Raven sat in her spaceship, reviewing her plan in her head. The last time she met Slade, he had told her that he was constantly watching the titans and he was very persistent in getting her to join him. That made Raven certain that Slade was watching her, causing her to be very cautious as to what she wrote down and what she did not. After a lot of thought, Raven came to believe that the only way to take Slade down was to make a 180-degree turn.

During her time with Azar, Raven had learned many things that no one knew about yet. In the past, Raven had been unable to control her powers when her demonic side surfaced, as in the case of her and Doctor Light. Almost every time that happened, it was when she was angry. Slade obviously knew that since Terra had defeated Raven once by inciting her anger, which ultimately corrupted her.

But what Slade did not know, was that Raven could now allow her demonic side to surface while maintaining perfect control of her emotions. In other words, she could summon it at will and still control her powers. In addition to that, Raven now had the ability to create fire-demons. She was determined to use her new abilities to help her gain leverage over Slade.

Opening Starfire's bedroom window, Raven flew out and began heading towards the city, back to the city square where all the reporters were waiting. Once there, Raven looked for something to get angry about. Looking up, she saw what she was looking for. Concentrating, she allowed the four red eyes to appear.

"Traitors!" she roared in her deep, demonic voice as she flew towards the large screen mounted to the side of a building. In order to announce Raven's return, the news station that broadcasted from that screen had put a large picture of the titans on it. Raven encased the screen in her powers and shattered it.

People in the street began panicking, running to and fro like drowning ants.

"Melli Sergi Sivere Daemonicia!" Raven shrieked as an army of fire-demons appeared behind her.

Furiously, she instructed the fire-demons to terrorize the people in the city. Smiling proudly, she hovered in the air enjoying the show. As the masses fled in fear, Raven landed on the roof of a tall building, admiring her handiwork. A minute later, she felt a presence behind her. Slade had walked right into her trap.

"Impressive." Said Slade from behind her. Turning around, Raven hissed and lunged at him. Slade deftly jumped out of the way. "I always knew you had it in you." Raven turned away, finely tuning her senses. She wanted to establish that this was actually Slade and not a Sladebot sent in his place.

"The earth shall be mine, not yours." She growled in an unearthly voice.

Slade smiled behind his mask. He had been watching her and knew that she had remained loyal to the titans because she had gone back to their house to search it. On top of that, she had confronted Gizmo and the others about them. However, anger had gotten the best of her once again and she had finally succumbed to her demonic urges. Or so he thought.

"I have a proposition." Slade said, completely unfazed by Raven's attitude and behavior.

"Insignificant mortal." Snapped Raven. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Because I have something you want." Slade replied smoothly.

"What?" snapped Raven as she surveyed the city.

"I can deliver the titans into your hands, including Terra." Slade smiled. Raven cocked her head and thought for a minute. She knew that she deserved a string of awards for this performance. Seeing that she was seriously considering his offer, Slade pressed further. "You can torture them as you like." Raven turned around, a wicked smile on her face. Slade was falling for this hook, line and sinker.

Back at Slade's hideout, Robin was wrecking havoc on the other titans. Having carved up almost every inch of Starfire's skin leaving her to bleed to death, he had been directed to Beast Boy's room. Though he resisted with everything he had, he ripped out Beast Boy's fang and completely rearranged his face with a flurry of merciless blows.

"Dude!" choked Beast Boy as he began coughing up blood. "Why?"

"I really don't want any of this to happen!" cried Robin in his mind.

"You're an idiot." Said Robin's mouth. "And I enjoy watching idiots suffer." With that, he inserted a cattle prod into Beast Boy's mouth. Shrieking with pain, Beast Boy strained and struggled against his restraints. But like Starfire, Slade had somehow neutralized his powers. But Robin or rather Slade, was not done. Robin picked up large pair of scissors. "You're not a man, Beast Boy."

"What are you talking about?" Beast Boy shrieked through the pain.

"You're so ladylike that you don't even deserve to be called a male." Robin head began to hurt even more than it ever did before. What did Slade have in mind for Beast Boy? "I'm going to neuter you." Said Robin holding up the scissors. Terror seized Robin and Beast Boy alike and Beast Boy began to scream.

Back on the roof of the building, Slade was busy trying to make a deal with Raven. He didn't worry about Robin and the others because he had already preprogrammed everything in advance.

"If you agree to give me the same powers that Trigon gave me, I'll let you finish off the titans as you please." Bargained Slade. The taste of Trigon's power had corrupted him and had now become his greatest weakness. Raven sensed it and was determined to exploit it as much as she could.

"You will serve me with those powers." Declared Raven as she glared at him with her four red eyes.

"I serve no one but myself." Replied Slade.

"Trigon gave you powers and you served him. If I give you powers, you will serve me." Glowered Raven.

"Whatever you say, master." Said Slade after a moment of thought.

"Deliver those traitors to me." Ordered Raven.

"Only after I've received my payment." Slade said firmly. "I will not let you play me for a fool like your father did." Raven nodded and motioned for him to kneel before her. He did so and she placed her hand several inches over his head.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Slade stood up and held out his hand. Realizing that he truly had powers once again, he motioned to her to follow him.

"I will bring you to them." He said, wanting to stay on her good side.

"No." roared Raven. "You will bring them to me! Prepare five torture chambers in my spaceship for me and hold them in there until you receive further orders."

"But don't you want to torture them now?" Slade asked.

"Do not question my judgment!" Raven snapped as her four red eyes glowed even more brightly. Seeing that she was becoming even angrier, Slade quickly teleported himself back to his secret headquarters.

Robin was about to make the fatal snip when Slade walked through the door. Beast Boy was incoherent and practically going mad. Robin was allowed to drop the scissors, for which he was relieved.

"I'm done torturing you." Announced Slade as Beast Boy cried tears of relief. "But my master isn't."

"Your master?" questioned Robin as he was brought back to his own room.

"My master will decide your fate." Replied Slade.

"Since when do you serve a master?" Robin was incredulous.

"In serving my master, I serve myself."

With that said, Slade melted through the floor. Something clicked within Robin's mind. He had seen Slade do this once before. Robin began wondering if Trigon had returned. He tried to comfort himself by telling himself that Raven had already dealt with him, yet the lingering worry remained at the back of his head.

Beast Boy took several deep breaths to calm himself down, only to feel a searing pain surge down his throat. The pain was blinding, ripping through his entire being.

"So this is what it's like to die." He thought as he peered into the darkness with his swollen right eye. As blood flowed from his mouth like a waterfall, Beast Boy silently reviewed his life. "I've taken my life for granted." He realized. "I've taken everything I have for granted and my punishment is that I've run out of time. I'll never get married. I'll never have kids. I'll never get the chance to tell Raven how I really feel about her. I am going to die wondering what we could have had together." Beast Boy felt his soul being crushed within him the moment he thought about Raven. "When she was here, I came so close to telling her about my feelings so many times. Now I'll never get the chance to because I was too slow and stupid to realize that nothing is forever. How could I have just let her get away like that? Why? Why is it that I never could say 'I love you' to her face?"

Beast Boy tilted his head down as blood began dripping from his nose as well. It was growing increasingly difficult for him to breathe.

"Why is life so cruel to me? All I ever wanted was Raven's love. It's all I ever wished for and it's what I always dreamed of. Life is so unfair. It isn't fair that I have to die without having my biggest dream fulfilled."

Beast Boy felt himself getting weaker, but he willed himself to live on.

"I will not die like this. I will not give in. I will do everything it takes to live for a chance to tell Raven what I feel. If she rejects me, I'll just die. If she doesn't, I'll die knowing that the most wonderful woman in the world loves me."

Beast Boy closed his eyes. In his state of delirium, he thought he saw a bright light that illuminated the end of a long, pitch black tunnel. Despite the pain that racked his body and attacked every nerve, he crawled towards the source of the light. He saw a mysterious figure emerge from the light, its dark human shape contrasting sharply with the brilliant light. As he watched, a purple orb of light that shimmered and shone with magnificence engulfed it. The orb floated towards him and a woman in a blue cloak stepped out of it. Her hood covered her head, casting a shadow on her pale face. All he could see were her gentle lips, which were curved into a pleasant smile. The woman reached out and touched him. Instantly, every trace of pain evaporated. Beast Boy looked up into her face as he stood up.

"Raven?" He asked. "Is that you?"

The woman remained silent. Beast Boy reached for her hood, hoping to put it down but the woman quickly backed away.

"Please don't run away from me!" Beast Boy begged. "I can't live without you!"

"Yes, you can." Said the woman in a gentle and even voice. While she strikingly resembled Raven, her voice was very different. "Whoever this Raven is, she no longer exists. The Raven you knew and loved is now gone and she has been replaced by a new Raven."

"What are you talking about?" Beast Boy practically yelled. "Raven is still here! I know she is!"

"Time changes things. Raven has grown, just as you have. As you grow in strength, stature and wisdom, you cease to be the person you once were. In the same way, Raven has ceased to be the girl she once was. The woman she is now is the new Raven, not the old Raven that you are in love with."

"New Raven or old Raven, Raven is Raven and I will always love Raven." Beast Boy said stubbornly.

"Beast Boy." The woman's voice changed. Beast Boy instantaneously recognized Raven's voice.

"Raven?" Beast Boy took a big step towards her.

"Beast Boy, it's me."

Beast Boy blinked several times to make sure his eyes and ears were not playing tricks on him.

"Raven!" He exclaimed as he lunged forward. The woman deftly stepped out of the way as Beast Boy crashed unceremoniously into a wall. With a groan, he forced himself to his feet and staggered towards her. Having stopped right in front of her, Beast Boy was just about to open his mouth when she leaned in and gave him the sweetest kiss of his life. He wrapped his arms around her, savoring the moment for as long as it lasted; which was a good, whole three seconds.

"Beast Boy, I love you." The woman said in Raven's voice. In that instant, she vanished and Beast Boy found himself clutching at air.

"Raven? Raven! Don't leave me!" Cried Beast Boy. Just when he felt his world crashing down on him once more, he awoke with a start.

"It was just a dream." Beast Boy tried to calm his pounding heart. The pain from his injuries returned and he found himself drenched in his own sweat and blood. "It was just a dream. I've lost so much blood that I'm hallucinating."

Although Beast Boy was rapidly weakening, hearing Raven's voice in his dream cheered him considerably, giving him the courage to fight for his life. He was determined to live. He wanted to hear Raven say those words for real. His intense desire to hear the actual Raven's voice and to touch her in reality gave him the motivation he needed to survive. Beast Boy knew deep down in his heart that he was going to make it no matter what happened.

Robin waited for what seemed like an eternity. After several millenniums had passed, Slade returned. He was blindfolded and the entire bed that he was strapped to was wheeled out of his room. He could hear Starfire's moans and Beast Boy's groans in the hallway. He was greatly relieved to hear their cries, but he knew that time was rapidly running out for them.

Robin and the other titans were swiftly transferred to Raven's spaceship. Slade had bludgeoned Terra on her head with with a lead pipe, effectively knocking her out. As a result, she was silent and Robin had no idea that Terra had shared their fate.

Unknown to the five, Raven was watching them as Slade wheeled them into their chambers. She had successfully pulled off a Red X on Slade. By tricking him into thinking that she had allowed her anger and hurt to corrupt her, she had manipulated him into handing her friends over to her, where he could no longer hurt them and where she could destroy him with the calm assurance that her friends were safe. Raven was pleased. But as she looked at the world with four red eyes, she wondered if she would be able to compose herself when she finally reunited with the people who meant more than anything in the world to her.