I know it took longer to put up this next chapter - sorry about that - but I needed to get started for this next school term. Unfortunately for me, I have nearly 170 students this year, and I need to make sure everything is planned for the first semester (wish me luck). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Oh! And the language a few characters are speaking is Spanish - but in the dialect that I speak. I got lazy and didn't put the translation on it, but it keeps the mystery going. Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: Eh, you guys know by now...

"Booyah!"

Cyborg shot the cannon that shaped his arm, aiming for the giant stone creature that was rampaging through the city. Cinderblock was pushed back from the impact, but came back angry. He charged towards the metal man, only to have a bo-staff bash his head back while a green bull rammed him off his feet. Starfire cheered from the sky, but the excitement was short lived as a hand of stone reached out, grabbing her ankle, and whipped her into the nearest car.

"Starfire!"

Robin threw some explosive discs at the giant stone creature. Cinderblock grabbed the nearest lamppost and swung it at the boy wonder, who dodged the attack. Starfire flew out of the rumble unharmed, her eyes glowing. She threw starbolts at the stone giant, pushing him back. Cyborg's shoulder pad lifted as he shot out his missiles to combine with the alien princess's attack. Beast Boy turned himself into a T-Rex and charged at the villain. Cinderblock managed to grab hold of the dinosaur's nostrils and stop what would have been the end of the fight. Focusing too much on the giant beast before him, Cinderblock didn't notice a lamppost encased in black energy levitating behind him. Beast Boy quickly transformed himself into a small cat, out of the villain's reach. Cinderblock stood confused for a second before the lamppost wrapped tightly around him. He struggled to escape, but it proved to be impossible to get out of the magically enhanced, metal confinement. Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all turned to find their fifth teammate holding two white plastic bags with a scowl on her face.

"You're kidding me right?" said Raven, clearly annoyed. "So I have to pick up the food and stop the bad guy?"

After Cinderblock was taken into custody, the Titans went back to the tower to eat their food. On the way, everyone tried apologizing to the empath. They had tricked her into doing errands all day, and they still ended up watching her finish a fight in 30 seconds after they had been at it for 30 minutes. Thanks to that, Raven was off cleaning duty for the rest of the week. The sorceress simply rolled her eyes and muttered, "Whatever," allowing the subject to drop. However, because the four other Titans had so rudely interrupted her day and tricked her into doing petty errands, Raven was not going to let them off the hook that easily. When she had picked up their food from the restaurant, she made sure to put just a little hot sauce into their food. Perhaps that was a bit of an understatement, considering how the whole tower was filled with screams and howls as the people inside, all except one, ran around breathing fire.

"I called the PD," said Robin after all the commotion died down. "I spoke to them about the collection coming in next week."

"And?" inquired Raven.

"They are trying to come up with a system for the diamonds," explained Robin. "They wanted to come up with a full proof plan before coming to us for technical support."

"Have they come up with anything?" asked Cyborg, still chewing on ice.

"They came up with something," sighed Robin, pinching his nose. "I don't think it's the best idea, but we'll just come up with a protection plan to fill the holes in it." Making sure he had his team's full attention, Robin continued. "Based on what they told me, the diamonds will be set up in twelve different locations around the city. Only one will be displayed for exactly 24 hours, once a week. Once the exhibition is over, said diamond will be relocated."

"How are the people going to know where the exhibition is?" asked Beast Boy. "Won't they have a set schedule that says where the diamond is going to be anyway?"

Robin shook his head. "The Sinister Sparkle Association is going to send the beginning time and location on the exact day the exhibition is to take place. The SSA requires direct payment by the end of this week so the people can get the message with the information. And from what I saw, only the most elite will be able to afford it; the price is that high."

"Where will the diamonds be relocated to?" inquired Starfire.

"To their next location," replied Robin. "The JCPD will send you the full list – " Cyborg nodded " – and they will also have a number of units during the day of the exhibition. During that time, our main focus will have to be keeping the others well protected."

"Wait, why?" piped in Beast Boy. "No one is going to know their locations – "

"The civilians won't," explained Raven, "but we all know that we have a handful of villains that know their way around a computer. And because the PD will be revolving around the diamond that is being displayed at that current time, they will leave the rest of the collection with minimal security. There is no doubt we will have more than one location's alarm going off."

Beast Boy's ears dropped at that. "No more lazy Sundays?"

"No more lazy Sundays," repeated Cyborg, patting the younger boy's shoulder. "I'll start on a heat-seeking alarm system –"

"We'll need more than that," stated Robin. "All entrances will need to be monitored, the cases that will hold the diamonds need to have photo-electric beams – the glass itself will need a motion detector –"

"Rob," interrupted Cyborg, "I'll have passive infrared detectors, ultrasonic detectors, and I'll even install a compact surveillance radar. I need to know the locations before I can get started, but I'll get things done. I'll use the best in my arsenal –"

"I am sure Robin did not mean to imply a deficiency of sources," assured Starfire.

"I know Starfire," said Cyborg. "I'm just reassuring him that I'm taking this just as seriously." He and Robin nodded in understanding.

"When you get started on the alarm systems," said Robin, "let me and Raven know." Noticing Raven's confused expression, Robin turned his attention on her. "Considering you're the only one of us to actually have heard of this collection, I'm assuming there are a few connections to the supernatural?"

Raven waved it off. "Myths and legends – none of which have any truth to them, or at least, none of which have been proven. There's no doubt though that there will be those who believe such stories and will want to get their hands on the collection."

"It's settled then," announced Robin. "Until the Twelve Lovers of Alcina collection is removed from Jump City, their safety will be a priority. However, I want to remind everyone that our primary concern will continue to be the citizens of Jump City."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Glancing over at the time, Raven noticed it was half past six. After debating with her emotions for a few minutes, Raven stood up from the couch. "I'll see you guys later."

"Where are you going Raven?" asked Cyborg, taking a can of soda from the mini-fridge.

Raven stood awkwardly by the door before shrugging. "Just out."

"Out where though?"

"To – you know – just a…basketball game…"

"Sorry?" said Cyborg, confused. "I didn't catch that."

"A…basketball game…over by the thing…"

"A…? Wait, one more ti–"

"A basketball game!" Everyone stared at her as though she had grown another head. Rolling her eyes, Raven mumbled, "Will you guys stop looking at me like that…"

"I didn't know you were so into basketball Raven," said Robin, eyebrows raised in amusement.

"I'm not," she answered rather quickly. "Or not that much. Not enough to play at least –"

"You are meeting with someone, yes?" inquired Starfire, floating up to her friend, a smile slowly appearing on her face. Raven tried to hide her blush, but knew she was too late when she heard Starfire squeal in excitement and the boys doing their wolf-whistles.

"It's not like that," mumbled Raven.

Starfire grabbed her teammate's hand and said, "Do you need assistance in choosing clothing for your romantic Ronda-vu?"

"Rendezvous, Starfire," corrected Raven, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's pronounced 'rahn-day-voo'. And no – it's not that! I'm just meeting someone from the prom who invited me to a game…"

"Oh!" exclaimed Starfire. "Are you meeting with sweet little Anthony?"

"No…" muttered the empath. "I'm meeting with…his brother…"

Clicking his tongue, Beast Boy smirked. "Scandalous."

Snatching her hand away, Raven glared at the chuckling boys. "You know what, I don't even fell like going anymore. Just forget it."

"Oh c'mon Rae," laughed Cyborg. "We're just messing with you."

"We're excited for you," added Beast Boy. "But you have to allow us some amusement. It's not everyday Jump City's 'Forbidden Fruit' gets a bite out of it." Raven felt her eye twitch at the metaphor, but remained silent to reduce the desire of throwing him out the window.

"Just keep our communicator on you," reminded Robin, who also gave Beast Boy a warning look, "just in case we need you, or if you run into any trouble."

Nodding frantically, Raven ran out of the Oops room, away from her friends, and made her way to her room. Going to her closet, she changed into some low-rise jeans, a blue spaghetti strap shirt, blue and white sneakers, and finished off with her signature belt. Looking herself over in the mirror on her dresser, she decided to go with a ponytail. 'I can't believe I'm actually going,' thought Raven, as she brushed the Chinese food remains out of her teeth. 'It's not like I want to go on a date with the guy…right?'

Finished with her teeth, Raven plopped herself on her bed. 'I mean, he's very attractive; I'll give him that. He's a bit snooty, and more smug than necessary – or at least more than I actually like, but then again, he seems knowledgeable enough to earn the right to be. Yeah, he's smart, and confident I guess. And he seems to genuinely care about his brother's well being. From what I could tell, his first and foremost concern is his brother. He's also a gentle man – for the most part. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad. Sure it'll be risky with his hidden agenda, but maybe it'll be worth it.' The empath got up from her bed and walked over to her wall-to-wall window. 'Blessed Azar, Raven. It's been two years already. Isn't it about time you move forward and maybe even allow yourself to like someone again?' Raven's eyes moved to the bottom of her bookshelf, where a white chest was chained shut. 'Isn't it about time you stop letting him make you fear the chances of life?'

Biting her lip, Raven pushed herself away from the window. A new look of determination crossed her face as she passed the chest; she grabbed her communicator and walked out the door. After saying a quick 'see you later' to her friends, she walked out to the edge of the island, and allowed herself to be consumed by the darkness of her soul self. When the darkness subsided, she was at the edge of Jump City's Park. She strolled past the jungle gym for kids, past the slides and swings and the soccer field, and made her way to the benches next to the gated basketball court. There were a few other people on the benches, most of which she didn't recognize – though they were all aware of who she was, surprised to see her there – but there was one familiar face.

Vanessa, Jason's ex-girlfriend, was sitting at the other end of the bench, clearly not paying attention to the game going on in front of her as she was engrossed in whatever text message she was typing on her phone. Raven sat on the other end, not really wanted to socialize with the blonde. It wasn't that Vanessa was in any way intimidating, but being an empath, Raven knew that they would clash. Vanessa was too stuck in her own perfect world, and if someone was not part of it, it was because she deemed them unworthy. And the blonde immediately deemed the Titan unworthy. Raven felt it that night at prom; Vanessa didn't like her, and Raven was absolutely fine with that.

Everyone clapped as one of the teams made a three-pointer. From the looks of it, it was shirts vs. skins, Jason being in the latter team. As she watched him run by, Raven couldn't help but take a moment to actually look at him. He was wearing blue basketball shorts that went a bit lower from the hemline, the muscles of his lower stomach outlined as if pointing down. Sweat on his skin made the front of his hair stick to his forehead, and the way the sun was setting, it made his skin glisten. He was definitely well toned, and being shirtless just enhanced his allure with his broad shoulders, muscular planes of his chest, and the ridges of his abdomen and torso. It almost seemed unfair how a normal human being could look so…flawless.

Raven let out a shaky breath, not realizing until that moment how dry her throat felt. Yeah, she prided herself in having control over any physical desire, but Raven was still a young woman. That fact alone sparked a small fire deep within her that was near impossible to extinguish. Taking another deep, yet shaky, breath, Raven forced herself to focus on the actual game. Gazing up at the scoreboard, she saw the score was 27-42, and it was already six minutes into the fourth quarter. 'I guess I won't be going on a date after all,' thought Raven with a slight smirk, ignoring that small seep of disappointment that she felt in the back of her mind.

Jason, having to seemingly sense her presence, had his eyes on her as soon as she looked down from the scoreboard. His eyes widened in surprise, but he then smiled genuinely when she sent him a single wave of her hand. He gestured for a time out, putting the game on a temporary pause. As everyone went to their sides of the court to get a drink, Jason made his way over to the Titan, putting his hands on the gate that stood between them.

"You almost had me," he said with a laugh. "I actually thought you wouldn't show."

"I had nothing better to do," was Raven's nonchalant reply. Chuckling, Jason looked over to the scoreboard, a slight frown as he realized the difference, and Raven couldn't help but let her eyes wander down to his smooth, muscular torso. She snapped her eyes away as soon as Jason turned his attention back to her, but from the look of the cocky smirk on his face, she knew she got caught.

"Like what you see?"

"Don't flatter yourself," mumbled Raven, not really denying the truth. "So you have less than six minutes to make 15 points, just to tie with the other team. You think you'll be able to catch up?"

"Don't you worry about that sweetheart," assured Jason. "I'll get it done." With a playful wink, he ran back to his team and the game resumed.

One of the shirts was dribbling the ball as Jason got in front of him, blocking his path. Before anyone could blink, Jason shot forward and stole the ball, speed-dribbled down to the opposite side of the court, and did a lay-up. The scoreboard went up two points for the home team. While the other team took the ball inbound, the skins went back on the defensive. A guy wearing a shirt passed the ball to his teammate, who managed to get near the basket. The guy went for a jump shot, but the ball hit the backboard too hard. One of the skins, a guy with spiky blonde hair and green basketball shorts, caught the rebound and bounced it over to Jason. Jason ran up near the basket, but was blocked off by two of the opposing team. Without missing a beat, Jason passed the ball behind him to one of his teammates. A guy with shaved hair and red basketball shorts caught the ball and went for a jump shot, making it in, and earning the team three points.

Shirts had the ball, but when one tried to make a pass, the guy with shaved hair managed to steal and pass the ball over to one of his teammates, a guy with dreadlocks tied into a ponytail and green shorts. He was looking straight ahead at his blocker when he passed the ball to the shaved-hair guy, who passed it back when the blocker was distracted, and the dreadlocks guy maneuvered around and went for a layup, earning two points. The ball was thrown inbound by one of the shirts to his teammate who was soon blocked off by two of the skins. The shirt faked left, faked right, jumped, and passed to his teammate. He had a direct shot to the basket, but when the ball was halfway in the air, Jason came out of nowhere and slapped the ball to his teammate, a guy with short, curly black hair wearing a sweatband around his forehead. The headband guy passed it over to the guy with dreadlocks, who passed it back to Jason, who shot it from the mid-court line, earning another three points. One of the shirts threw in the ball to his teammate, who was blocked halfway through the court. The shirt bounced the ball between his legs to his teammate behind him. The guy ran to the basket, jumped, and dunked the ball, earning his team two points.

Raven raised her eyebrows in surprise. The score was now 37-44. 'Wow. Three minutes, and they managed to make then points. If they make seven more in the remaining three minutes, they'll win.' Her eyes were on Jason as he stood out of bounds with the ball over his head. His eyes were hard with determination, his body tensing with any movement. As much as Raven didn't want to admit it, it was pretty impressive how well he managed himself under such pressure. 'Let's see if this guy can pull it off.'

Jason threw the ball inbound and made his way into the court. He was quickly blocked off by one of the shirts, but managed to go from under him, and catch the ball that was passed his way. He ran up to the basket and shot the ball to hit the backboard. The guy with spiky blonde hair caught the rebound and slammed it into the basket, earning two points. When the ball was back inbounds, the guy with the headband blocked the shirt that was in possession of the ball, arms out. The shirt tried to pass the ball under the brunette's legs, but the headband guy managed to snatch the ball mid-bounce, run it back to the basket and do a bank shot, earning another two points. The ball was thrown back inbounds and was bounced to one of the shirts when Jason managed a steal. He ran up close to the basket, but threw the ball back to the shaved-haired guy. He threw it at the basket, but it lingered on the rim. The guy with the dreadlocks ran up and tipped the ball in – two more points.

The score was now 43-44, and there were only twelve seconds left. It was one hell of a comeback; Jason's team only needs one more shot to win. The ball was thrown inbound, and it was obvious the opposing team was trying to run the time out. However, they didn't count on the headband guy run in behind the shirt with the ball, snatching it mid-dribble, and passing it over to Jason. Jason bounced the ball twice before running straight at the guy under the basketball goal. He tilted a bit to the left, the shirt turning to the side to block him, but at the last second, Jason spun to the right, jumped up to the basket and dunked it as someone from the crowd blew an air horn, signaling the end of the game. Jason held on to the rim with one hand as he gave a mocking, two-finger salute to the opposing team that seemed all too familiar.

The people on the bench were cheering and clapping; even Raven had to stand up at how well the game was played. As the crowd dispersed, Raven got off the bench and made her way near the entrance of the gated basketball court. She noticed Vanessa still sitting, talking on the phone with one finger covering her other ear. The loud noises of the cheering crowd were probably interfering with her phone call. Raven scoffed as she passed the other girl, and went to stand at the other side of the court where Jason was talking with his friends, in a different language it would seem.

"Pensaba que querias perder Jason," said the guy with the headband.

"De primero," replied Jason. "Vanessa dijo que si ganabamos, ella me llevaria a cenar."

"Y qué?" asked the guy with dreadlocks with a slight accent. "Antes qué no te viera encantado ir con esa bicha?"

Jason scrunched his nose in disgust. "Antes, cuando andaba tomando. Nombre, yo con ella lla no."

"A pues," said the guy with the shaved head, "porque querias ganar lla despues?"

The guy with the spiky blonde hair, who Raven realized was twin to the guy with shaved hair, smirked. "Ahora vas a tener qué ir con la cocketta esa."

"Hayi es donde te equivocas," said Jason, a smile forming on his face. "Aposte con otra muchacha que si ganaba, ella teniera que salir a comer conmigo. De primero no me importaba gana porque pensaba qué no hiba a llegar. Llego, y quise ganar."

The guy with the headband raised a brow. "Y quien es esta muchacha tan especial?

Jason looked over to Raven, who was currently watching a soccer game that was going on at the other end of the park. She raised a hand to put a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and Jason smiled. His friends looked from Jason to Raven, and back again.

"Ella?" asked the guy with spiky hair. "Que esa no es la muchacha esa de los heroes?"

"Estas loco Jason," hissed the guy with dreadlocks. "Ella es uno de ellos. Si ella se da cuenta de lo que andamos haciendo–"

"No te preocupes Theo," assured Jason. "No se va dar cuenta."

"Estas seguro?"

"Claro."

"Porque ella?" asked the guy with shaved hair. "Porque justamente quieres persiguir a esta muchacha?"

Jason furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about his reply. His eyes went back to Raven, the sunset making her skin appear a light-cream color, the light breeze pushing the strand of her hair away from her face, and the light's reflection glowing from her eyes.

"No tengo la menor idea." The twins looked at each other and shrugged in unison. The guy with the headband smiled knowingly at his friend, but the guy with dreadlocks frowned, his nostrils flaring.

After departing from his friends, a fully clothed Jason made his way to the entrance of the gate where the empath was waiting patiently. Raven turned her attention away from the soccer game and gave him an impressed smile.

"That was pretty…astonishing," she said. "Seventeen points in six minutes."

"I told you I'd get it done," said Jason with a smirk. That, however, turned into a nervous smile. "So…I won."

"You did."

"Does that mean I can take you out to dinner?" he asked, stretching out his hand.

"I ate before I got here."

"How about some dessert then?"

Raven eyed him for a moment. 'Go on Raven. Just suck up your pride and go.' Coming out of her thoughts, she found Jason smiling softly at her.

"You know," he said gently, "it's not like it would be the end of the world."

Laughing at his choice of words, Raven said, "No. Not again at least."

Raven reached out and took Jason's hand. Their fingers intertwined as they made their way through the park to Jason's car. They didn't even notice a specific blonde glaring at them as they walked away. When they got to wherever it was they were going, Raven had to admit it was nice being out without the subject of work, video games, or shopping coming up. Getting out of the car, Raven looked up at the sign above the little shop they arrived at, and saw that it was in a different language. Dulce Tentación, it was called.

"What is this place?" asked Raven, taking a seat at a booth next to the window.

"It's a café-restaurant," answered Jason. "It focuses mainly on desserts though. I said I'd treat you to dessert, and there's no better place than Dulce Tentación – Sweet Temptation."

"So you know Spanish," commented the sorceress, looking over the menu.

"Fluently," was the smug reply.

"Where did you learn it?" Raven asked.

Jason gave a half-shrug. "I used to travel a lot when I first started out my internship at Wayne Industries. It required me to go to different countries, so it was beneficial to learn a few languages."

"You work for Wayne Industries?" asked Raven, eyes widening a bit in surprise.

"I was the youngest intern there at 14," replied Jason with a nod. "Got promoted a year later, and now I'm in charge of all tech-associated involvement with the government's protection detail. But that's more of a side job."

"The government's Protection Detail is a side job?" she repeated incredulously.

"Not like that," explained Jason. "I didn't mean it as though it's not a priority. But my team and I create a new system every month – from scratch. Our systems are impenetrable, so we don't worry too much on those. Unless we have an attempted hacking, there's not much else for us to do."

Raven nodded in understanding. "So what is your main job?"

Before her date could answer, the waiter, a boy of 16 maybe, came up to their table. Handing the boy both their menus, Jason said, "Un plato de fruta por favor, una botella de Noble Rot, y despues si nos puedes traer una caja ruleta de chocolate."

When the waiter was gone, Raven gave her companion a look. "Was that really necessary?"

"Not in the least," replied Jason, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Raven shook her head, a ghost of a smile on her face.

"So, your job?"

"Ah, yes," continued Jason. "Well, my team and I are in charge of the industries' biochemical division, developing and manufacturing advanced weaponry and defense technologies."

Raven was impressed. She had only met Bruce Wayne a few times, and she could instantly tell that the businessman was particular in his selection of employees. If Jason, at his age, was in charge of an industrial division that has to do with creating biochemical weapons, he must be held at a really high esteem. Not only that, but he was also in charge of the President's Protection Detail? That was a huge responsibility to bestow on anyone. And, if the fact that there have been no threats made towards any of their nation's political leaders in over a year means anything, it demonstrates that Jason is really got at his job. "I'm amazed you have any time to yourself with jobs like that."

Jason shrugged. "I get to work from home most of the time. When I do, I can get things done quicker. When I'm at the office, I have to stay my full hours, but it doesn't necessarily interfere with my social life."

"That's good to hear," stated Raven. When Jason smirked at her, she rolled her eyes. "It gives you more time to spend with your brother." The smirk disappeared, but he nodded in agreement. Raven's expression softened. "How is Anthony doing?"

"He has his good days," was the solemn reply. "Sometimes not so good. He's fighting though."

Raven stared at him for a few seconds before leaning in a bit. "If there was something – anything – I could do, I –"

"I know," said Jason softly. "Thank you though, for asking about him."

Their eyes locked onto one another's, both trying to look into the mind of the other, and neither wanting to break contact. It wasn't until their waiter came back with their order that they finally looked away. He placed a big bowl of nicely cut up fruits between them, and then held out a bottle of wine for Jason to examine. Nodding his head in approval, Jason took the bottle, dismissing the waiter, and filled both of their glasses.

"Wine with fruit?" asked Raven.

"Don't knock it 'til you try it," he recited, handing her a glass. Raven took a sip, allowing the sweetness to flow down her throat, leaving a small tingling sensation on her tongue. "Good right?"

"Not bad," she agreed. "It's very sweet."

"It's a dessert wine," explained Jason. "It's meant to compliment the cakes and chocolate of this place."

"I see," was all Raven said before they started on the bowl of the fruit, which included pineapple, mangos, strawberries, grapes, watermelon, and apples. Raven had to admit that the combination of the fruits and wine definitely made an impression on her taste buds, and it only made her wonder how good it would be with a small portion of chocolate cake. For now, she was enjoying her conversation with Jason as they fought over the pieces of watermelon and talked about each other's hobbies and interests. From what was said, Raven learned that Jason was not only really smart, but he was also a natural athlete. Ever since he was little, he would be on a basketball team, soccer team, football team, track team, wrestling team, and even the boys' volleyball team. Aside from that, he even took gymnastics and mixed martial arts. When asked why he did so many things, Jason just smiled and replied, "I needed to challenge myself some way or another."

Raven wanted so badly to ask about his childhood. She wanted to ask about his life in foster care, if he knew his parents, or if he even wanted to know who they are, but it was a difficult topic to bring up without seeming nosy. So instead, she listened to him talk about his basketball friends, who also happen to be his team at the industry, and how they all met at the Institution of Computer Engineering. They were nearly done with their fruit bowl, and the wine bottle was more than halfway gone when the waiter came with a box of chocolates. Jason thanked him before beaming at the curious sorceress seated in front of him.

"Are you ready for dessert?" he asked excitedly.

Raven was taken aback. "Dessert? I thought the fruit was dessert..?"

"Nope," replied Jason, opening the circular box. "That was just the appetizer. This is dessert." He turned the box to show her the delicious looking sweets inside. There were at least twenty squares of small chocolates of different colors with different designs, and each one looking absolutely mouthwatering.

Raven found herself not being able to decline. "Alright, I give. But how do you know what flavors they are?"

"That's the beauty of it," declared Jason. "It's almost like a Russian roulette. You won't know what it is unless you try it." He took one of the small chocolates and held it out for Raven to grab. Hesitantly, she took it and plopped it in her mouth. It wasn't long before she made a face of distaste. Jason laughed as she took a sip of her wine, trying to wash down the taste. "I'm guessing you didn't like that one."

"I'm not a big fan of coconut," she muttered, pouting playfully as Jason continued to laugh.

"Here," he said, handing her another one. "This one doesn't look bad."

Raven glared at the chocolate before her, saying, "That's how they trick you. None of them look bad."

"Just try it and see what you think."

Sighing, Raven plopped the chocolate in her mouth. She was relieved to find the familiar taste of caramel. Smiling, she nodded her head. "Okay, so that one wasn't so bad."

"I told ya," gloated Jason.

"And now it's your turn," said Raven, taking the box, picking a random piece of chocolate, and handing it over to Jason.

That's how it was for the rest of their stay at the little café. They would pick out a piece of chocolate and hand it to the other person, laughing at the faces they made when they got one they didn't like, or smiling when they found one they did like. Raven found herself having a great time. Unfortunately, all the fun made time go by pretty fast. The streets were already dark and empty, and the café was nearing its closing time. So, Raven and Jason walked out hand-in-hand, their moods still bright from their little game. They made light conversation as Jason drove the car to the other side of the city to the pier, where Raven would teleport herself to the tower as she did the week before.

"…So Mason took off his pants," Jason was saying as he parked the car, "but Aaron locked the door so he wouldn't get inside. And at that very moment, a school bus with an entire football team and its cheerleaders drove by."

"Oh no," giggled Raven.

"It was even funnier because Mason decided to go free-balling that day," added Jason.

Raven laughed at his story. "I can't believe you actually stuck a frog down his pants. Wasn't he mad at you guys for that?"

"At first," replied Jason, "but he managed to get even."

"Really?" said Raven, her interest peaked. "How?"

Jason grinned slyly and shook his head. "That is a story for another time." Rolling her eyes at the silent suggestion, Raven unbuckled her seat belt and got out the car. "Will there be a next time?" he asked, following her out. "Raven?"

"If I were to say yes," said the sorceress, "I can't for sure say when. I don't exactly have a fixed schedule.

"I don't mind," stated Jason, shrugging dismissively. Seeing the expression she gave him, he walked up to her until they were less than a foot apart. "Hey. I like you Raven, and I enjoyed spending time with you today. If you'd let me, I would like to take you out again and get to know you some more."

Raven felt butterflies in her stomach, and her chest felt tight as her heart pounded rapidly against it. From the gentleness in his tone, and the nervousness he was feeling, the empath knew that he was being sincere. Her lips arched up a bit at the corners as she reached into her pocket, pulling out a small slip of paper. "This is the number to my private line on my communicator," said Raven softly. Jason smiled brightly as he took the paper, his hand lingering over her fingers. Taking her hand back, with her face heating up a bit, Raven managed to say, "Just don't expect me to pick up every time."

"I'm okay with that," said Jason, stepping even closer to her.

"I should go," whispered the Titan, a blush now fully on her cheeks. Jason smiled at how cute she looked when shy. It made him almost want to close the gap between their lips, which started to grow smaller and smaller. Seeing Raven turn her head slightly away, he knew it would be too soon. Gently taking her chin in his fingers, he pulled her closer until he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

Raven gazed up at him wonderingly. Jason was definitely a guy full of surprises. He was arrogant, cocky, and doubtlessly sure of himself when it came to girls, but there was also a side of him that was also gentle and considerate. His smirk would always be full of certainty, but his eyes…the way he looked at her…there was compassion in his eyes. It was like he saw her – actually saw her – and was hoping that she would see him too. It was like he was trying to put up a front, but still allowing just enough for her to see the vulnerability. With that in mind, and with a shy smile, Raven stepped away from him. "Goodnight Jason."

Before the young man could return the sentiment, the sorceress was gone. The smile he had on his face slowly faltered as his gaze landed on Titan's Tower. Sighing, he walked back to his car, Raven's number still in his hand. Groaning in frustration, Jason slammed himself back on his seat. "Dammit Jason," he whispered to himself, "what are you getting yourself into?"

Back at the tower, Raven's soul-self formed at the entrance of the Main Oops room, where her teammates seemed to be engrossed in the second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Chuckling softly, Raven turned to head to her room, but was stopped by her friend's voice.

"Hey Rae!" greeted Beast Boy. "I thought I smelled lavender."

"Hello to you too," said Raven with a nod. Going over to the couch, Raven placed her hand on the green boy's shoulders as the others paused the movie to fully acknowledge her presence.

"Hey Raven," greeted Robin. "How was the game?"

"Yes!" Starfire. "How was the game of the dribbling of the ball?"

"It was actually pretty impressive," admitted Raven. "One of the teams managed to score 17 points in five minutes."

"What?" yelped Cyborg, his normal eye bugging out. "How the hell did they do that?"

"He-they made it possible," stuttered Raven with a shrug, hoping none of them caught her little slip. However, they weren't the top crime-fighting team for nothing.

"'He'?" Beast Boy said looking up at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And who might 'he' be?"

Everyone stared at her expectantly, and Raven couldn't help but groan in frustration. "I told you guys I was meeting with Anthony's brother."

"Yeah," said Robin slowly, a frown forming on his forehead, "but you didn't tell us you were going to be out for five hours with the guy."

"Well," mumbled Raven, "I wasn't counting on him winning."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Cyborg suspiciously.

"Nothing bad." Turning away from her friends, Raven walked over to the fridge and took out a bottle of water. Nodding at Cyborg, she explained, "He was the guy we saw at the park, and he was the one who sent the football. His name is Jason, and I met him – officially – at prom. He asked me on a date, I said no, so we made a deal. If he lost the game, we wouldn't go on the date, but if he won, I'd give him a chance. He won, so we went to get some dessert."

Silence. That was all there was after her explanation. Raven counted the seconds before groaning inwardly. 'This is going to be painful,' she thought. Sure enough, as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she was bombarded by questions.

"Will we have the chance to make acquaintance with this Jason?"

"Where'd you go eat?"

"You could've called to say you were going to be out late."

"Shall you see him again?"

"You only went out to eat right? Nothing else?"

"He didn't try anything did he?"

Raven felt her head pounding with an upcoming headache. Rubbing her temples, she felt her inner demon growl at the annoyance of her friends interrogating her. The questions were still coming, and to say that she was losing her patience was completely out of the question – that ship has sailed. She felt her emotions go haywire at each question; Happy wanted to answer each question, Timid wanted nothing more than to go hide under a rock, Wisdom was complaining how irrational her friends were being, and Anger wanted to draw blood. Raven was close to thinking that her date wasn't even worth this inquisition, but then she remembered his eyes and his smile, and that thought was quickly dismissed.

"Good night!" snapped Raven, not answering any of the questions thrown her way. Turning on her heel, the empath stomped out of the Main Oops room and went straight to her own room. Lying on her bed, the sorceress couldn't help but laugh at the bewildered faces of her friends when she identified her outing as a 'date'. And though she wasn't looking forward to the rest of the inquisition, Raven could admit that the day had gone better than she had been expecting.

I admit, this seems like a filler-chapter. Sorry about that: the way I wrote it story was full on story format, not by chapters, so I have to cut it in places that would make sense. The next chapter is when the action starts.

Next Time:

Red-X goes for the Alcina Collection

"You're not getting away this time Red"

"Get the diamond before he tries something"

"Aw Sunshine, you know me so well"

But Raven has other worries

"How do you go each day with a smile when you know what might happen?"

"As long as his heart beats, he is the angel that gives me the strength to pull through...Look at him Raven. He can give you strength too."

Even then, it seems like the Titans can't get a break

"He's never committed a burglary twice in the same week."

"He won't get away this time. Titans, go!"

Until next time!