Long Road to Ruin

Comfort Zone

Saturday, 5:57 am, training-practice starts in three minutes … and it's been three days since I last spoke to X when he pretty much made my plans for me for the whole day, which I wasn't too hot about, but ended up going along with it anyway. However, the problem now was: how to explain to Robin that I would have to be gone for the whole day without bringing attention to myself … tricky, tricky. I considered picking a fight with Terra again, she was always the easiest to set off and it would make sense since the two of us don't like each other very much to begin with.

Or, I can try to switch it up and hit Robin directly, he was never too observant when he was mad … and it wasn't all that hard to set him off either, but setting him off without attracting suspicion later on as he cooled down would be difficult. Robin wasn't stupid, and trying to deceive him was best left to the pros since he was always so paranoid and always seemed to question everything that happened around him. Granted it was a good personality trait for a leader that should constantly stay on top of things, but in every day conversation, sometimes questioning everything to a literal point grew unbearably annoying.

So my predicament?

Piss him off enough where he doesn't ask too many questions.

I tilted my head in thought as I watched him and Cyborg set up the timer on the master control-panel which over looked a large Olympic sized swimming pool located in the Tower's subbasement. The training run today apparently was to test endurance and stamina and I already had a plan on how to get on the boy-wonder's case. My last stamina testing in this pool was horrible, I came in last to Terra and that was due to my lack of motivation, Robin jumped all over my case and at the time I didn't see a need to fight back. All I had to do now was fail the test again with an even lower time, let Robin get on my case, argue with him for a few minutes, and then storm off in an exasperated huff.

Easy.

If I chose my words just right that is.

So while I stood in the back, like I always did I hatched up every possibility that'll come up in our fight and worked out every kink to make sure it went smoothly, even while Robin instructed the group about what was to happen I was scheming. Damn, I was probably worse than X or Blackfire to be able to do this without hesitation or guilt … I paused in my planning and took a detour to ponder on that one saying: let sleeping dogs lie. Funny, how I can be able to sleep like a baby while I went behind my teams back with one of their most wanted villains … hmm … my violet eyes shifted under my hood to Terra when another thought crossed me.

She's never fought against Red X before.

Made me wonder just how she'd fair.

Not like it was high up on my interest-list, I was just slightly curious is all and in being slightly curious it was thrown to the back of my mind as another unimportant side-thought to later be forgotten. Instead, I shifted my thoughts back on my 'Master Plan' while I sat at the edge of the pool with my boots off and my feet dipped into the cool chlorine. I sat beside Terra and Starfire while we – well they did anyway – watched Beast Boy race against the clock back and forth within the pool in his human form. Terra cheered him on while she admired his green well fit exposed torso. She giggled with Starfire for a bit and then clapped when Beast Boy finally finished and scored a second faster than his last record.

Beast Boy then did a victory dance and Terra pressed her lips to his in a congratulatory kiss. Their love for one another radiated outward and filled the room with so much warm fuzzies it was making my stomach churn, not in a bad way, but since I was an empath I could feel their love so strongly it was affecting me physically. I took in a deep breath and slowly breathed out while Terra slipped out of her uniform and into her yellow string-bikini; she winked at Beast Boy and took her post at the far end of the pool. Beast Boy, much in the way Terra had done for him began to cheer her on like her own little mini cheerleading-squad.

The loud shouting was echoing throughout the large empty space and was ringing in my ears, I had to refrain from going off on Beast Boy, he wasn't my target … Robin was. In any case, the buzzer for Terra's timer went off and the blonde took off into the water like a speedy water nymph who forgot how to swim. She was lagging pretty bad and I cringed when I realized I'd have to pretend to be as bad as her … it was going to be difficult to make it look convincing since Robin knew for a fact that I had enough endurance to outlast the geomancer.

Before I knew it, she was done and Robin pulled her to the side to give her, her morning review, she took it in stride and even with a smile, promising Robin that she'd get right on it with Beast Boy. Something I was sure neither were too gloomy about, and as she dried off with her towel Robin called to me, "Raven, you're up next."

I stood up from the edge of the pool and walked to the starting end, with my cape undone and the practice weights wrapped around my ankles I did my breathing exercises first, stretched a little and got into position. With a nod I gestured for Cyborg and Robin to start the clock, they needed no more incentive, the buzzer sounded and I dove in the icy-cold water and swam like a lazy duck … well, I actually put forth more effort than a lazy anything. Yet still, by the time I completed my third lap I caught a glimpse of my clock flashing red, which meant I had gotten worse than my last time around.

I kept going and knew Robin had stopped counting; I concentrated on his aura and felt he was gravely disappointed in me. So I decided to lay it on a little thick when I ended my fourth lap and pretended to struggle to grasp a hold of the edge of the pool while I gasped for air and weakly pulled myself back on dry land. No surprise to me I heard Beast Boy hiss and snicker, "Oh-boy she's gonna get it now."

I sat at the edge of the pool and looked in their immediate direction when Terra elbowed his rib and scolded him with a glare of warning before she looked up and watched Robin come down off his control-panel to confront me, and he wasn't smiling. Mentally, I prepped for the battle to come as I lifted my legs out of the water to un-strap the 30lb weights on my ankles while a tingling in the back of my neck told me Robin was standing right behind me. I didn't bother to say anything, instead he started off by asking (or more like demanding), "What happened?"

"I was distracted …" I answered leisurely as if it didn't matter that I had totally given up on my stamina-test, with the 30lb weights in my hand I dropped it to the tiled ground and it landed it with a threatening clank that Robin ignored while I sighed heavily and added, "… I didn't get much sleep last night, so I couldn't concentrate."

He responded heatedly, "So that's why you fell a full thirty seconds longer than your last lap, which wasn't that impressive to begin with?"

I formed a sneer on my lips as I turned to scowl up at my towering leader to say, "Well sorry, but not everyone can be you, Boy-Blunder. I have limits."

"And how many times have I told you, you have to push those limits. No one out in the field is going to care that you can't seem to manage your power under stress." He never faltered, even as I stood up and leveled with him, I didn't expect him to hesitate with me, as a matter of fact I knew he'd be harder on me than anyone else on the team. He expected a lot from me, so to know I was doing poorly was means for intervention and I completely understood where he was coming from; however, I still had to push his buttons.

So instead of taking his criticism in stride I challenged it, "I'm having an off day, crack your whip some other time and I'll pass it with flying colors."

"That isn't the point here Raven and you know it … for the pass few days you've been lagging, getting soft. If you can't keep up there's only so much I or anyone else on this team can do to help you on a mission, let alone trust you can even hold your own weight both literally and figuratively." He stepped up to me and with a finger pointed it at my face, "Whatever issues you have going on in your head, deal with it, or get rid of it because it's effecting the way you perform and the way you think."

I glared at his finger then smacked his hand out of my face, "Don't lecture me like I'm some insubordinate child, I don't need you to get all over my case just because I didn't make your cut, alright. So stop running around here like Mr. Perfect, if you haven't noticed I'm getting rather fed up with your: For the sake of the team, bullshit! If this was all for the sake of the team than let the TEAM declare what's right and what's wrong not just YOU! You may be the leader of the Titans, but you can't tell me what I'm capable of. Only I will know that." Whoa … I thought in shock … I didn't know that'll make me feel so good … shouting at him, telling him off. All the words that had come out of my mouth had been the truth, word for word my thoughts spilled out and became spoken language … and I shouted it all right in his face.

Still in awe at myself, I watched Robin blink back in bewilderment, then exclaimed, "How in the hell did this suddenly become all about me?! Raven, we're talking about your performance! It … it … it sucked! You don't have to bite my head off just because you know I'm right!"

"Sure you're right," I bent over and snatched up my cape while I stormed away from him heading for the elevator that'll take me away from here, yet as I stomped away I shouted loud enough for my echoes to fill the sudden stillness and bitterness in the air, "You're always so goddamn right! No room for error, no room for second thoughts, no room to breath!" I literally punched the button to open the elevator and while I waited I spun around to exclaim, "In case you've been too far away from Gotham let me remind you of one important lesson: The world is not just Black and White, it's complicated, it's ugly, and every body lies!"

I spat that last word out like vile-poison and with it the control-panel Cyborg stood next to exploded, it diverted everyone's attention as I backed into the elevator and rapidly punched on the button to close the door shut. Robin didn't get a chance to say anything else when he looked back at me to find the doors had already slid shut. I leaned against the far wall, sucked in a deep breath and dropped my face into my hands and my cloak to try to help calm myself down and to stop myself from shaking.

Every word of it …

Everything I had said just then …

It came from the heart …

It was all suppose to be a way to push Robin's buttons and to get him mad enough at me that he wouldn't care whether or not I was in the Tower … ugh! I should have known it would backfire! Now he was going to come looking for me and asking if everything was alright … or worse, he would try to talk to me to help me express my emotions. The plan was so simple … I've done it before … so how come I faltered now? I shook my head, it didn't matter how or why I did what I did and said what I said … either way I would have to suffer the repercussions, I was just going to have to prepare for it.

I just wish I didn't have to make my own life so complicated.

With an exhausted huff, the elevator finally dinged to my floor and I flew down the hall to my room where I took a quick shower and got dressed for my meeting with X. Angrily combing through my hair and wincing with every tangle I came in contact with and broke, there came a knock on my door (gee, why wasn't I surprised) and Robin's voice muffled through the door as he said, "Raven, open up what the hell is going on with you?"

I sneered, "Go. Away."

"You either open the door or I invite myself in."

I stopped to glare challenging at my door, "Try it and you'll see."

"Raven, you're being unreasonable! What the hell have I ever done to upset you?! Why don't you talk to me?!"

"Because there is nothing to talk about! Now leave me alone!"

He wasn't going away, "Raven –!"

So I screamed, "Robin! If you care in the least about me than you'll do us both a favor and go away!!"

I hadn't realized it till I saw it hit the ground, but I had thrown my brush to the door while the right corner of my right eye began to leak silent-angry tears. My teeth were grinding to hard together I was afraid they'd crack if I didn't release the pressure and my breathing was heavy and labored all due to rage … rage mixed with frustration and fear. I could feel it crawling throughout my body, looking for a way out and they were finding it within all the books on my bookshelf as they began to rattle threateningly. The rattling was shaking the walls and I knew Robin could hear the vibrations through the door … the door he stood on the other side of. Perplexed … confused … and worried.

I guessed at those three … I wasn't sure what he was thinking or feeling … I didn't care to know, my focus was blurry, and I was still trying to calm myself down before I brought the entire Tower down and took everyone else down with it. Maybe that's not such a bad idea … I thought bitterly as I gulped and tried to relax my shoulders by standing up straight and slowing my breathing down to a normal rate. Only then did the rattling stop and I finally could hear the silence of my room and the silence of Robin still standing outside my door trying to determine what he should do.

Ultimately, he hesitantly walked away from my door and away from my room until I could no longer feel his looming presence and I was left alone … truly alone … and I collapsed to my bedroom floor on my knees in exhaustion.

Was I tired because of my laps?

No.

Was I tired of being in the Tower?

Yes.

Was I tired of lying to my friends?

Yes.

Was I tired of seeing X?

… No …

--

Snap! X snapped a finger in my face, then all but shouted in my ear, "Hey, sunshine, you still with me?"

I blinked away my unfocused thoughts and felt myself come back down from space when I realized I had zoned out for the umpteenth-time since X had picked me up from the Pier on his modified Hayabusa superbike. However, what he picked me up in was not the case here, what is, is the fact he had taken us to Jump City's largest shopping mall, simply dubbed: The Mall, otherwise known as Starfire's Favorite Place and dragged me to the toy store. Of ALL places, X had dragged me to was a toy-store, and not just the toy-store, but to the pink-girl section of the toy-store.

Everything was bright, pink, and cute and was probably one of the reasons why I had zoned out … I can't stand the color pink and plus the noise of this place was grating to the ears. From loud obnoxious toys, to cooing parents, and screaming children it was enough to make me want to run to the nearest Catholic Church and beg to be converted into a nun just to save myself the horrors of motherhood. I cringed when I heard a spoiled-brat a few aisles down suddenly throw a temper tantrum because his mother wouldn't get him the Batman Doll (excuse me, action-figure) he wanted. Even Timmy wasn't this much of a hassle, and yet, through all this mayhem when I looked up at X I had to stare at him in astonishment to see him unfazed by all the chaos.

It was like he's been through all of this before, and I had to ask, "What are you doing here again?"

He just cocked a brow and looked at me dryly, "Jeez you're really out of it, I just told you we're here for a toy, a girl toy …" he paused to glance around the pink shelves and honestly seemed to contemplate what he wanted to get, "… Hmm … do six year olds still run the risk of swallowing small objects?"

I sighed heavily, "I wouldn't know … who's the toy for?"

"My niece, she's turning six today and I still haven't gotten her anything …"

I blinked, my brain still trying to catch up with the rest of me, "Your niece?"

"Yeah …"

"…" I looked at the selections and found my eyes crossing over from all the pink bright colors and found I just didn't have the patience today to concentrate on something as trivial as a little girl's toy. Especially with so many ruckuses around us, "Ugh … X, just get her a Barbie and be done with it."

"I should shouldn't I …" he only seemed to acknowledge I made a suggestion, but when his eyes trailed to the side he suddenly had an epiphany, "Got it!"

I stood still and watched him rush to the far corner of the aisle to snatch a larger-than-life giant white teddy-bear with a red ribbon tied around its neck and a mistletoe plant within the red ribbon. With a pleased smile on his face he came back to me and held it out for me to take, I did and held it at arms length while he asked, "What do you think? Good enough?"

I looked at him and shrugged, "Not very original, but I wouldn't know, I'm not six."

"Aw, come on, you're a girl, help me out here you like it or not?"

With a look of: 'Yeah right' was written all over my face I said, "I don't know if you've noticed this, but I'm not like most girls …" I then paused to sigh heavily and brought the bear closer to my person, even hugged it to feel how soft and fluffy it was, then I stared at its glass-like Tweedy Bird, puppy-dog eyes and shrugged again, "It's … cute …"

X grinned smugly, "So you like it?"

I looked at him as I handed him back the bear and said drily, "I know someone will like it, now go pay for it while I wait outside."

Once he took the bear out of my hands I immediately worked my way through the crowd back out into open space where I can breathe again. Granted I was still in The Mall, but at least I wasn't in that crowded toy-store, ugh, in this time of year I really don't want to be caught in any public place as big and as accessible as this. Too many people, too many bodies, too many emotions flying around … it was overwhelming my senses, not to mention my brain was already strained from my early-morning disaster. I just couldn't think … I needed some space … maybe I shouldn't have come with X to see his family and to finally see Malchior again.

Today is just not my day; I don't think I'm mentally prepared for this much excitement.

For Azar's sake, X had repeated himself to me and the fact of him still having a niece hadn't yet sank into my head, but after the fight I had with Robin I couldn't go back to sulk and brood in my room. It meant still staying in a Tower where he could access me whenever he wanted to talk to me … and I really, really didn't want to talk to him. So I sat on one of the mall benches and waited patiently for X to come out of the toy store with his purchase. And while I waited, I zoned out again.

My mind almost completely shut down and submerged itself into Nevermore, I couldn't hear the crowded mall, I couldn't see clearly when everything suddenly became a blur and the entire world went still … numb … I have now successfully shut out the world. Not such a hard feat either, I always found it easier to shut the world out than I do trying to participate in it. However, this time I made sure not to fall too far into my silence and kept a separate part of me alert to X's arrival … no need to alarm him of my mental instability at the current moment.

I just had to hold it all together for as long as I could … and maybe, just maybe Azar would be generous enough to cut me a break.

I needed it … soo badly.

5 minutes passed and X finally came out with the giant teddy-bear tucked under his arm a grin on his face and something else in a plastic bag that I didn't bother to ask about. I looked up at him as he jerked his head to the side, a gesture for me to follow him out of the mall and I did so without saying a word. Quietly, I kept to myself as I walked beside him through the large crowd of people towards the garage where he parked his bike, and while we walked I trained my eyes to the ground. I didn't say a single word the entire walk and neither did he, which I was grateful for and once we got to his bike he waited for me to climb on board first and then he handed me the giant teddy-bear.

I took it, but before he got on he took whatever was in the plastic bag out and without looking me in the eyes, handed me another teddy-bear exactly the same as the giant one in my hands only shrunk down to beanie-baby size. I stared at it for a moment, blinked, and then looked up at X as he hopped on his bike, snatched the giant teddy-bear from my hands and prop it in front of him. He handed me his helmet, but before I put it on I asked about the beanie-baby, "What's this for?"

He glanced back at it, shrugged nonchalantly and said, "It looked lonely … you looked sad, so I thought what the hell, Misery loves company right?"

It's for me …? I looked back down at the tiny little beanie-baby while its glassy eyes stared back at me with the wish to be held, kept, and loved. Was he trying to say something? Was I really that obvious? I sighed heavily and tucked the tiny little thing in my pocket, then scooted closer to X as he started his bike, revved the engine, and put on his red-mirror shades. Just before I slipped the helmet on I whispered loud enough into his ear, under the roar of his engine a soft, "Thank you …"

No snappy comebacks, no sarcastic retort, no sadistic jibe, nothing, he simply nodded in acknowledgement and waited for me to slip my helmet on. Afterwards he zipped out of the garage straight for Jump City Central Park where I remembered him saying something about me meeting his family there and I get the distinct feeling he was also taking me to a kiddie-party. Not exactly the kind of place I'd expect to see a conniving-ass like X to be skulking around in, much less even picture it. Through the whole drive there, I kept trying to imagine X surrounded by a bunch of kids, laughing, joking, and playing peek-a-boo with, and I kept failing miserably … I just couldn't picture it.

Truth is always stranger than fiction, and as he pulled up and parked in a slot between two cars on the sidewalk, I dismounted with still a dark cloud of gloom looming over my head and the impossible-to-construct imagine still not forming in my head. He smirked at me like he knew something I definitely didn't and lead me towards the park's gate. With the teddy-bear still tucked under his arm we walked through the park in silence until we came to a secluded part of it and X lead me off the paved trail into a cozy little section of the park I had no idea existed.

This secret place pocketed an old worn out bench that was stationed to my far right and it was covered with a white table-cover and with tupperwares of food neatly lined up on top by a woman who had to be close to my age if not younger tending to the table. She seemed to be in her own little world as she set everything up and made everything pretty. Also, sitting at the bench reading an old tome I knew was no fake was Jeremiah. However, with the bright light of day shining on him he seemed like nothing more than a studious college student with his glasses and self-important regal air about him.

There were more people for me to observe, but X blocked my view of them and gently pushed me back where we were out of sight from the others, I looked up at him wondering why he was now so hesitant to show me his family, but I got it all wrong. He wasn't worried about introducing me; I would soon find out that he was actually anxious about introducing himself to me. He would finally lay it all out … everything … he really was going to show me who the man is behind the mask … and despite his dislike of being compared to Robin I knew he would be very much like him in this department.

Masks were his comfort-zone.

Just like Robin.

Letting someone else know their identities was the equivalent of a long time partnership.

Everyone had their windows to their souls.

Mine was my emotions … X and Robin's were their masks …

X sucked in a deep breath and huffed then with conviction he confessed, "Call me Dray … or Ray … it doesn't matter, everyone here knows me as either or."

He tried to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal with a nonchalant shrug and a weak smirk, but I knew how important this was to him, and with a conviction I, too, confessed, "Alright then Dray," I paused for a second to taste that name and roll it around my tongue for a bit to let it sink in, then continued, "I'm Raven Roth … but you can call me Rae."

He shot me a playful look followed with a scoff and a roll of his eyes, "Whatever you say, Rae."

Just like that, he turned around and gestured for me to follow him back into the clearing to finally be introduced to Dray's family, but first, I stood back and let Dray have his moment. I watched the young-girl fixing the table finally look up and all but scream in joy when her round doe-brown eyes found X's and she ran into his arms to give him a tight hug, "Oh my God, Ray! I can't believe you came! I thought, since you haven't given me an answer you were going to blow me off, but you're here! You're really here!"

"Yep … I'm here, call the White House and schedule a press conference because this is the news of the century," he rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Come on Bells, gimme a break, you just saw me a few days ago."

Bells … I remembered that name from the night before, when X had received that call and when I first met Jeremiah who also mentioned the name 'Bella' so she had to be the sister. I took in the petite young-woman's appearance, she was short, maybe an inch shorter than me, her face looked like X's, but she didn't have the same eyes as him, neither were they shaped the same. Although, she did have the same light brown hair as X and it was long, layered, thick, and wavy. All in all, she looked sweet, innocent, naïve, and not the type I'd associate with a guy like X who was the exact opposite: conniving, mean, and brutally-honest.

This, Bells, made a pouty face and tsked as she said, "Maybe so, but you seem to always be busy, and the last time you totally blew off Carmen's birthday, she was heartbroken Ray! You're, like, her favorite uncle."

Valley-girl … those words kept popping into my head to describe the way this girl acted, but I didn't set it in stone yet, I gave her a chance to prove herself to me while X shrugged, "Yeah, well, here I am … and I brought company …"

He seemed reluctant to step aside to finally show me off to the famous sister he's told me he's talked to about me. I didn't bother to smile, nor did I bother to put up a front to conceal my being a Titan, I figured the black hair I now dawned should be enough and besides that I wasn't in the mood to play incognito right now. So as Bells or Bella's doe-brown eyes shifted from X to me, I let her make her own judgments on me as she smiled welcomingly and stepped up to me with a friendly hand held out to grasp while she cooed, "Ooo, you must be the famous Rae I've been hearing so much about lately, I was wondering when we'd meet! I'm Annabel, but everyone here calls me Bella, you're more than welcome."

Annabel … what an old name, but it suited her somehow as I grasped her hand and a tingle of her aura was imprinted into my memory and I had to say, Valley-girl was definitely not the right way to describe her. She was down to Earth, honest, and tried as hard as she could to live a full life … she valued family above all else and … much to my earnest shock … she has a child. I could feel the similar aura signature lurking around the park somewhere, and the child I realized was a girl, Carmen … the name echoed in my head and when I looked at X I realized the teddy-bear must have been for this Carmen.

All of this rushed into me within a matter of seconds and so I never skipped a beat when I in turn nodded and introduced myself as, "Rae Roth … I don't know what Dray's been saying, but I hope it's all good."

She giggled and released my hand to flick her wrist dismissively, "Don't worry, it is all good, and let me just say I'm glad you've met my brother, he's one of the most honest people I know."

You obviously don't know much, I nearly came close to saying aloud, but bit down on my tongue while X in the corner of my eye chuckled and walked to the bench sure that I could hold my own against his inquisitive sister. I instead forced a small chuckle and replied, "If you say so."

"Come on!" She suddenly grabbed my wrist and tugged me to the bench, "Have a sat (a/n: not a typo, did that on purpose) and enjoy yourself, it's all family here and so long as you're with Ray, you're family."

I glanced down at the relaxed X who winked at me and I shook my head, "Uh … we're not together, together … we're just … uh … friends."

"If I had a quarter for every girl Ray brought home that said that I'd be one rich mofo right about now." I spun around to notice a group of people converge on the bench at once and the man who spoke held a small two-year-old baby boy in his arms. While a woman beside him cradling an infant sneered disapprovingly and with her free hand smacked his arm, he flinched away from her with a curt laugh.

The woman narrowed her Asian-exotic almond shaped eyes, "What did I tell you about swearing in front of Tony, he's a sponge, he'll pick up your bad habits if you keep it up."

The man rolled his dark shade of amber eyes and put the child down with a scoff, "Relax Deena, it's not like you can censor everything around the kid, he needs a little corruption every now and then. Right Ton, say it with me kid: Relax mommy."

Tony or Ton, whichever he went by stared up quizzically at who I assumed to be his father and X's brother, with his perplexed light brown eyes his father repeated slowly while his mother rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation, "Reee-laaxxss Mom-mee, say it Ton."

Tony in his cute childish-glory said softly and shyly, "Weelacks mommy …"

His father laughed, his mother shook her head, and another in the group smacked the father upside the head, "Vince, stop being such an ass."

"Hey," Vince turned to Deena and pointed at the other man in the group and whined, "Deena, he not only swore, he hit me! Get on his case!"

Deena sneered, "Relax daddy, you need a little corruption in your life. Hey Bella," I remained unnoticed and watched Annabel rush up to Deena's side to peer down at the tiny infant in her arms.

She cooed, "Oh my God he looks so cute! I just want to take him home with me. I want to hold him!"

Deena giggled and carefully handed the fragile baby to Annabel while she turned to scan the grounds for the missing birthday girl, "So where's little Carrie? I thought this was her B-day?"

"Oh she's with Mal somewhere in the park."

"You left your kid alone in the park with Mal?" The man who smacked Vince spoke up from behind me after he helped the other woman sit on the bench and I gulped when I noticed the young woman who couldn't be any older than X, was very, very pregnant. She looked ready to pop and when she felt my staring she smiled sweetly at me, I returned the smile with a node of acknowledgement while I turned my attention back to her partner. The man glared disapprovingly at Annabel and Annabel in response seemed to flinch away from his scolding tone of voice, "Bella, that's just stupid –"

"Hey, hey, hey," X cut in, "Come on Rian, it's a party, get off her back."

Rian cocked a brow as he looked down at X and then sneered, "You shouldn't be talking Dray, you're the idiot who brought him around and now we can't seem to get rid of him."

"Get over yourself."

"Grow up."

"Orion," Rian now Orion looked down at the woman I guessed was his wife when she raised a gentle hand up and grasped his arm. She didn't have to say anything, only the look she gave him pleaded with him not to start a fight and though he complied he seemed reluctant to do so and he hid his amber eyes under the hood of his bangs and kept quiet. I glanced at X to find he had his head tilted down to stare at the ground in what I could only describe as shame for instigating a fight, but I couldn't register that expression from X. X being shameful of something?

That was a first and I couldn't stop staring … until Vince leaned into my point of view and with a playful smirk held out his hand, "Hey, I'm Vincent, and you might be?"

I blinked and it took a moment for me to grasp his hand and shake it in earnest, "Uh, Rae Roth …"

He shook it firmly and grinned, "Rae Roth huh …" he looked down at X and nudged him, "Hey, what happened to that other cutie you were going out with, you know, the cherry-blonde one, she was sweet."

X shot him a dark look, "Screw you Vincent."

"Ooo, touché." Vincent snickered and flicked his wrist dismissively at him while he addressed me, "He's more of the baby of this family than Miah is."

On the side Jeremiah commented, "I resent that."

I forced a chuckle and shrugged, "Oh, really … well, who's the oldest?"

Vincent proudly proclaimed, "I am, that crabby woman whom I despise with all my heart over there is my girlfriend Nadine," Nadine or rather the woman I previously knew as Deena scowled at him and flashed him her tongue while she placed the tiny napping infant in its basket and went to help Annabel prepare the balloons for Carmen. Vincent chuckled then pointed at Orion, "That brooding rain cloud is Orion and beside him is the sweetest girl you'll ever meet Kayla who is currently waiting for her little baby girl … decided what you'll call her yet Kay?"

Kayla blushed beet red and shook her head, but waved and smiled at me.

Vincent then moved on to reintroduce X to me, "The baby of the family is Drake, but you already knew that." To emphasis his point he rubbed his hand over X's head and tangled his already messy hair that earned him a good hard glare and a sloppy kick I knew X purposefully executed to allow Vincent to dodge with a playful laugh, "Then comes along our dear, dear baby-sister Annabel –" Annabel curtseyed and blew me a kiss, "– and last but most certainly the least of the Fox family is the book-dork Jeremiah, and the only one in the family who wears glasses, poor kid, he got stuck with the leftover genes I guess."

Jeremiah glared from his book and flipped his brother off which earned him a good smack in the back of his head by Nadine, "There are kids here! You mind! You boys are the most vulgar bunch I've ever come to know. My God!"

Vincent then perked up and spun back around to face me, "That's right! I almost forgot …" he searched around the bench to find the child dubbed Tony crawling under it and laughing when his father reached in to grab him, "Come'ere ya little punk," he bounced the child in his arms and it was then did I see the boy had the brightest set of amber eyes which I had somehow mistaken for brown when they appeared nearly yellow when the sun hit it at an angle just right. His father gestured for him to face me and the child's smile quickly vanished when he saw me, "This runt is my oldest son, Anthony … that runt in the basket is Nathan. Say hi Ton."

Little Anthony stared at me for a few seconds before burying his face in his father neck and clutching hold of him in fear, I didn't blame him, children had a stronger sense of evil than adults. They knew when something should be respectfully avoided, Vincent looked down at his kid with a perplexed gaze, but looked to me with an encouraging smile and dry shrug, "Eh, he's probably shy around pretty girls. So, straight to the point then, how'd ya meet my brother, what attracted him to you, and why are you still with him?"

Good questions … I thought with a tired huff and closed my eyes to think for a moment, but I made it seem like I suddenly caught a case of shyness as I tipped my head down to the side to fake it properly. When in reality I felt a strong pulse of familiar energy suddenly rush me like a raging river flooding over all my senses, it was Malchior, I knew it, I recognized the inhuman aura and the thirst for power. His instinct had probably reached out to me when he felt a source of great power lingering within what he dubbed his domain. I bit down on my lower lip to control the urge to gasp as another pulse of his aura swept through me and nearly left me breathless.

Carefully, I opened my mouth in an attempt to answer Vincent's questions, but ended up yelping softly and stumbling back with a hand clutching the side of my head when I felt Malchior suddenly invade my mind. It didn't so much hurt as it did shock me. I caught my balance, but startled Vincent when he reached out to try and help me stay on my feet. However with Anthony in his arms left him handicapped and X soon enough appeared at my side asking me what the matter was. I couldn't respond, not yet, not until I got over the feeling of being violated … it's just been so long since I felt someone else initiate a mental link, needless to say, I felt uncomfortable.

"Rae … Rae, you alright?" X held my head within his hands and forced me to look into his worried golden eyes that searched my violet eyes for an answer, a clue to whatever was happening to cause such an alarm.

I gulped when I finally heard his voice in my head … by Azar … I had forgotten how beautifully elegant it sounded ringing in my ears, or rather my head, "You came …"

"I did …"

Then … as if nothing had ever happened … as if it were all a dream … he vanished and left me feeling so empty and alone.

I blinked and caught my breath when I realized I had been holding it in and judging by the startled looks on everyone's faces, especially X's I probably scared them with my own blank expression. I felt X gently rub his thumb over my cheek and when he did I also felt it was moist, I brought a hand to feel my face and was shocked to find that I had shed a tear, I blinked again and looked directly at X to find him staring anxiously at me. Slowly, I nodded my head and gulped, "I'll be fine …"

He frowned and whispered, "What happened?"

"…" for a moment I couldn't say anything. I didn't know what happened. All I knew was I heard Malchior in my head, and then a few seconds later, like he was a whisper in the wind, he was gone. It felt like a dream, but I knew for certain it wasn't … sooner or later, I was going to see Malchior … and he would come sooner rather than later.

How did I know that?

I sensed his approach from directly behind me and like a silent ghost he materialized from the dark shadows of the shady trees to come into being. I tore myself from X to turn around to see for myself, Malchior. In all his unchanging, un-aging glory standing at the edge of the small clearing with an expressionless face, narrowed cinnamon-crimson brown eyes and jet-black long silky hair.

At that moment I was stunned speechless …

--

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, but I do own Vincent, Nadine, Orion, Kayla, Jeremiah, Annabel, Carmen, Anthony, Nathan … and I think someone else, but I forget too many to list, but I own them, not the Teen Titans, DC owns them … sadness …

A/N: I'm a baaaaaaaaaad little girl, lmao!! No, but seriously though I have to be honest here I think I sorta-kinda molded X's family to mirror that of my mother's where everyone of her siblings, including herself, were having kids at young ages. Of course my family isn't exactly one of the richest in the world (damn I wish it were though) we're constantly surrounded by bad influences. So, yeah, you can say X just got mixed in with the wrong crowd and found his 'calling' so to speak, but if you think about it with him having a large family might have something to do with his on-again-off-again relationship to the hero business.

But that's just me trying to reason this all out, you can call it what you will, but that's that … all in all I think this turned out to be one bittersweet chapter … now I'll leave you to wonder where exactly this story is going while I continue to write it up … and loathe the day my spring classes start … bah …

L8er daez

(ps: O.O holy crap Obama's finally being inaugurated on the day i've updated this story!! XDDD lol!!)