Forewarning: This chapter is rated M for a reason! Hope you guys enjoy ;)

"What the fuck do you mean the Dresden Diamond is gone!"

Raven inwardly flinched at Robin's tone, but refrained from showing any emotion. "Red-X snuck in and took it. It's gone."

"And where the hell were you when he was taking it Raven?" growled Robin, his stare accusing her of what only she knew to be true.

"Knocked out," lied Raven, the words flowing smoothly from her lips. "He snuck up on me, electrocuted me unconscious and took the diamond."

"You said you would protect it," barked Robin, going up to her until they were nose to nose. "You gave your word that Red-X would not be able to get a hand on that diamond."

"Look," snapped Raven, "the Dresden Diamond is gone. Red-X has it, and there was nothing I could do about it. If you want to accuse me of being an accomplice then go ahead, but I would tread very carefully because you have no idea what the Alcina collection can do."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

At that point, Cyborg pushed his way in between them, giving each of them a look that told them to shut up. "I think that's enough with that kind of language Rob. Both of you need to sit down, and we'll talk about this calmly and rationally. Raven will explain what she's found out about the collection, and we'll go from there." When neither of them moved, Cyborg rolled his eyes and barked, "Sit your asses down now!"

Everyone was sitting at the kitchen table before he could blink.

"Language," murmured Beast Boy, his eyes twinkling in laughter.

"Whatever," grumbled Cyborg. "Alright. Robin, you're going to have let it go that Red-X took the diamond. It's done. We'll protect the others, and we'll try to get the rest back, but there is no point in turning on each other. You need to stop getting on Raven just because Red-X is under your skin Robin." The masked teen opened his mouth to retort, but he was immediately silenced. "You've done enough talking for today. Right now, all I want to hear is what Raven's found out about the Alcina collection, and I would suggest you listen quietly."

Starfire put a hand over Robin's, giving it a little squeeze as her boyfriend slumped back on his seat, fuming. Raven crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed him down, her eyes daring him to say something she wouldn't like. Okay, so maybe he was right in suspecting her role in Red-X's taking of the diamond, but that wasn't exactly something she would want to admit. This was one of those things she was taking to the grave even if she had to fight for it.

Letting out an exaggerated breath, Raven told them of Alcina's legend and then began with the Fountain of Life. "If someone were to find the Fountain of Life at the correct place and time and drink its water, they can cure any illness, double their life span, or even steal another person's remaining years of life. There was even a rumor that the Fountain can give eternal life, but there haven't been any cases recorded to prove as much."

"And you think Red-X is after the fountain?" asked Beast Boy. "You think he would want to use it to gain more life?"

"It's possible," said Raven with a shrug. "Red-X is a cocky thief that I don't doubt uses all the money he steals to live it up. Maybe he's enjoying the party life so much that he doesn't want to give it up yet."

"You said the fountain gives life," said Starfire, "but you never mentioned if a person will be allowed to keep their youth."

"I'm not sure," stated Raven. "I want to say it doesn't work like that, but I haven't been able to find much of the Fountain's qualities. No one has been able to find the Fountain of Life in hundreds of years. There is no record on where it is or how to find it. All it says is that you need the Alcina collection to do it."

Starfire looked thoughtful for a second. "Perhaps it is like that game in which Red-X must collect a number of miscellaneous objects?"

"Scavenger hunt Starfire," offered Cyborg.

"Why would people want to hunt a scavenger?"

"Off track," said Robin, seeming calmer and focused. "But Starfire is correct. What if there is a pattern that Red-X has to follow to find the fountain?"

"If there is, I haven't been able to find anything on it," said Raven. "I'll keep looking, but so far it seems as though he's choosing the diamonds at random."

"Maybe he's trying to throw us off," suggested Beast Boy. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"Either way," stated Robin, "we better make sure he doesn't get a hand on the rest of the collection." His eyes landed on Raven, his stare burning into her. "The Desmond Diamond is the last that will fall into Red-X's hands."

It was easier said than done. It's been over a week and Red-X has managed to steal another five diamonds from the collection. The Hortensia Diamond, the Alnatt Diamond, both the Orlov and Black Orlov Diamonds, and the Star of Africa were taken by the lone thief, and Robin was exceedingly furious. The Alcina exhibition was put to an end after the Orlov twins were gone, and the JCPD were more than willing to throw the Titans under the bus when the media covered the story of the collection. Robin, Starfire and Cyborg were doing their best to do public damage control, but it was not an easy feat to do when more than half of the most extinguished collection of diamonds went missing in a little more than a month. All that, and Raven was still not even close to figuring out Red-X's pattern for the diamonds, or how to find the Fountain of Life.

"Robin is out for my head," grumbled Raven, throwing herself on Jason's couch, burying her face on a pillow she had earlier claimed was her favorite. "He's angry I haven't been able to decipher the pattern that X is using to decide which diamonds to steal each time. I swear he hasn't been this worked up since Slade's torture dust a few years back. And of course, because I'm the only whose heard of Alcina, he keeps pushing me to find out more, even if it means losing my own sanity."

"Well you do have to admit it doesn't look good on you guys," said Jason from the kitchen. "Red-X has taken nine of the twelve diamonds. You don't know which he'll go for next, where he has the rest, or, if he is planning on going for the Fountain of Life, what he plans on using it for..."

"You're bragging," said Raven, turning over to lie on her back, resting an arm over her eyes. "Just like everyone else who thinks we were bested by one masked anonymous."

"You're being hard on yourself."

"I guess even demons give in to peer pressure."

Chuckling, Jason made his way over to her, crawling above her until she was completely underneath him, using his arms to keep himself from squishing her. He gave her a peck on her nose, but her response was to scrunch it up. He gave her a kiss on her cheek, and she turned her face to the other side, exposing her neck. He gave her a kiss over her jugular, smirking when he saw her shiver beneath him. Finally, turning her face slightly, he leaned down to press his lips against hers. Raven melted into the kiss, her hands going up to wrap around his back, pulling his body closer.

This wasn't the first time Raven's been over at Jason's condo, but even now she found it weird how much at home she felt here. Jason would make sure she felt comfortable, and he was an amazing host and an amazing chef. Each time she came over, he would cook his famous something or another, and each time, Raven found herself in a satisfied food coma. She's even found herself taking a shower at the place, one she was very tempted to share with a willing Jason. It was uncanny how relaxed he made her feel in his place in such a short amount of time, especially now when he was on top of her, pressing himself closer, kissing her until she couldn't think straight.

This was not an unusual occurrence. In fact, a heated make out session was very common whenever she came over, and Raven welcomed it each time. Like right now, the way his hands roamed her body, gliding over her sides, her lower back, grabbing onto her ass to pull her closer, Raven couldn't help but moan in delight. She felt his fingers moving underneath her shirt, teasing the skin at her waistline, asking for silent permission to move higher. Smiling inwardly, she did the same to him, gently pulling up his shirt as her hands move up to his upper back. As they imitated each other's movements, it wasn't long before they were both shirtless, with the only barrier between their chests being Raven's blue lace bra. Hungrily, Jason moved his mouth to her neck, leaving wet kisses around her chest, and small red marks here and there. When his teeth nipped her hardened nipple through the lace, Raven arched her back, using her hands to pull him closer.

She wanted more. Azar, she wanted much more, and after all that's been going on, she was going to get more. Her hands went down to the front of Jason's pants, unbuckling his belt and unzipping him in less than a blink's time. Jason's head snapped up, his dilated eyes looking at her in surprise, uncertainty, and pure, unadulterated lust.

"Raven…"

It came out like a growl, almost as if he was trying not to lose himself right then and there. Raven smirked at him, nodding ever so briefly before pulling him in for another heated kiss. She felt his hands wonder down to the front of her pants, but unlike her, he didn't stop at the zipper. Instead, he pulled the button open, unzipped the zipper, and pulled her jeans down on her sides until he threw them on the other side of the living room, revealing her matching underwear that was already damp with desire. Jason took a moment to just look at her, and in that moment, Raven couldn't help but blush at the admiration that he was feeling, the awe and gratefulness at her being.

Once he broke out of the trance, Jason leaned down, his lips finding the pulse in her neck, kissing lightly, his hands wandering up her legs, over her arms, pausing briefly over her heart. When their lips connected again, Raven's hands went down to his pants' waistline, pushing them down, but not being able to reach too far. Jason paused his actions to remove his pants, only to reveal he had not bothered with briefs that day. Instead, there he was, clearly excited and eager to claim her, and Raven couldn't deny her own excitement as she saw the length of him, imagining his member filling her deeply.

Her thoughts, her desire, must have shown in her eyes because when she looked up at his face, Jason's expression was clouded by his lust and need, and she could only guess that his face reflected her own. As he leaned down, he rubbed himself against her still covered clit, causing her to moan as he whispered in her ear some Spanish words that she didn't know, but she could tell that he needed this just as much as she did. Vaguely aware of Jason removing her bra, tossing it to join the rest of their clothing, Raven arched her back as Jason continued to rub himself against her, putting her breast in his mouth, his tongue twirling around her nipple, biting hard enough for her to moan in a mixture of pain and pleasure. But nothing, nothing they have done before at least, compared to the sensation she felt when she felt one of his fingers set her lace underwear aside and push itself into her dripping wet core.

Her skin was afire as he pumped his finger in and out of her repeatedly, and she lost control of the sounds that came out of her mouth as he continued his actions. When he put in another finger, his thumb rubbing her clit, Raven felt her eyes roll to the back of her head, her moans getting louder as she felt a rush of heat make its way down, causing her legs to shiver in anticipation, her nails digging into the cushion beneath her as her release rushed through her in such a speed that left her dazed and breathless. Jason continued to stroke her, allowing her to ride out her orgasm, giving her a chance catch her breath and come down from her high. As Raven began to see clearly again, she felt another need to be satisfied, but this time, she needed more.

"J-Jason…"

That was all he needed to hear. Jason pulled out his fingers, smirking as the young woman beneath him whimpered at the absence of him inside her, licking her juices from his fingers. Stopping himself from ripping off the lace from her skin, he pulled down her underwear with one quick movement, looking at her core with nothing but admiration. His cock throbbed with need as he gave her clit a quick lick before sitting up and –

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

"Jason, open up! There's been an emergency at the lab. We gotta go right now!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" hissed Jason as he glared at the door of his condo. If looks could kill, whoever was standing at the other side of the door would have already been rotting six feet under.

"Come on! I know you're in there! We gotta go right now – Theo and the twins are already there!"

"Damn you Eli," growled Jason under his breath. He looked down at Raven who had what he thought was the cutest pouting face ever, and he could tell that she was just as disappointed as he was. Grudgingly, and complaining the whole time, Jason pushed himself off the couch, pulling Raven with him, and went to grab their clothes from the pile they had made on the floor. "Pinche cabrón. I'm gonna kill him for this."

Raven remained silent as Jason cursed out his friend under his breath. She couldn't deny that she was deeply disappointed. There was even a brief moment where she wanted to ignore his friend's announcement and continue with their activities, but damn common sense just had to kick in. Instead, she pulled her shirt over her head easily and watched Jason as he went around looking for his keys and wallet. Once he found them, he walked up to her, his eyes sorry and disheartened.

"Raven, I'm really sorry – "

"Duty calls," she said trying to put some lightness in her tone. "I get it." Without warning, she grabbed on to his shirt collar and pulled him down to be eye to eye to her, and said, "But you owe me."

Jason smirked at her in a way that gave her a need to press her thighs together. "Oh don't you worry sweetheart. I'm paying back with interest." He gave her a knee-buckling kiss that Raven had to push him away before things escalated they made their way to the door, Jason couldn't hide his scowl when he came face to face with a smiling Eli, whose eyes widened when he saw Raven coming out the door as well. "Oh…oh…oh! Oh shit! Jason – were you? – did I?" Before anyone could make sense of what he was saying, the curly haired young man burst out in laughter, causing Jason's scowl to deepen, and Raven to blush as red as a tomato.

"I am really sorry!" stammered Eli in between laughs. "That is priceless! But man Jason – oh god Raven, I'm so sorry. This is so embarrassing. Okay, okay, okay. I'll stop laughing. But what are the chances right? Okay, sorry again." Eli managed to stop his laughter, but the twinkle in his eyes showed he was still overly amused at the situation. "Right, anyway – Jason, one of the mainframes malfunctioned at the lab, and we gotta make sure we can get it to work before hackers find a crack in the wall."

Jason continued to glare at him as he said, "Just get in the car before I punch you in the face." Nodding in amused understanding, Eli turned to Raven.

"I'll see you around Raven. And again, I'm really sorry –"

"Bye Eli," said Raven, rubbing her temples as the embarrassment started turning into a headache. The curly haired boy nodded again and ran to Jason's passenger seat, waving at the empath goodbye. Rolling her eyes, Raven felt the corner of her lips twitch as she finally started to see the humor of the situation, but looking up at Jason, perhaps now wasn't the best time to point it out. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," grumbled Jason. "I'll pick up the twins and be at the tower around noon."

Raven reached up to cup his cheek, standing on her toes to press her lips against his in a sweet, reassuring kiss. "Don't be grouchy."

"I'm not grouchy," he whined, but immediately deflated. "That wasn't how I would've liked to end today."

"Another day then," promised Raven, giving him another kiss.

"Another day," repeated Jason. "Fine, but I'm still going to punch Eli in the balls."

"I'll see you tomorrow," laughed Raven. "Make sure Mason and Aaron bring their a-game. The guys take basketball seriously, and they will use this chance to show off."

"Then they'll be in for a huge disappointment."

"Bye Jason."

"See ya Raven."

With a soft smile to Jason, and a final wave to Eli, Raven wrapped herself in her dark energy and vanished from the doorstep, emerging into the Titan's Tower where most of her teammates were watching their current obsession – Masterchef. Robin was no where in sight, but she knew that he was most likely in his office going through every file they had on Red-X, not willing to admit that it was a dead end. Going to the couch, Raven hopped on the couch next to Starfire, who immediately lifted her legs to put them across the empath's lap. They watched the chiefs battle in the kitchen, commenting on what they were doing right or wrong, putting bets on who they thought was going to be eliminated. It was near the end that they heard a familiar voice interrupting the show.

"His plate was too simple. He could have at least plate it with more color."

The four Titans on the couch turned their heads to find their leader leaning on the kitchen counter. Starfire must have felt Raven tense up next to her because she placed an assuring hand on the empath's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I am glad you have come to join us Robin. We believed you were to miss the finding of the next master of chiefs."

"I'm just taking a break," declared Robin. Raven felt disappointment radiate off of her alien teammate, but other than sending her a vibe of comfort, she made no comment. "What time will your friend be coming over tomorrow Raven?"

"Jason and his friends will be here around one," replied Raven, "unless something pops up."

"No offense Rae," said Beast Boy, "but your boyfriend is gonna get his ass kicked. Very bad."

"Don't get too cocky," said Raven with a smirk. "You haven't seen him in action."

"But you sure have, haven't you," sang Cyborg, his eyes teasing. Raven blushed as the others laugh, but immediately shook her head.

"You guys are vulgar."

Beast Boy shrugged. "Thank you."

At that moment, the alarm rang loudly around the room. Robin ran to the computer as the others readied themselves for an oncoming fight.

"Red-X," growled Robin. "Jump City North Side Gym – Go!"

It seemed as though Red-X found out where the Titans had stashed one of the diamonds. Ever since the exhibition was canceled, the collection was given to the young heroes for protection – most likely because the police department would rather the Titans look bad than them in case the rest of the collection was stolen. Cyborg decided to hide each diamond separately, all in random places that no one would have thought to look, but it seems as though Red-X saw through that. And based on their current situation, he thought ahead on the traps they had set up.

"You'd think you'd know by now that I won't fall for all this high tech stuff," said Red-X as he looked into the high voltage cage the Titans were confined in.

"You won't get away X!" declared Robin in a tone that could only be described as animalistic.

"On the contrary," said Red-X, "it seems like the ones who won't be getting away are you five. Seriously though, how in the world did you manage to fall for your own trap?"

Robin growled, stopping himself at the last minute from slamming his fist on the invisible wall. Cyborg had created a Level 4 containment force field that would have been enough to hold Kid Flash, with walls sending high voltage electric shocks when it made contact with an object. Even Raven was not able to transport out of it. Somehow, Red-X managed to disable the trap and use it against the heroes. As of right now, Cyborg was trying to deactivate the field from his mechanic arm, Raven was trying to use her soul self to get out, Starfire was using her eyebeams to try to break the barrier, Beast Boy was morphed into an alpaca, spitting at the barrier, and Robin…well, he was just angry.

"What is your plan Red-X?" he asked. "Why are you only taking the diamonds one at a time? Where is the rest of the collection? What is your fucking plan?"

"Manners birdbrain," said Red-X. "There are ladies present. Wouldn't want to think you kiss your girlfriend with that mouth."

"Go fuck yourself!"

"Well, it's not like I wanted you to do it." He held out the pouch that held the Ocean Dream diamond and waved it in front of Robin's fuming face. "I'd say you need to put soap in that mouth of yours, but it seems like you're already…washed up. Perhaps it's about time you think of another gig Kid. I'd suggest one you're actually good at." Robin practically roared as he lunged at the disappearing thief, only to be stopped by high electric shocks coursing through his body. When he fell back, Starfire was at his side in a second, holding him up as he twitched from the aftershock. Red-X chuckled before giving them a mocking two-finger salute and pressing the button on his belt, disappearing from sight.

"Field should be down in 2.5 minutes," muttered Cyborg, still pressing buttons on his arm. Beast Boy morphed back to his original form, his ears lowering as he looked at Robin.

"He'll be long gone by then."

Actually, he was only 10 miles away from where he had left the Titans, but he wasn't worried about them coming after him. Robin would be out of commission for the night, so the rest would be too focused on getting him to the infirmary rather than looking for the thief. That is why Red-X took his time in setting up the telescope, humming to himself as he took out the blue-green diamond from its pouch and placing it in the correct position. When all was set and done, he began to whistle to himself as he watched the beam come down repeatedly. Same pattern as one of the previous diamonds: seven. Red-X took out the small notebook from his pouch and wrote down the number. He smirked as he saw that all but the last two spaces were filled. 'Eight, three, zero, seven, one, zero, nine, four, five, seven,' recited Red-X. 'Two more. Just two more, and this will all be done with.'

Taking off his mask for a breath of fresh air, as well as removing his black gloves, Red-X inhaled deeply, feeling lighter than he has for quite some time – since he started this job. He was so close; he could almost taste the water from the fountain. He wondered if the water from Alcina's fountain would be cold, or if it even had a different flavor than regular water. Either way, it would be in his possession soon enough.

He put the material away with ease, but his mind went back to the conversation he had with Raven. 'It's dark magic – it comes with a price', 'Think of the one thing you care about X… That is the price you would have to pay.' Shaking his head, Red-X tried to get her voice out. The last thing he needed was for paranoia to set in when he was weeks away from finishing this damn job. If anything, she just said that stuff to scare him off, as if Red-X could be scared off that easily.

Picking up the diamond, Red-X was mildly surprised to find the stone nearly ice cold. He wondered if the rest of the collection felt the same, but his curiosity wasn't peaked enough to actually care. Chuckling lightly, Red-X left the rooftop, throwing the diamond up in the air and catching it with his bare hand, considering it a day well spent.

Next time on Twelve Lovers of Alcina

Red-X gets unwilling help from the most unexpected place:

"If I were you – and I'm so glad I'm not – I would focus on stopping your friend."

"What are you talking about?"

"Everyone to my location! The Beast is loose!"

But Jason seems to be keeping to his word:

"I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"I think cracked Red-X's pattern,"

"If you're joking, I'm throwing you into the garbage dimension."

And a debt needs to be paid:

"It creates a debt in their name. The only way it can be paid is to…"

"To…?"

"Sacrifice the one thing that person would hold precious."

"Is there anyway to stop it?"

"No."

Until Next Time!