SQ - Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments! And I've got some new favorites and followers, too, so hello. *waves* I hope you continue to like my story. Here's the next chapter.

[Chapter 15 – The Gang's All Here]

Raven couldn't believe it. Meji, Bal, and Orion slipped into the room.

Meji went straight for the bed, sprawling his lanky form across Raven's mattress. His white outfit with red trim clashed with her dark bedspread.

Bal sauntered over to the mirror, placing one of his giant hands on the glass. He pressed it until it cracked, splintering around his fingers but not breaking. The sleeve of his shirt fell past his elbow, revealing a black tattoo of the letter M.

Orion, on the other hand, walked over to Raven. Her flowing white dress sparkled even in the fluorescent lights. She wrapped her thin arms around Raven and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

Raven stood frozen. Even when in control of her body she couldn't step back. Not from Orion. Not when she was so powerless to defend herself. Why did her gang want to take over Titan's Tower?

Orion let go, her multi-colored eyes shimmering. "Hello there, old friend, it is wonderful to see you again."

This time Raven really did move back a step. Her breath hitched. She hated being fearful of this group, hated that she couldn't defend herself and her friends from them, hated that this was Hoarfrost's plan all along. But instead of getting angry and shutting the door on any sort of counterattack, Raven played with her old lover's idea. Maybe if she treated them nicely… like any "old friend" would.

She nodded. "Yes, it has been too long. Would you like your usual?"

Orion arched a brown eyebrow. "Do you remember after so long?"

Raven smiled. "You take coffee, black with three marshmallows." She looked at Meji still sprawled on the mattress. "And you'll have green tea with mint." Meji inclined his head, so Raven shifted to Bal. "And you'll have a tall glass of water without ice." He nodded.

Raven glanced at Hoarfrost. "Can I get the drinks?"

At Hoarfrost's nod, Raven went into the kitchen to gather up the orders. She put on a pot of water and started the coffee maker. How could she defeat these people? Four powers against a normal? Bal's gaze alone could stop her in this state. The kettle whistled. But maybe Starfire could get out of her room soon. Yes, of course Starfire would. Raven would just have to stall them until that happened. The pale string of light connecting her to Hoarfrost tugged. Time to go back. Why did her room have to be so damn close to the kitchen and so damn far away from her friends?

Carrying two mugs and a lukewarm water, Raven went back to the group and handed them out. Bal took his with a nod, black eyes burning into Raven. Meji bowed his head, dark hair falling over his crimson stare, but Orion kissed Raven again on the cheek. She seemed more forward than Raven remembered.

Raven cleared her throat and slipped into the chair opposite Meji. She glanced around. "So… how has everyone been?"

Again Orion took the lead. The orange in her eyes practically glowed. "We've been great, really, really great. After you left, we couldn't hold our own and so had to slum it, living on rats and yellow water—"

"Picking up jobs when we could." Meji added, his accent still elongating the s.

"We battled rain." Orion folded her arms.

Hoarfrost frowned. "Which didn't sit very well with Meji. He complained nonstop."

Meji winced. "It may have been childish, but I am fond of warmth, not rain."

Raven rolled her eyes. If she remembered correctly, his sun-driven powers didn't do well with precipitation.

"I didn't mind the freeze," Bal rumbled, his voice thick and deep.

Raven laughed, forced and tight, but a laugh all the same. "Of course you didn't, Bal, being a living volcano and all. You could heat yourself up in thirty-two below zero weather!"

Bal nodded. A wisp of smoke curled over his upturned lips.

"We were nothing without you, Raven." Orion sipped her coffee.

Good. Raven almost said the word aloud, but she tightened her lips, sealing it inside. This group deserved to be nothing. Deserved nothing. Not with the way they acted, not with the magic they practiced. Not with the terrible things they almost caused. A bead of sweat trickled down her back.

Hoarfrost, who had been curiously silent this whole time, finally spoke up. "Were nothing, Orion, were. Not until I pushed us to become something, to become stronger, to thrive in our new world."

"True." Orion bowed her head.

Thrive? Raven wanted to laugh. The only way her old gang would thrive was to do something despicable. It was why she left in the first place. Well, that and Hoarfrost.

Hoarfrost smiled, her foot tapping against the floor. "With the Titan's Tower we can once again reassemble our gang, restart our old lives. Become powerful. Capturing the Titan's Tower has proven our loyalty, has shown the powers that be our strength. They will be watching us now."

Meji held up a hand, a tiny glowing dragon glowed into existence in his palm. The sun dragon, the manifestation of Meji's powers. A threat, perhaps. His eyes never left Raven's. "It is a worthy cause, you see."

Worthy cause my ass. Raven leaned back into her chair. "And who are these 'powers that be'?"

"Ones higher than your little Slade, then the HIVE organization, then even the Teen Titans." Orion meandered over to Raven, placing a soft hand on Raven's knee. "Ones who want to rule Earth and everyone walking on it. And when we do our final act, the powers that be will want us to join them in their ruling."

Raven narrowed her eyes. She dared not pull away from Orion's gentle touch. But how did all of this connect back to her. "And you want me to help you get their attention?"

Meji laughed quietly. "You misunderstand us. We do not need want you to be physically part of us, Raven. We have all the help we need to get their attention."

"From who?"

A tug yanked her forward. Hoarfrost captured Raven's gaze once more. A smile twisted on Hoarfrost's lips. "From every single living soul here in your little city."

Raven's eyes widened. They couldn't possibly mean… they were planning to do a soul snatch offering? Impossible. "You won't be able to do it at that scale."

The others had been small, dogs, cats, once even a bear. But a person? A whole city soul snatch? No, Raven remembered the bear. How their magic had almost broken. How they almost turned the bear into a soul-less creature instead of killing it. How her thigh had gotten injured. Cold seared up her leg. She pressed a palm to it. Now more than ever she longed for her magic. If only to fly her friends away from this madness.

"We can." Hoarfrost rose from the bed, lifting her hand, palm up. Darkness swirled into a ball and hovered over her fingers. "Thanks to you."

Of course, they had Raven under their control. Hoarfrost had stolen her magic and with the way it had been acting, the magic could do plenty of damage when channeled by her ex lover. Pain jabbed Raven's stomach. Hoarfrost had planned this perfectly. Raven swallowed around the lump forming in her throat. She had stopped her old gang, breaking their power by running away. But how could she stop this?

SQ - Eh, pretty crazy, right? Let me know what you think in the comments! I won't be able to update this until May 30. It's a long wait, I know, but I'm going on an international vacation and I'm not too sure if I'll have internet (or time) to write. If I do, I'll post Chapter 16 sooner... if not, absence makes the heart grow fonder! (And I'll be sure to add a steamy scene in the next chapter to make up for it.) *Note: Meji, Bal, Orion, and Hoarfrost are all my creations, they are not found in the TT universe*