This chapter is when the mystery of the Alcina Collection shines through. I know it seems like this story is moving a bit slowly, but hopefully you're enjoying the ride. Let me know what you think!

Also, because of some...mature material in later chapters, I have decided to change the rating to this story to M, just in case.

Disclaimer: Same as before...

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The Moussaieff Red Diamond, also known as the Blood Red Diamond. You could only guess what color it was, and why, of the entire Alcina collection, this was Red-X's favorite.

There was nothing but silence as the thief stood a few feet away from the showcase in the large circular room. The whole place seemed pretty void of security, but he would be a fool to fall for that. Pulling out a small red ball from his belt, Red-X crushed it in his palm and threw the remaining powder out in front of him, and there they were – laser beams that would trigger the alarm system at the slightest interference. Removing an X from the left side of his belt, Red-X threw it in the middle of the laser with amazing accuracy. In seconds, the laser beams were redirected, leaving a straight path to the showcase, all the while Red-X thinking that this was way too easy. Walking up to the now exposed showcase, Red-X placed a gloved hand on the glass, leaving a red x sticker. The glass started to melt away until there was a giant hole on that side when a few voices rang in the thief's ear.

"Silent alarm has been triggered."

"Titans are on the move. You have a maximum of seventeen seconds."

"Time to go X."

"Oh come on guys," laughed Red-X, taking the red diamond and putting it in one of his belt's pouches. "Can't I at least say hi?"

"It's not our lives you're risking."

Hearing those words made his shoulders tense up, and Red-X shot out an x from his glove to the ceiling. The x started beeping just as the Titans burst into the room. "Sorry kids, but time's running short. Maybe next time."

Before Robin could yell out his battle cry, the roof exploded, debris falling to the ground around the empty showcase, and Red-X had already pushed the button on his belt, vanishing before their eyes. "The roof!" shouted the leader of the group. As Robin shot up a grappling cable, Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire, the latter carrying their mechanic teammate, flew up after him. They readied themselves for a fight, but were surprised to find absolutely nothing. Robin let out a growl before turning to his team. "Beast Boy, Starfire, to the sky, north and west side of the city. Raven, search for any accelerated brain waves and heart rates. Cyborg, scan for any moving heat signatures within a 10-mile radius. I'll go to the east side of the city and see if I can find him. Titans, go!"

Starfire, Beast Boy and Robin were gone in seconds while Cyborg and Raven stayed up on the roof. As Cyborg checked his arm for any heat signatures nearby, Raven got into her lotus position, letting her third eye take over her sight. There was nothing out of the ordinary, almost as if there was never a disturbance in this side of the city. How is that even possible? How could Red-X get away so fa- wait…there!

"Cyborg, 6.4 miles off, northwest of our position."

"Got it." Taking out his communicator, Cyborg repeated the information to his teammates. Turning to Raven, he said, "Let's go."

It took the pair less than three minutes to get where the others were, and already a fight was taking place. Starfire was already stuck to a wall of a building in red goo, as Robin and Beast Boy tried to double-team the thief. Raven sent her black energy into lifting up a nice, not to mention new, car as Cyborg charged up his sonic blaster. Raven sent the car flying towards the thief, only to have it cut right through the middle by a couple of sharp red x-blades. As soon as that happened, she felt a sharp sting run through her chest, but ignored it as she dodged a few of his x-plosives. She didn't notice Cyborg being thrown back from the explosion, hitting hard on a brick wall of another building.

"Raven!" called out Beast Boy, who was already wrapped in a large red band, Robin attached to his back. "Look out!"

Red-X tried slicing at the Titan with his x-blades in each hand. Raven dodged, jumping back with every swipe thrown at her, sweat beading down her forehead. As another attempted swipe came down, Raven grabbed hold of the thief's wrist, pushing herself off the ground, and landed a kick right to his head. Red-X stumbled back in shock, his hand going to his now sore jaw.

"Well," he said, surprise clear in his synthesized voice, "I'm not going to lie – that was unexpected."

Without a reply, Raven ran towards him, and jumped into the air, her leg stretching out in front of her. Red-X raised his x-blade to stop the attack, but nothing came. Lowering his weapon, Red-X was met with a blast from Cyborg's cannon. Before the thief could regain his footing, Raven wrapped her dark energy tightly around him, bringing him to his knees.

"You're not getting away this time Red," declared Cyborg as he walked up to him. "Nice work Raven."

"Thanks," grumbled the sorceress, her eyes not leaving the thief in front of her. "Get the diamond before he tries something."

Red-X smirked underneath his mask. "Aw Sunshine, you know me so well."

Pulling out a small trigger from his pocket, Red-X pushed the small button. Instantly, the small sting that Raven had felt on her chest earlier came back full force in electric shock, bringing the sorceress to her knees. Released from the dark energy, Red-X stood up, letting go of the trigger. Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon at him, but the thief took a small red ball from one of his belt pouches and threw it forcefully to the ground. Red smoke surrounded the three, and the two Titans found it hard to see as well as breathe. Seconds later, the smoke was fanned away by a recently freed, green Pterodactyl. Raven was grateful for the save, but instantly became irritated when she saw that Red-X had escaped once again.

Red-X gazed up at the sky, his eyes darting from one side to the other, trying to pin point the location of the hidden moon. 'Why the hell do they call the damn thing New Moon if you can't even see it?' he thought bitterly. Minutes passed before he let out an exasperated groan and went to the telescope set up in the middle of the roof he was currently standing on. Peeking into the lens, he felt his patience wear thin, and said, "Tell me something guys. I can't find this damn thing behind all these clouds." A voice ran through his mask, answering him immediately.

"If you had gotten there on time, you wouldn't be having this problem."

"Alright, alright," he muttered. "That was on me, but come on. Red-X likes to mess with them." A new voice replied, irritation in his voice clearly evident.

"Well Red-X needs to remember how much is at stake before nearly ruining everything."

"We're running out of time," said a third voice. "Turn 30 degrees to your right, lift it up an inch, and it should be straight ahead."

"Found it," announced Red-X proudly. Even though it was nearly completely hidden, there was still a slight outline of the round moon. Red-X took out the Moussaieff Diamond from its pouch and placed it on the lens, and from another pouch of his belt, he took out what seemed to be a small laser pen. With a click to the side button, a small bird-like claw snapped out of the end, grasping itself to the diamond. With another click to a button on the opposite end, the laser was activated, giving a thin ultraviolet light that bore through the diamond. Looking up, Red-X saw a thin red light shooting up to the sky from the other end of the telescope, disappearing into the distance, going straight to where the moon should be. Nodding in approval, Red-X clicked the button at the end of the laser pen once more, and instead of one continuous line, the laser beam started blinking over and over again. Sure enough, at the other end of the telescope, the ultraviolet light was shooting up second after second.

Red-X took out a rolled up sheet of paper with six circlets on it, and placed it on the floor at 90 degrees from the telescope's end. He then took out a small mirror down at 60 degrees, making the light to be reflected back on the paper. The result was amazing. Even though he held the mirror in the same place, the beam hit the paper in three different places. Of the six circles, only three of them were hit repeatedly, one after the other. 'Left, down, right. Left, down, right. Left, down, right.' He repeated the pattern in his head as he watched the beam burn into the paper, leaving three perfect holes. After putting everything except the paper away, Red-X took out a small notebook and started to compare the burnt circles to the one in his notes. Staring at the paper, Red-X licked his lips before smirking in accomplishment: eight.

Raven, along with Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, walked out of the gym, drenched in sweat. After the fight with Red-X, Robin had the Titans spend six hours straight in the gym for the past three days. Although each Titan was exhausted, Raven felt like she had the worst of it, especially considering how Robin had her working on her fighting technique without using her powers, as mentioned, for six hours straight. Her muscles were screaming with every movement, no matter how small. Even sitting still was becoming unbearable, and it was all because Robin wanted her to be prepared to take on Red-X without powers just in case. Okay, so she understood why it was important for her to train, but it wasn't as if she would willingly go one on one with the thief, and if she did, what were the chances of losing her powers completely? Well, Red-X did render her powerless a few times, so maybe that isn't a good argument, but still. Eighteen hours of physically pushing herself to the limit for the past three days…she should be allowed to be frustrated.

Showering was a huge relief, and lying down was a feeling of sweet bliss to the empath. Between training, fighting crime, and looking up information on the Lovers of Alcina on behalf of Robin's request, getting a chance to lie down and just breathe was a treasured gift. Nothing could ruin this moment.

Buzz…buzz…buzz…

Groaning in irritation, Raven grabbed her communicator, seriously considering smashing it against the wall, but managing to gain control of her thoughts at the last moment. Flipping it open, she realized it was a voice call, and placed it against her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey there sweetheart," said the velvety voice on the other line.

"Jason," said Raven, closing her eyes. "You know, I never gave you an 'okay' for that nickname."

"Neither have you told me to stop," snickered Jason. "How've you been?"

Raven sighed, knowing she won't be able to get out of the conversation anytime soon. "I'm alive, so that has to count for something. How's Anthony?"

"He's good," was the reply. "Because of the chemo, he's going to be stuck in the hospital room for a while. Germs and whatnot…I'm doing good too you know."

"Glad to hear."

"Yeah. Don't sound too excited."

Raven rolled her eyes, but let out a tired laugh all the same. "Don't take it personally. Robin has been working us nonstop since our encounter with a villain a few days ago."

"You mean Red-X right?" asked Jason. "Yeah, it's all over the news how he managed to take one of the diamonds from the Alcina collection. I can't believe they're still going through with the exhibition."

"They don't want to seem vulnerable to the public," explained Raven. "If anything, they would rather say that the Titans failed to protect the diamond from a lone thief than to admit that their exhibition was a stupid idea."

There was a momentary silence when Jason said, "You know what's stupid? Us talking on the phone when we could be talking in person."

Raven felt her lips lift a little, but shook her head, though he couldn't see it. "As tempting as that is, I am way too drained to be going out today."

"Are you kidding me?" scoffed Jason. "It is a beautiful Wednesday evening, and you're planning on staying home? Come on, it's been almost a week since our date."

"It wasn't a –" Raven stopped herself from finishing that sentence because she knew it wasn't true. "I just don't think I'm capable of walking, or sitting, or talking for the most part right now."

"Alright, how about this: you meet me at the docks, and we'll just spend the day with Tony. We'll get some movies, snacks, and just hang out. You won't have to do much of anything, and I know Tony would love seeing you again."

Raven bit her lip. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of getting up from her bed, but at the same time, it was a tempting offer. She had to admit that, for the last few days, the person on the other end of the line did creep up in her thoughts every now and then, and it might be nice to see him again. And spending time with Anthony? How could she turn that down? No matter how much her body will complain, it would be worth it to see the smile on that sweet boy's face again. Raven made up her mind.

"I'll be at the docks in twenty minutes."

Twenty minutes later, Raven sat in the passenger seat of a black Malibu next to the driver who was bold enough to take hold of her hand while he drove. Her first instinct was to snatch her hand away, but refrained from doing so when she felt his warmth travel from her hand to the rest of her. Before she had left the Tower, Raven had debated whether she should tell her friends in person that she was going out, or if she should just write a note. Five minutes later, she regretted not going with the latter. Starfire was overly excited of her friend going to see her "friend who is a boy", and Beast Boy was of course making baseball jokes, for which Cyborg smacked him on the head. Her cybernetic friend, though amused at her embarrassment, cautioned her to take some care, and finally her leader was less than thrilled at her going out. In fact, he nearly went ballistic: "What if Red-X goes into the exhibit again?" "There's crime to be fought. We don't have time for romantic outings if we want to protect the city." Raven simply rolled her eyes and stated she would be back later, and that she was only a call away if anything were to happen.

"I'm glad you decided to come," said Jason. "I know Tony will be thrilled to see you."

"I'm glad I'll have a chance to see him again," returned Raven.

"Your body looks good." Raven eyed him warily at his statement. Realization dawned on his face when he thought over his statement, and he began to stammer as he tried to mend himself. "No – no! I didn't mean – not 'looks good' like that! I mean, no, okay, you do look good, your body is – you know. But I meant, like toned, fit, or – ah fuck."

Raven laughed at his discomfort, feeling the ice finally break between them. "If you meant how I am feeling, I'm alright. Still sore, but I've been through worse. But you do know you've just admitted yourself to looking right?"

"Yeah," he sounded like a puppy that had been caught chewing off a new pair of shoes. "Well, can you blame me? Look at you."

"You can thank Robin for that," grumbled Raven, slumping back on her seat.

"Noted. Don't worry. We'll be taking it easy once we get up to Tony."

They drove to the hospital, making idle conversation the entire ride. Nothing was important, but everything was worth listening to. Or at least, that's what it seemed like to Raven. There was something about Jason, something she couldn't put her finger on, that really made him stand out. He's gorgeous, that's for sure, but looks were never a big thing for her. Hell, she fell for a guy made of paper – not that she wanted to think about that at the moment…or any moment for that matter. But Jason – he was sweet in an obnoxious way; fair, but sneaky; charming, but irritating; something about him is alluring, but at the same time, Raven knew she had to be careful. However, as they parked outside the hospital, seeing him smile at her before getting out and offering his hand as he opened her own door, just made Raven wonder: would it be so bad to allow herself to fall one more time?

"Raven!"

Raven smiled brightly at the young boy's enthusiasm as he sat up when they entered the room. Although he was beaming, and Raven could feel Anthony's emotions screaming in excitement, there was stillness in them, almost as if fading a bit every millisecond. Going over to sit with him on the bed, Raven put an arm around the newly seven year old's shoulders and placed a kiss on his temple. "Surprise. I'm here to spend the day with you."

"And me," added Jason playfully. "What? Am I not special enough?"

"Eh," replied Anthony, smiling. Jason walked over and pinched his cheeks.

"Very funny little brother."

Anthony stuck his tongue out before wrapping his arms around Raven's waist. "Have you seen Finding Dory Miss Raven? Jay said he would bring it for me to watch today. That, and Doctor Strange."

"Oh really," said Raven, narrowing her eyes at the young man who was currently connecting the DVD player to the TV. "That sure is something, considering those movies don't come out on DVD for a while. Doctor Strange isn't even out in theaters yet."

"It pains me how you underestimate my abilities Raven," joked Jason, placing a chair next to Anthony's bed and taking a seat. Raven rolled her eyes at him before turning to the movie.

Other than making a few comments, and laughing here and there, the trio watched the movies in silence. Anthony was using Raven as a back pillow, and even though she wanted to hold his hand in comfort, Raven had to hold back because of the IV's attached to the back of his hand. Raven has dealt with pain, injuries, blood, even death, but like Beast Boy, she was never fond of hospitals. Every wire was connected to something, and if one were to be yanked, it could mean the end of someone's life. Not only that, but there was always too much suffering and sorrow within the walls, to the point where Raven felt suffocated in sadness. It was like she was inside a fully blown balloon that was slowly deflating, and no matter how hard she tried to get out, the space was only getting smaller and smaller until she couldn't move any part of her body. Raven hated hospitals for their history of loss and pain. Those were two of the strongest emotions out there, and she considers it a miracle that she doesn't break down every time she steps into the place. Even now, as she held the fragile, and now sleeping, boy in her arms, Raven had to close her eyes every few minutes to stop herself from losing control of the tears that were threatening to fall out. Unfortunately, one of them managed to escape and make its way down her cheek.

Before she could reach up to wipe it away, a finger touched her skin softly, gently brushing away the single tear. Turning her head, she found Jason watching her with concern. Raven couldn't help but get lost in his intense green eyes. This guy was not like most; he doesn't want to simply start a career, get married and have a family, nor does he want to simply get in her pants. He had intentions, and some of them were clear from the way his lips twitched at the temptation of a silent kiss, and the concern she felt from his eyes at the need for her to not feel sadness in his presence. This guy has something to hide, just like everyone else in the world, but his smile was sincere, and his soul was pure, more so than her own.

Giving him an assuring smile, albeit small, Raven went back to focusing on the movie. Without Anthony laughing or giggling at the movie, there was not as much noise as before, and Raven started to feel her eyes drooping as well. She didn't know how long or how deep she was in slumber, but she knew she was deep enough that any chance of waking up soon was completely out the window. In the end, she gave in.

The sky was clear, the grass was green; it was indeed a picturesque day, as if nothing was wrong in the world. She saw the rest of the Titans a few yards away playing an intense game of volleyball. After waving over at them, Raven turned her attention to the little boy next to her, smiling at something he was telling her, laughing when he flustered over mispronouncing a word. She was content at that very moment, but everything became nothing short of perfect when she felt a strong set of arms wrap around her waist, pulling her back against a well toned torso. Tilting her head to the side for a better view of their new companion, Raven blushed as she felt his soft lips brush against her cheek. Her face felt warm, and her heart fluttered rapidly in her chest, that she couldn't help but laugh at herself for falling so hard. She never thought things would be like this, so indescribably perfect.

They were all so absorbed in the perfectness of everything that the thundering clouds over them came unnoticed. Dark shadows slowly crept over the green grass, making it an ashy grey, life completely drawn out of it. The ball in Starfire's hands was hit over the net, but lightning struck it in midair, exploding it to pieces. The four Titans looked up at the sky, seeing the darkness in the clouds for the first time, fear tugging at their hearts as the full moon, now masked in a bloody red hue, revealed itself to all who dared lay eyes upon it. They yelled to their last teammate, who was in embrace with one of their newer friends, and his little brother who was covering his eyes in playful innocence. Thunder rumbled, lightning clapped, and Death made sure they knew he was there to claim his next companion.

Raven returned the kiss Jason was giving her rather shyly. Even though they have been together for a while, and lip contact was nothing unfamiliar to them, she still felt that flutter in her stomach whenever he touched her skin, setting it on fire with desire. Pulling away from him was like waking up from a peaceful dream; unsatisfying, but worth it when she realized he was still there. She felt the lust in his gaze, the sweetness of love in his heart, but it was all interrupted when she felt an alarming tug in her mind. Her eyes drifted to her friends, who were shouting to her from their position, panic clear in their expressions, but Raven could not hear a word that came out of their lips. The rainless storm drowned out any possible sound they could make to warn her of whatever it was that caused them to feel such fear.

She tried to call back to them, but no sound came out of her mouth. Raven yelled, shouted, and screamed at the top of her lungs, her legs immobile from the panic that was gripping her insides, wondering when this nightmare had begun. Hoping to get some explanation, she turned to the man next to her, only to find him crouching on the floor, his hands gripping his head as if trying to block out the chaos around them. He looked up at her, his soft, caring eyes now replaced with those of fear and anger, tears pouring down his face. Raven has never seen him in such a desperate state, and it scared her because she didn't understand why this was happening. A few seconds ago, everyone was happy: him, her, her friends, Anthony – no.

A wave of terror tore at her heart, her lungs, and every organ she had within her body. Raven stood motionless at the realization that something bad was happening, and if she were to turn around, she would see it. If she were to turn around, she would see him on the ground, lifeless, lying in a puddle of his own blood, with his eyes wide open, staring into nothingness, his heart slowly, slowly, slowly dying away…And she knew that if she were to turn around, she would see his hand reaching out for her…

"Raven…Raven, come on. Wake up…"

Raven snapped her eyes open, tears streaming down her face, and tried to keep control of her sobbing when she realized that Anthony was still sleeping soundly next to her. Taking her arm from around the young boy, Raven shot up from the bed, only to be pulled into a strong pair of arms that tensed when she made contact. She wanted to push away and scream that she didn't want to be touched, that everything was fine, but the vividness of the dream, and the emotions of the hospital became so overwhelming that she just let herself give in to the embrace, crying for every bit of pain and sorrow that she has yet to experience. Pretty soon, her legs gave out from beneath her, and she felt the arms guide her to the floor, not once loosening their grip.

Jason held the crying woman in his arms, placing her on his lap as they went down to the floor of the hospital room. He had seen it in her face that she was having a nightmare; at first he had been slightly amused when it seemed like she was having a good, maybe even girly dream, but as soon as her eyebrows furrowed, her hands shook, and her face filled with fear, he became worried. Whatever she had been dreaming about must have really made an impression on her because in her sleep, Raven had exploded the TV, the lights in the hall, and shattered the mirror in the connected restroom. Jason was relieved that she managed to keep her energy away from the medical equipment, but knew that if he allowed her to continue, his brother might be in danger as well.

Looking at her now, crying against his chest, holding his shirt as if her very life depended on it, Jason felt completely at a loss. She was a Titan, and she could very well protect herself against a giant monster made of stone, but here she was clinging to him for support. He then realized that this young woman – this Titan – had something Vanessa never managed to get: a hold on him. Raven had a hold on him, and he was a bit intimidated. Not because she could easily send him to another dimension with his insides hanging out, but because he never knew he could feel this sense of protectiveness over someone other than his brother. Jason had always been a ladies' man, something he's been trying to block out of his mind for a while now, along with a few other things, and it was hard to believe that there was a girl that got his full interest. He wants to see this girl everyday; he wants to make her laugh and smile; he wants to see that loving look in her eyes that she gets when she sees a smile on his brother's face, but directed at him. But he felt it: he was getting too deep.

"How?" he heard her ask in a raspy voice. "How do you go each day with a smile when you know what might happen?"

Jason took a breath and rested his cheek on her head. Closing his eyes, he recited:

"The Devil throws me into hardship.

-Hardship of work.

-Hardship of pain.

-Hardship of temptation.

The Devil makes me struggle.

The Angel is there to help in those hardships.

-Helping with encouragement.

-Helping with healing.

-Helping with resistance.

The Angel gives me hope in the struggle."

Raven let the gentleness of his voice overcome all of her senses, calming her to the point where she was no longer crying. It was almost as though he were reciting a prayer. A private prayer that he was willing to share with her. "The Angel?"

"Anthony," he murmured. "As long as his heart beats, he is the angel that gives me the strength to pull through." Pulling back slightly, Jason looked straight into her eyes, a sad smile on his lips. "Look at him Raven. He can give you strength too."

Turning her gaze to the little boy on the bed, Raven frowned slightly at how pale and small he seemed, but then she saw it. There, gracing his face was a lift in the corner of his lips. Anthony though tired and slowly losing energy, was smiling in his sleep, as though nothing were wrong. He looked so peaceful at that very moment, so tranquil, that Raven could feel the serenity wrap itself around her, shushing her chaotic thoughts like a lullaby. Letting out a breath of relief, the young sorceress leaned into the strong arms wrapped around her, placing her head lightly in the crook of Jason's neck. "Thank you."

Giving a soft hum, Jason placed a kiss on her temple. They stayed there for quite some time before separating. Raven went to splash some cold water on her face as Jason went to gently wake up his little brother. Anthony was sad to hear that they were leaving, but he made sure to have Raven promise to come and visit more often. Raven kissed the boy goodnight and followed the older brother out to the car. The drive was ridden in silence, but their hands were conjoined the entire way. Raven, still feeling the sense of comfort he had shown her at the hospital, and wanting to show some form of gratitude, leaned over to rest her head on his arm. Smiling softly, Jason kissed her hair, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you," said Raven, as they stood at the pier, looking over at the T-tower a few yards away. "As much as I would like to have stayed in bed all day, it was nice seeing Anthony."

Jason scoffed as he eyed her, gesturing for her to continue. "…And?"

"And," laughed Raven, "it was nice to see you too."

"Okay, we're making progress," stated Jason jokingly. "Now let's try that again without the rolling of the eyes." Raven had to force herself not to roll her eyes at that, but instead shook her head, biting her lip to prevent the smile that was trying to break her face.

"You will just have to accept what's given to you."

"Gladly." Jason took her hand and pulled her closer, careful to not overstep his boundaries. Raven placed her hand on his chest, blushing as she felt his hands slide down to land on her hips. She could feel his breath on her skin as he exhaled, and she could feel his gaze burn into her as he waited for her to look up. When she did, she found his lips – his full, soft set of lips – only a hair length away.

Gazing up at his eyes, she saw something soft in them. There was passion, desire, wonder, and… It's been a while since someone looked at her like that – as if she were the most incredible person in the world. The last time someone did that was a night long ago, a night full of fire, trust, and furious desire for a love that turned out not to be there. But here, right now, it was like he was sending electricity through her veins, a cold chill down her spine, and warmth that made its way down. Staring into those eyes, she saw the promise of release, the promise of compassion, and dare she say, the promise of love? Nope, she doesn't dare say that, but he sure made it tempting to.

"Raven?"

Hearing his voice broke the trance that he had unknowingly put her under, forcing her to look down at her hands still pressed against his well-toned chest. "I should go."

"You should." That small statement forced her eyes to go back up in surprise. With a dark smile forcing itself on his lips, Jason shook his head. "I don't want you to though."

Before Raven could reply, her communicator started buzzing from her belt. Grudgingly pulling herself away from her companion, she pulled out her communicator, let out a breath, and answered with, "Raven here."

"Raven, you need to come back to the tower," ordered Robin, his face serious on the tiny screen in her hands. "The second jewel of the collection is being displayed tonight, and we need to be on high alert in case Red-X decides to make an appearance."

Biting her lip, Raven nodded. "I'm on my way." After closing the call, Raven turned to Jason who simply shrugged in understanding.

"Duty calls."

"Yes it does," replied the empath, feeling the disappointment radiating off of him in waves. "What about you? What are you doing to do with the rest of your day?"

"I'll probably get some work done as well," he said. "I'm working on this big project with my group, but we don't really have all the supplies we need. There was some problem with the transfer that we're getting them one after another. It's annoying."

"Good luck with that then," said Raven. As she started turning away from him, his voice echoed in her mind, reciting the poem from earlier. Smiling softly, Raven turned back to face him, raised herself on her toes and gave his cheek a shy peck. "Thank you." Jason nodded, his lips twitching as he tried not to grin at her small gesture. "Um…I'll see you soon okay?" Raven then vanished from her spot on the pier without waiting for a response, knowing fully well that that short statement left him feeling all kinds of excitement.

Her soul-self appeared in the Main Ops Room. As she looked around, she saw Robin waiting by the computer, Starfire and Cyborg were in the kitchen, where the latter was teaching the alien princess how to make some kind of pasta, and Beast Boy was sitting on the floor, leaning his back on the sofa, reading what seemed to be a graphic novel. Not really feeling in the mood to walk to her room only to rush out in case of an emergency, she went to lay down on the sofa, her head positioned next to Beast Boy's, giving her a view of the book. Beast Boy raised his head slightly in acknowledgment, but said nothing as his eyes continued to scan the book. As she saw the few pictures of the page, Raven's eyebrows went up in surprise, only to end up smirking at his choice of literature.

"Figures," she snorted. "The only way for you to read a classic would be to put pictures on it."

"For your information, I read Dracula a long time ago," retorted Beast Boy haughtily. "I saw the graphic novel at the comic book store and remembered how much I liked it, so I decided to refresh my mind."

"So, not only did you read the original text," paraphrased Raven slowly, "but you also considered it good enough to read it again…sort of."

"Yes," stated her teammate without hesitation, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "This story has a lot going on. The dark theme of blood sucking is represented as a sinful deed, though it is used as a life source, which nowadays is more of a desirable act with the fandom that is given to vampires, especially after the whole Twilight fad. The character of Dracula was actually a historical reference to Vlad Dracula – or Vlad the Impaler as he was sometimes called, who would impale his victims with spikes, as well as other murderous crimes, giving the novel a semblance of truth behind its characters."

"It also alludes to Elizabeth Báthory," pointed out Raven, "when she supposedly murdered over 600 virgin women, bathing in their blood to retain her youthful appearance."

"Was that true?" asked Beast Boy, turning around to face her.

Raven smirked as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Lets just say that she was considered to be 20 years old for 65 years." Beast Boy shuddered from that knowledge, gagging a bit at the thought of slipping into a tub of blood.

"Unsanitary."

"Yet effective," muttered Raven, taking the graphic novel from his hands. "The topic of masculinity is also a common theme touched upon in the book you know."

"Ah yes," said Beast Boy, turning his whole body around to sit crisscross and facing the empath. "In order to save the honor of the woman loved, every part of a man's virility would be needed: passion, intelligence, and brute strength. Without even one of them, the darkness would not be defeated."

"And in the end," continued Raven, "brute strength is what must be sacrificed to bring the innocent back to its former beauty."

Taking the book back, Beast Boy beamed proudly. "This dude was deep."

Laughing, Raven ruffled his hair before laying her back fully on the couch. She heard Beast Boy chuckle as he stood up and went over to the kitchen. In the past two years, Raven had finally managed to get Beast Boy to read some literary works and classics. Some were not a big hit with the changeling, but he still managed to finish quite a number in the list that she had put together for him. Whenever he read a book that didn't really meet his standards, he would usually just throw the book at her head, which would earn him a free flight out the window. But whenever he read a book that he did enjoy, there were hour-long conversations, debates and heated arguments. It was quite enjoyable, especially when Cyborg was thrown in the mix, even though he used his built-in computer system to look up information to use against them. Safe to say, Cyborg had gone through the window more times than he would like to admit.

As Raven lied on the couch, she wondered about Jason, and about where whatever it is they had between them would go. They were dating, but she couldn't really label herself as his girlfriend. They were more than friends for sure, but they weren't really…there yet. Feeling a small flutter in her chest, Raven scoffed softly as she admitted to herself, 'Perhaps it won't be so bad if or when we get there.' Closing her eyes, the young empath took in a breath as her mind became clouded by the image of the young man she had departed from just half an hour before.

In her mind's eye, she could see the smoothness of his slightly tan skin tone that had a golden glow when it was touched by the sun. His silky black hair that could rival those in a shampoo commercial was like running your fingers through silk. His jawline was so defined that it was a huge temptation to kiss it from one side to the other. His lips were full and welcoming each time they curled up in that secret smile. And then his eyes…the way they could see into you…the way they look right through you… Letting out a shaky breath, Raven placed her arm over her eyes, knowing that her mind was going to a place that she had not visited in quite some time. 'Allow yourself to fall,' said a voice in her head that was full of promise and seduction.

Images slowly formed in Raven's head, warmth flushing through her as they became vivid. Jason's muscles flexed as he hovered over her, his lips tracing her jawline as his hands ran down her sides. Their hips rubbed against each other as their lips met with much fervor, their tongues dancing to the silent music drummed by their beating hearts. A low, satisfied growl rumbling in the back of Jason's throat as their hips met again. Jason, after removing their clothing in skilled delicacy, positioning himself as he –

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Well that was disappointing.

"There's been a break-in at the Jump City Aquarium," declared Robin as he typed into the computer.

"The Aquarium?" asked Starfire confused. "Why would someone want to disturb the peaceful lives of the aquatic specimens?"

"Red-X," stated Robin. "The jewels were hidden in separate safes scattered around the city. He must have been able to locate them."

"Three days since his last break-in?" said Cyborg. "He's never committed a burglary twice in the same week."

"We'll ask him about it after we catch him," declared Robin. "He won't get away this time. Titans, go!"

.

The next chapter will start off where this one left off. Keep an eye out for the next chapter and let me know what you think :D

Next time:

Robin is starting to make things easy for Red-X

"Robin's training is over-exerting them...The more he pushes them to their limit, the less they'll push you to yours."

"Buzz kill."

At least Raven is starting to open up

"You were hurt tonight"

"I don't think you want to hear about it"

"Has it ever been a big deal?"

"Once."

And who knew Starfire was so...vindictive

"I most enjoyed our conversation. Perhaps it would do well for us to speak again Veronica."

"It's Vanessa."

"It is unimportant."

Until next time!