bragging rights? When it snows in heaven."

Robin frowned again; he knew Raven wasn't from Earth originally, but it was usually Starfire who had trouble with familiar phrases. "Don't you mean, when it snows in hell?"

"Technically, that phrase is inaccurate. Some parts of hell are frozen wastelands."

He stopped walking and stared at the back of her head. Raven continued on for several feet before she noticed that he was no longer beside her. Curious, she glanced back over her shoulder to see him watching her with an expression that was partly interested and partly disturbed.

"Do I even want to know why you would know something like that?"

Sighing, she rolled her eyes and sat down, folding her legs underneath her. "It's called reading, Robin. Dante? Inferno? Ever heard of it? Ever do it?"

He settled on the ground across from her, mimicking her movements. "It's called fiction, Raven. As in not real. It's like believing in monsters or the Devil."

Raven waited until he had lifted his masked gaze to hers. "You should be careful what you don't believe in, Robin," she said, quietly. "There are monsters loose in the world and I assure you, the Devil does exist."

Robin saw the muscle along her jaw twitch as she clenched her teeth together and got the distinct feeling it was not a line of conversation she wanted to pursue. His mind, ever helpful, flipped through his files on the last few weeks; the return of Slade, the strange markings on her body, the damning Prophecy, the confession that Trigon the Terrible, the BFD of the demon world, was her father. If he had been double-jointed, he would have kicked himself in the head. Twice. He tactfully changed the subject.

"So . . . about controlling these thoughts? How do I do it?" he asked, shifted his head back and forth and rolling his shoulders.

A small smile wormed its way onto her face. He looked like a boxer, getting ready to square off. "Well first of all, the goal of mediation is to relax your mind, not kick the shit out of it. You don't really need to stretch."

He paused with one arm across his chest and the other pulling on it slightly. "Oh. Right. Sorry."

"Now, close your eyes."

He did so without hesitation and the small gesture tugged gently at her heart. It spoke volumes of his trust in her.

And then he ruined it.

"You're not going to take advantage of me, are you?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't see her. "Congratulations Bird Boy. You've uncovered my evil plot. Now I'm going to strip you naked and have my way with you. There's nothing you can do to stop me," she drawled.

One of his eyes popped open and he clucked lightly. "You know, I wouldn't really mind it all that much."

Raven chuckled and ran her tongue over her front teeth. "Oh, I know Robin. BELIEVE me, I know."

The eye snapped shut again. "So. Right. Anyway. My eyes are closed. What's next?"

He thought he heard her chuckle again but her voice was just as neutral as ever. "Clear your mind of everything. Now is not the time for plans, for revenge, for dirty sexual thoughts about certain teammates."

"Hey, I can't help it if Beast Boy looks good in his uniform."

She refused to laugh at that. Not only was it not funny, it was more than mildly disturbing. "Your mind is quiet. Like the ocean outside your window when you first wake."

He could picture that easily; the sun setting the glassy blue waters ablaze as it rose. Without him realizing it, the tension slipped out of his shoulders and his back. The embarrassment of losing slipped away as well, leaving his mind a cool, blank slate. Her voice continued, soothing in its detachment.

"Think of the place where you feel safest. The one place you would go if the world were falling apart. A place of solitude. A place of comfort."

The image formed slowly in his head—like every other thought that ran through his brain, this one had to be perfect. Nothing could be out of place. Not one stone. Not one shadow. His mind drew in the dark lines, the hard edges, refusing to miss a single detail. He could almost begin to feel the cool, dank air on his skin and smell the sharp, pungent scent of a subterranean space. There had always been an odd kind of irony to it; a bird who nested not in the trees but miles beneath the earth, caged on all sides by solid rock. And the underground hideout was a far cry from the mythical Sherwood Forest of his namesake.

"Can you see it clearly?" came Raven's voice, sounding very near, almost as if she were inside his mind.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Then open your eyes."

Following her quiet command, Robin's eyelids blinked open and he saw that he was no longer sitting on the beach. The sand beneath him had been replaced with flat, smooth stone. To his right, where there had been the gently lapping ocean, there was now an enormous, black hole that stretched down into the earth for miles. To his left, Titans' Tower had been replaced with a huge wall of screens, buttons, and other technological devices. Overhead the blue sky had been painted over with darkness. Though he couldn't see the ceiling, he could feel its oppressive weight bearing down on him. Was it the ceiling? Or the man who the ceiling belonged to?

"This is your 'happy place'?"

Robin turned to see Raven leaning against a stalagmite and staring down into the pit of never-ending darkness. Her eyes shifted to meet his.

"And I'm the weird one?"

"Well, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable by bringing out the whip cream and the bikini models," he replied, pushing himself up to his feet. His eyes narrowed on her. It was definitely Raven standing there in the middle of his recreation of the Bat-Cave. There was the familiar blue cape, the black uniform, the permanent blank expression. And yet something . . . .

"You look . . . . different," he finally settled on, tilting his head and trying to figure out what it was that seemed out of place.

Raven lifted her shoulders slightly. "This is how your mind perceives me. It's different than what your eyes see."

"Oh." He frowned and ran a hand over the back of his neck. "What is it that's different? This is really going to bother me."

Sighing, she decided that more embarrassment probably wouldn't scar him for life. She placed her hands beneath her breasts, several sizes larger than they were in the waking world. "What's the matter, Robin? Mine not big enough for you?"

Robin's face flushed and he gave a small cough, turning his eyes away. "So . . . this is my mind, huh? We're in my mind." An idea came to him suddenly and he glanced back at Raven. She noticed the devilish smile and dropped her eyes down. Her heavy cloak and uniform had been replaced with a far more revealing . . . . she wasn't sure what to call it. The band-aid size top and matching bottom could hardly be considered an outfit. Her eyes became thin slits. On the front of the top, directly in the center, was a large red R. She looked up and his grin widened.

"Is that better?" he asked, innocently. Raven glared at him for a long moment, letting him imagine all the various tortures she was conceiving. Then she took hold of the top and tore downwards.

His eyes widened.

And then went back to normal when he saw that "underneath" the outfit he had imagined up for her, was her standard blue cloak, black uniform.

"How did you do that?" he wanted to know, trying not to sound too disappointed. And he was surprised at just how much he was disappointed. You're such a perverted little bastard, Robin, he thought to himself, slightly ashamed at the way his mind, even for a moment, had objectified a teammate. Then he snuck a glance at her legs. Well, at least he had good taste.

Raven flicked her hands down the front of her cloak as if she were brushing off dirt and shook a finger at him. "Now, Robin. You don't want to know all my secrets, do you?"

Again Robin found himself surprised by his thoughts. And very thankful that they just didn't appear out of the air. They were in his mind after all.

"I wouldn't mind knowing something about you." No one ever wanted to hear the whole truth. Just bits and pieces.

A bit surprised, Raven looked at him carefully, unable to discern if he was joking or not. His face was carefully blank, but there had been a hint of something underlying his tone. Hurt? She knew that compared to the others, she had revealed very little about herself. Starfire was like an open book; you could ask her anything and she would response with an honest and usually long answer. Beast Boy's past was no secret and neither was Cyborg's. And even Robin had given up bits of his own history; an early life in the circus, time spent with the mysterious Batman. But aside from knowing where she was from and that her powers were driven by her emotions, the other Titans knew very little about her. She scowled briefly. Oh yes. And that she was going to end life as they all knew it. They were all certainly aware of that, weren't they?

"I only have four toes on my left foot."

Robin gave a start. Had he heard her correctly? "Come again?"

"Toes. I only have four of them. On my left foot. Now you know something about me."

His gaze dropped and his lips pursued. For some undeniably odd, unknown reason, the thought of her toes was outrageously sexy to him. And he was quite obviously going insane. You'd think there would be banners or something.

"Can I see?" he asked.

She shot him a look that clearly said 'no.' "Do you think we could get back to the business at hand?"

"Oh." He glanced around the Bat-Cave as if seeing it for the first time. "Right. So where do we go now?"

"I don't know. It's your mind."

"Okay, then." His eyes drifted through the room, over the computer monitors and the enormous titanium vault that held the bat-suit and that had once held his own costumes. Just to the right of the vault were stone stairs that trailed upwards, disappearing into darkness. He started towards them.

"So this is the infamous Bat-Cave you've told us nothing about."

"Yep. This is it."

"Cheery. Who was the interior decorator?"

"Why? Interested in using him?"

"Maybe."

"Well, I wasn't here when it was originally built but I believe the designer's name was God."

The stairs seemed to climb on forever, going much further than the actual stairs that connected the Bat-Cave and Wayne Manor. Briefly he wondered if he was supposed to conjure up a door or something; no sooner had the thought entered his head when they came to a plain, wooden door. He frowned at it. It was not the door that led out of the Bat-Cave and he had a sinking suspicion that when he opened it, they would not be in the Manor. Behind him came the rustling of Raven's cloak.

"Are you going to open it or what?"

Robin turned to look over his shoulder. "I'm not sure what's behind it."

Raven raised one eyebrow at him. "Afraid? Don't worry," she said, tapping his shoulder awkwardly. "I'll protect you."

She had meant it as a joke, but instead of laughing, he reached up and caught her hand in his, shifting his grip until their fingers interlaced. "I'll hold you to that," he said, turning back towards the door.

Slightly shocked, she stared down at their joined hands. Such a simple gesture and one she was unaccustomed to. Unaccustomed but not unfamiliar. She could still clearly remember holding her mother's hand, her tiny fingers completely engulfed by Arella's long, thin ones. But holding Robin's hand felt very different. His skin was warm and rough whereas her mother's touch had been cool and smooth. Raven could feel tiny rivers running up the length of her arm, as if something were shooting electricity into her palm. Curious. She lifted her eyes to his back and wondered what was in his mind that could unnerve him so.

He started to twist the door handle, and then stopped when her free hand gripped his forearm.

"This is your mind Robin. Nothing can hurt you here. You are lord and master."

His eyes remained on the spot where her fingers clutched his arm for a long moment, before he shifted them to meet hers. The devilish smile was back in place.

"Lord and master, huh? Does that me you'll call me Lord Robin from now on?"

Shaking her head, Raven released his arm. "Why do I bother? I should just stick a butter knife in an electrical outlet and be done with it."

Robin chuckled and squeezed the hand still in his grip. "Let's see where this baby goes," he said, pushing the door open wide.

The sheer volume of noise nearly bowled him over. There were people everywhere; hundreds, thousands, millions of them, milling about, every one of them talking animatedly. He couldn't make out any of the conversations. They all blended together into one cacophonous symphony. Robin clapped his hands over his ears.

Beside him Raven waved one hand, bringing a dome of dark energy over them. He dropped his hands and was relieved at the silence that greeted him.

"Who the hell are those people?" he asked, watching them through the black window.

"Those are your thoughts. Most people manifest their thoughts as people. Though I have a feeling Beast Boy probably sees them as animals."

"You read Beast Boy's thoughts too?"

"No," she answered. "I can't read other people's thoughts."

He looked at her in surprise. "How come you can read mine then?"

"I'll show you, but first," she jerked a thumb towards the lumbering mass of thoughts standing just inches away. "We need to get rid of all of them."

One of Robin's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean by, 'get rid of?'"

"Well I certainly don't plan on slaughtering and / or devouring them, so rest easy. I was going to suggest manifesting them as something a bit quieter? Like those ugly green file cabinets you're so fond of?"

Robin looked offended. "My file cabinets are not ugly." He stared out at the mass of people and thoughtfully rubbed his chin. Now that the noise level had been reduced he found that he could distinguish a few of them. There were a number of Slade-clones standing around, managing to look both mocking and sinister. Not too far away from where Robin and Raven stood were a group of men that looked suspiciously like members of G.I. Joe, standing around a broad planning table, complete with little miniature soldiers. In the background a giant Cinderblock was wrestling with an equally large Plasmus, in a recreation of King Kong versus Godzilla. His eyes drifted over the sea of faces, searching for two in particular. But though he saw a number of faces from his past, brightly colored circus folk, they were curiously absent.

"That'd be a lot of file cabinets," he mused aloud. "Maybe something a bit more technologically savvy."

Outside of the dome the crowds of people instantly disappeared. Curling her fingers into a fist, Raven lowered her shield, pulling the dark energy back into her. She took in the emptiness of the space with no small amount of surprise; it had taken her far longer to gain such control over her thoughts. Of course, he didn't have his emotions to contend with as well. If trying to get one Raven to do something was difficult, trying to get thirty or so Ravens to agree on anything was like trying to convince the Justice League to stop wearing their underwear outside of their clothes.

Robin bent over and picked something up off the ground; she took a step forward to peek over his shoulder.

"An iPod?"

He grinned. "Yeah, and in my favorite colors too. Neat huh?" he said, tucking the small red and yellow box into his utility belt. "Ok. Mission accomplished. What's next?"

She stared at him for a long moment, and then shook her head. "Can you feel that?" she asked, raising one hand as if she were checking for wind.

He mimicked the action. There was a slight tugging sensation, as if something were trying to push him forward. "What is that?"

Raven held her arm out as if to say, after you. They started to walk, a comfortable silence falling between them. Perhaps that was Robin's favorite thing about Raven. The way she never felt the need to fill up the quiet with meaningless talk. She was not afraid of silence. In that way, she reminded him a lot of Batman and nights when they would prowl the rooftops of Gotham City, never saying a single word. That's not to say he didn't enjoy conversation with his other teammates; speaking with Starfire always managed to involve a curious mixture of information, wisdom, and curiosity. Sometimes he wondered if he was teaching her or if she was teaching him. Beast Boy. Beast Boy was annoying, true, but only because of he was younger than the other Titans. And though Robin would never ever admit it out loud, he often times needed the green changeling's odd attempts at humor in order to dispel his own moodiness. Cyborg? That was easy. The metal-man could easily be his brother. Conversations with him were always revealing, always rewarding. But sometimes, Robin just didn't want to talk. And only Raven seemed to understand that.

"It's really empty in here." He shot Raven a bland look. "Don't say anything."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

After a few minutes of wandering, they came to another door, this one much fancier than the last. It was made of a dark wood and had strange symbols carved in the frame. The door was open and behind it was purple cloud that spiraled like a tornado. Robin stepped closer; the tugging sensation increased. He reached out with one hand, intrigued to find something so unusual in his mind.

Raven caught his arm before he could push it into the mist. "We don't use this door. Ever."

He pulled his hand back. "Where does it go?"

She tapped the side of her head. "This door leads to my mind."

Robin looked at her, then at the door, then back at her. "I'm confused. You put a door in my head? Don't you need a license for that kind of thing? There are zoning laws, you know."

Sighing, Raven shook her head and resisted the urge to smack him across the back of his skull. Boys. "The mind is like a small child. It reaches out to everything and tries to grab hold. Pictures, information, memories, anything that it comes across. When I entered into your head, our minds came in contact and, for lack of a better description, grabbed hold of each other. This door is a manifestation of the link between our minds. This is how I've been reading your thoughts. Your thoughts have been passing along the link and . . . well, let's just say my mind is not a safe place for your thoughts to be."

"So how do I stop them from going through?"

She smiled slightly. "Close the door."

Seemed simple enough. Robin took hold of the edge of the door and started to swing it shut. And then had a sudden thought.

"If I close it, will that sever our bond?"

Raven shook her head again. "No. For better or worse, we will have this link for the rest of our lives. And yes," she said, seeing his next question scrawled across his face. "Going through this door will put you in my mind, but I don't suggest doing that. Ever." Her eyes became serious and dark with something he couldn't quite place. "My mind is not a safe place. There are things there that will try and harm you."

Robin let out a deep breath and nodded. He could respect that. Even if he was sorely tempted not to.

He pushed the door shut.

The blaring horn of the Tower's alarm system pulled them both back to reality.

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RANDOM TITANTS THEATER PRESENTS : "Memories of a Raven."

Raven: Azarath, Metrion, Zint—

Starfire: Raven? Forgive my intrusion, but have you seen Robin?

Raven: No.

Starfire: Oh. Perhaps then you have seen Cyborg?

Raven: No.

Starfire: Beast Boy?

Raven: My eyes are closed Starfire. I haven't seen anyone.

Starfire: Oh. They must be doing the "hanging out." Perhaps we should do the "hanging out." We never have before and conceivably it could be fun. We might journey to the mall of shopping or perform braiding maneuvers on each others hair.

Raven: (gritting teeth and spitting fire)

Starfire: I know! We can perform the exchange of the "secrets." You may share first.

Raven: Starfire.

Starfire: Yes, friend?

Raven: I hate you.

Starfire: That is not a secret.