Honeythief
Chapter Seven

"When I'm all in a spin full of cynicism, you remind me of just how perfect you are." – Honeythief, Halou

)O(

Raven fidgeted with her communicator as Cyborg drove them deeper into the woods. She looked into the front seat to see what time it was. Ugh. They'd been in the car for almost four hours. This wasn't exactly her idea of a vacation, babysitting her leader while staying at a multi-billionaire's mansion. Raven had argued for the entire morning on why she didn't need to go, but Robin had made a valid argument:

She promised to help him.

And Raven was regretting that promise right now. True, she had promised to help him, promised to do everything in her power to reverse what had been done to him, promised to protect him… but did all of that really have to include Bruce as well? She was already scared of the crazy bat, was it necessary to perpetuate that fear?

"You're awfully quiet back there, Rae. Is everything all right?" Cyborg turned down an inconspicuous path, following Robin's directions. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"She's just sour because I'm making her come with me." Robin crossed his arms over his chest and turned away. Raven could tell he was more than upset with her, she'd put up one hell of a fight to keep from coming here, and it had probably bruised his ego. But what did he expect from her? Just to smile and nod and go along with everything he wanted? She wasn't the girl in her dream.

Raven flushed brightly and she turned her face toward the window, hoping they didn't notice. The dream. Good Goddess. She had tried so hard to push the dream to the back of her memory, keeping it out of the forefront of her thoughts. It was a memory she wanted to deny at every turn. Was that what she expected a life with Robin to be like? Was that what Robin expected out of a woman? A picture out of a "father-knows-best" sit-com? She let her head fall against the window, grateful for the cool glass against her cheek.

The big question was: Did part of her yearn to be what Robin wanted? To be… Starfire?

Raven felt her stomach twist at the thought. She didn't want to be anyone but who she was, but the weed started to take root in her thoughts. Robin wanted June Cleaver, all innocence and fresh-baked pies. Raven knew she was anything but the sweet homemaker, and that didn't bother her. What really confused her was the fact that she cared about what Robin wanted. She shouldn't have had a teaspoon of concern for what Robin wanted in a relationship. He said that he could "settle" for her as a mate, and that was it. He was reacting to her and nothing more. It shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did.

But it did bother her. And she hated herself for it.

"We'll be there in a half hour." Robin's deep voice brought her into the present, and she watched him talk into a cell phone she never noticed. Since when did he carry a cell? "We've just turned down the eastern drive." There was a pause and Raven could hear snippets of words from the earpiece before Robin responded. "You need us for what?... Bruce, I'm not exactly in the best shape for espionage among a room full of… people." Robin groaned. "You could have told me that before we left… I guess it's too late now. We'll discuss this when we get there." Robin snapped the phone shut. "Damnit."

Raven had a good feeling this was exactly what she didn't want to happen. She let her head fall into her hands. What medieval torture had Bruce concocted for them? "What now?"

"Bruce needs our help with something." Robin rolled his window down and groaned, as if the trees cared. Raven had half a mind to give him a good shove, just to see him flying out the window and bouncing down the shady path. It would have made her feel better. "I knew he was going to do this to us."

"I told you we should have gone back to the tower." She pressed her face close to his and let loose a low growl. He rolled his eyes and turned to face her, but Raven wasn't impressed. "At least at the tower we wouldn't have to be heroes for hire."

"And face Star and BB? No thank you. I'd rather be heroes for hire." He gave Raven's shoulder a push and she fell back into her seat. She glared at him, but kept her mouth shut. "Well, at least here we're both protected from the pink-haired brat. That's something to think about."

"Pft. I'd rather deal with her than become one of Bruce's lackeys." She tossed her communicator at the back of his head, but he ducked before it made contact. Stupid boy.

"Well, I'm used to it." He turned around and tossed the communicator back onto her lap. "So you should get used to it too. Besides, it won't be for long. Just until we can get… this under control." He motioned his hand toward his chest and sighed. "We can work on reversing it later, but right now I don't trust myself around… humans." He sighed, as if the word brought him pain. Raven wouldn't be surprised if it did, just a few days ago he was human too, and now he was on the outside looking in. "Just suck it up."

There went her sympathy, right into the trash with that comment. Raven crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "You know, I think I liked you better when you were silent."

Cyborg, who had been unusually quiet through their bickering, chuckled, earning a death glare from Robin. He held up one hand to calm his flaring temper. "She's right, Robin. You're a little easier to deal with when you're not so… vocal."

"E tu Brutus?" Robin huffed out a breath of indignant air and turned away. "Fine you two can just gang up on me and I'll just sit here and take it."

"Ha!" Raven snorted. "That's a good joke, Robin. Please tell another one."

Robin didn't respond and Raven settled back into her seat for a half hour of precious silence. At least she got him to shut up for a few minutes. The truth was that Raven really wasn't all that angry at him, she was just mad that things had taken a turn down an unknown path. Jump City was predictable, she knew patterns of traffic, she knew times and places and the quantity of people in them. Maneuvering Robin around Jump City would have been a cinch, getting him rehabilitated would have been a cinch. Being at Bruce's would… well, Raven didn't know what it would do. Wayne Manor was and incredibly secluded location, and very well protected. There were lots of woods for Robin to explore his new senses. But… being away from Jump City made her nervous.

Raven let her head fall against the head rest. Logically, she knew he was going to be taken care of, that Robin would thrive here, and that any mishaps that happened would be resolved by the hands of her teammates. But with the Titans being short two members, there was no telling what would happen. She felt guilty for not having more faith in her team, but really? It BB and Star for heaven's sake. Cyborg she trusted, it was the two wing-nuts she didn't.

"Hey, Rae. Look at the house." Cyborg pointed to the dark building in the distance, and Raven realized that Cyborg used the term "house" very loosely. The structure was huge! It looked like it had a million gleaming windows, and the gardens stretched on forever. If she squinted hard enough, she could see a massive figure dressed in nothing more than dark jeans and a black tee-shirt waiting by the door.

"There's Bruce." Robin said, pointing to the bulk of a man by the door. "He came out just to meet you, Raven."

"I'm flattered." Raven kept her tone deadpan, but felt her heart slam again her ribs. What in the world was she getting herself into? That man looked like he could break her wrist with a flick of his pinky! She rubbed her forehead and turned away from the window.

It wasn't long before the car came to a halt in front of the stone steps, and Raven was forced to look up. Bruce was approaching the car with a mixture of relief and frustration sewn onto his joyless lips. He looked like he hadn't smiled since he was in kindergarten. Oh, Good. Just what Raven needed, another emotional cripple. Because she wasn't crazy enough, let's add a birdbrain and a batbrain to the mix.

Robin was out of the car before Raven could get one syllable of sarcasm out. She sighed and looked at Cyborg. He just laughed and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Don't look like you're being lead to the slaughter house, Rae. It's just Bruce. Despite his… unforgiving looks, he's really quite nice. Just get out of the car and meet him."

Oh, that's right, Raven forgot that massive grizzly bears were just teddies in disguise. She rolled her eyes and followed after the two boys. Robin was already in deep discussion with his benefactor, and Cyborg was starting to join. Raven stayed back, just out of earshot, and took a long look at the property. The gardens stretched the length of the front yard and were perfectly groomed with annuals in every color of the rainbow. The house loomed over her like some king of stone coffin, waiting for her to lose her mind.

"Impressive, don't you think?"

Raven jumped and turned around, standing behind her was a weathered old man who's eyes looked just as strong as Bruce's. What he had gone through, Raven could only guess. She forced a weak smile. "It's beautiful… a little too big for my tastes, but lovely nonetheless."

"It has… other purposes, as I'm sure you are aware of." He smiled and walked a few paces in front of her, surveying the grounds for a moment. "Madam Rachel, was it?"

The corner of Raven's lips turned down in a frown. "Raven, if you please. Just Raven." She paused and stepped up beside him. "You must be Alfred, right?"

"You would be correct in assuming so." There was a pause between them, and in the distance Raven could hear the three men behind her prattling on like a bunch of teenagers. Just like the boys. Alfred started around the perimeter of the garden, and Raven felt compelled to follow. There was something comforting about him, and she didn't want to leave that. "It's been a while since Master Grayson has been home. He's grown quite a bit in the few years he's been with the Titans. How long has it been now?"

"Nearly five years." Raven looked down into the pond, watching a pair of swans swim lazily through the rushes. She took a long, deep breath enjoying the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass. A part of her didn't want to admit it, but she could get used to this kind of luxury. Silence, foliage, a giant house… nice, little things like that.

"Has it been that long already?" Alfred started to meander back to the house, and Raven tagged along. "It feels like just yesterday he was leaving our care to go gallivanting through the streets of Jump City… and now… well, I suppose this crisis is something you'll have to explain to us."

Raven sighed and looked out at the swans again. "It's… complicated, and it may take some while before we can go home."

"Mm." There was a long, comfortable pause between them, before Alfred decided to ask the question Raven had been dreading to hear. "And how does Miss Starfire feel about the two of you being away for so long?"

Raven buffed out a breath between her lips and tried not to glare at him. She shouldn't have felt as upset and indignant as she did, but there was something about the innocent redhead that really rubbed her the wrong way right now. Even though Starfire was her friend, that didn't stop Raven from feeling the cold breath of jealousy on her heart. "I don't know how she feels. She thinks I'm still searching for him in the forest outside of Jump."

"Ah." Raven could hear the note interest in his voice. It was as if he suddenly knew all of Raven's inner thoughts from those few words. "And so, she knows nothing of Robin's… transformation?"

"Yes. And we intend on keeping it that way for some time."

"Mm." Alfred looked over at her, a small smile turned the corners of his mouth up. "Are you concerned for her safety?"

Raven stopped walking, and looked at him, confused. "Safety?"

"Well, obviously you must be concerned for your friend's safety if you intend on keeping Robin hidden for so long." Alfred stopped by the rose bush and picked a few blooms. He inspected them carefully before handing them to Raven. She stared at their deep red color, noting how the color reminded her of blood. A sigh escaped her lips.

"It's Robin's decision." Raven looked up at him. "He wanted to keep this from the other teammates… he was worried that it would have upset them. Which I understand, but I still don't think keeping secrets from them is a good idea. Starfire gets upset when she doesn't know all the details of our lives." Raven's sighed again. "This is too complicated."

Alfred chuckled and handed her a few roses from a different bush. "Life is rarely easy."

"That's for sure."

"Alfred? You greeted Raven before me?" Robin was suddenly standing in front of them. Raven hadn't heard him approach, and she dropped the roses out of surprise. Robin smiled and bent down to pick them up and hand them back to Raven. "So, how do you like it, Little Miss Cynic?"

"It's not Titan Tower, and it's not Jump City." Raven pushed past him, feeling indignant. "And don't you dare call me that again, or I'll take your vocal chords out myself." She walked back to the house to say good-bye to Cyborg. She heard Robin approach her this time, but she refused to stop.

"Come on, don't be upset, Raven. I'm safe here… humans are safe here. Jump City was… crowded. I didn't want to leave either, but it's better this way." Robin reached out and snagged her wrist. His onyx eyes met her and Raven could see the desperation in them. She felt the ice around her heart melt, even though she tried to keep herself cool. He always knew how to turn everyone of her "no's" into a "yes". Robin pushed a piece of hair out of her eyes and handed her another rose. "You missed one."

"Thank you." She shook her head and looked up at the sky, frustrated. How did he manage to reverse everything she felt in just a matter of minutes and a few well said words? She looked back at him. "Look, Robin. I understand why we're here, I do. It's just hard to be here while I know there could be irrevocable consequences because of our stay away from Jump."

"It'll be fine, I promise. Cyborg called Aqualad yesterday, he's going to come and hang out with the Titans until we can return." Robin grabbed Raven's hand, and the heat traveled up her arm all the way to her face. Some where in the back of her mind, she knew that what he said should have been important, but she couldn't remember why. "Please trust me."

Raven managed to pull her hand away and she sighed in defeat. "Fine. But one issue of mass chaos and I'm out of here to Jump. And you're left to fend for yourself." She glared at him and headed back to Cyborg. Robin followed, and Raven was beginning to wonder exactly what she had just agreed to, and how it would affect her and Robin.

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So, I know these past few chapters have been really just filler-chapters with not a whole lot of action. But I had to set up the next few events. I promise, things are going to pick up next chapter! Anyway, I hope you liked it, and review if you get a chance!