I do not own Teen Titans. I love reviews. Honestly, that's how this much awaited update came along. After at least a year of having no motivation whatsoever and losing all hope of finishing, I found myself rereading the reviews I've received and voila! An update! Hope you all enjoy! Remember, read and review!

Chapter Five –

He couldn't help but think of how closely she resembled a graceful bird during the training session that morning. Swooping and diving in and out of the obstacles and attacking when she could make a clean hit. But he could tell that her mind was flitting and soaring around just as much as her body. Everywhere her thoughts turned, he would trap her. She truly was like a bird, his beautifully caged bird…

Raven hit the ground as the buzzer sounded and took off at a run. Robin was closing in on her and she needed to make it before him. She needed to take her mind off of everything by winning this training session and distracting herself from him. Unfortunately, Robin had the advantage on this obstacle course because everything was low on the ground and she wasn't able to levitate. Just then, blunt blades came out of the ground and Raven nearly tripped and cursed at the effort it took to not just fly to the finish line. Only a little bit more to go…

Robin clenched his teeth as he pushed himself harder and harder. Usually he'd be going against Cyborg or Beast Boy or even Starfire. But Raven? Hardly ever. She surprised everyone when she asked to go against him on the new course specifically designed for the two superheroes who couldn't fly. And even more surprisingly was that she was making him work hard for this victory.

"…AND ROBIN MAKES IT TO THE FINISH LINE FIRST, THOUGH ONLY .02 SECONDS BEFORE RAVEN!" Cyborg shouted into a mega-phone as Starfire and Beast Boy ran to congratulate the two Titans on their amazing performance.

Robin was leaning into himself, hands grasped firmly over his knees, panting heavily. He looked over to see Raven on all fours, panting just as loudly. When she felt him staring at her, she turned slightly and gave him a dark look. Now was definitely not the time to be coming onto her. Not when she was pouring out sweat by the gallons and couldn't even breathe. He just gave her a lopsided, unapologetic grin.

"Friends! You have done wonderfully!" Starfire ran up to them, lifting them both off the ground in a rib-crushing embrace.

"Star! We can't- breathe!" Robin managed to choke out.

The alien let them go and backed up, her hands clasped together in front of her, smiling at her friends.

Beast Boy jumped in the middle with a grin on his face, "Who's up for pizza? I know I could sure use a great cheesy pie after this work out session. Anyone else in?"

Starfire and Cyborg all nodded in agreement and looked at Robin and Raven for confirmation.

Robin ran his hand through his hair looking at Raven, "So you really did a great job out there! I'm impressed."

She nodded shortly and before he could get another word in or Beast Boy could hound her about grabbing pizza with the team, she headed to the tower for a much needed shower and a little relaxation away from everyone. Behind her, she could hear the others arguing about what type of pizza to order.

As she made her way back to the tower, Raven's mind was swimming with everything that had been going on in the last few days. Her confrontation with Slade in the city hall, training with Robin, and her secret conversations with Slade. She still didn't know what to do about Slade. He'd given her a week to decide, not that she would agree to his terms. There wasn't any decision that needed to be made. She would never leave her friends. Ever. How could he believe that she would so willingly go to his side and betray them?

Entering her room, she began to get ready for her shower. Whipping off her clothes and grabbing her towel, she approached her shower and turned the water on. Waiting for the water to get warm, Raven turned her attention to the mirror in front of her. Her hair had grown much longer. She fingered the wispy strands absent-mindedly and considered cutting it to its normal length. No, she decided, she kind of enjoyed having the new long locks. It made her look older, more mature, more like… a woman.

Suddenly she felt a presence invading her room. She cautiously peered out of her bathroom doorway to see Slade getting comfortable in her room. Perusing through her bookshelf and examining her possessions, he looked up when he felt her stare.

Raven growled with anger at his intrusion, "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"

Nothing. She glanced down at her hands in disbelief.

"I apologize, but I couldn't take the risk that you'd be stupid with this impromptu visit, so I took the liberty of using this," in his hands, he held a steel bracelet with a chakra that resembled her own. Raven groaned internally. How could she be so stupid to leave something like that out lying about in her room? Of course he would know what it was and would use it to his advantage.

"What the hell are you doing here? I'm taking a shower!" She self-consciously hugged her towel tightly around herself.

Slade didn't seem to care, he just nodded. "It looked to me as if you were primping."

Raven snorted, in a failed attempt to deny the fact.

"Anyways, it doesn't matter much to me. As long as you dedicate yourself first and foremost to your training, that is. Keeping your appearance up is always a good thing, especially for missions that require a certain kind of, how do I say it, persuasion."

The girl narrowed her eyes, "Gross."

Slade chuckled darkly, "Perhaps, but very effective," he paused to look up from the spell book he had been looking through, "Have you given any thought to my proposition?"

Raven felt the hot steam of the shower wafting from within the bathroom she had abandoned. She shook her head firmly, glaring at him. "No, I'd never leave my friends to work for you."

"Hmm… then perhaps now is the time to use some necessary… persuasion. Do you agree?" His mask's eye glinted menacingly at her from across the room.

She froze, eyes widening with fear. The older man relished in her fear. He could practically taste it, and he swore he had never tasted anything sweeter. He cocked his head at her and went on, "So what persuasive tactic shall I try on you?"

Raven nervously backed up into the safety of her bathroom, the steam so thick she could barely see. She saw Slade's figure first in the doorway and then right in front of her, pushing her into the tile wall. She now desperately wished that she had joined her friends in going to the pizzeria – wished that she could scream and someone would hear her. But no one else was in the tower, only herself and this horrid man standing in front of her, pressing against her sweating, terrified form.

She glared up at him giving herself some pretense of courage, "I'm not scared of you. Whatever you are planning on doing won't convince me to leave my team."

She flinched as she felt his big hand caress her hair and pushed a single, sweaty strand out of her face. Slade looked down at the small, fragile girl trembling with fear and rage against him.

"What if I told you that your friends' lives depend on it?"