Chapter 2

The scream was loud, terrified, and distinctly Raven's. Beast Boy barreled into her room through the already open door, instantly spotting Robin crouched at the foot of her bed.

"Raven!" he called out as he saw her behind him, collapsed on the floor. The others, roused from their slumber by the same scream, poured into the room and surrounded Robin as he attempted to wake the listless girl. He shook her shoulders gently.

"Raven? Raven!" he called out nervously. "Raven, what's wrong? Come on, wake up!" For the moment, his efforts were to no avail.

Beast Boy, seeing there was nothing he could do to help her right now, stood up from were he was kneeling beside her and looked around the room. What happened? he wondered, searching for any signs of disturbance. The room was a little cold, but other than the tangled sheets on Raven's bed it was undisturbed.

Beast Boy walked over to Raven's narrow, floor-length window and looked out to see if something outside the tower was the cause. All he saw was the skyline of Jump City, glowing against the water in the dead of night.

He turned his attention back to Raven and the other Titans clustered around her.

"Come on, let's get her to the medical bay," Cyborg said grimly, gathering Raven in his giant arms. She looked extremely pale and fragile in his metal limbs, her face void of any emotion.

Once they arrived, Cyborg placed her on the nearest bed and began flipping switches on the medical equipment, hooking her up to various machines. The other Titans settled into the room, looking anxious but exhausted. Now that the initial adrenaline had worn off, they were all still trying to adjust to their state of wake. The clock above the door said it was 3:19 am.

After a few minutes, Cyborg reached a conclusion. "Well, physically she's fine. Everything looks normal. I think we should just wait this out. I don't want to go messin' with the girls mind since none of us are really sure how her powers work." The others consented, but hung around to monitor her.

Beast Boy stood at the side of the bed, watching his friend take in slow, deep breaths. The expression on her face was fairly neutral, but she looked even paler than usual. Beast Boy cocked his head to the side, really looking at her for a moment. He realized the two of them hadn't spent much time together in a while. Her face looked kind of different; that was what made him think about it. He couldn't really put his finger on it, but her face looked more angular. She was really... beautiful, Beast Boy thought absently, then stopped himself, shaking his head. Where did that come from?

Suddenly, Raven's eyes flew open, bringing Beast Boy's previous train of thought to an abrupt stop.

She took a sharp breath as she bolted into a sitting position. She looked around the room, clearly disoriented.

"Raven!" Robin breathed in a sigh of relief, moving over to her bedside with the others right behind him. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Her eyes focused as she grew more lucid. "I'm fine," she said slowly.

"What happened?" Robin asked again, eager for her account.

She looked towards one of the windows in the bay, staring out of it for a few moments before answering. "I'm sorry to have frightened you. I just had a bad dream."

"That must have been one hell of a dream!" Cyborg exclaimed. "When we found you you were out cold. Been that way for fifteen minutes."

"Yes, Raven, we were all very much alarmed. Are you certain it was merely a dream?"

"Yes, Starfire," Raven responded, returning to her stoic state. "I had a nightmare and lost control of my emotions."

"Raven, I'm not sure that's all there is to it. You've never had a nightmare like that before," Robin said dubiously. Raven turned her icy gaze on him. Beast Boy had been on the receiving end of that gaze enough times to know how chilling it truly was.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Raven asked, eyes boring into Robin's.

"No, Raven, it's just that—"

"I assure you, it was simply a dream," she said firmly, rising from the bed and heading towards the door.

Raven was eager to leave the room; she knew that the longer she stayed, the more questions her friends would ask. Her excuse was weak and they were justifiably skeptical. She slid off of the edge of the bed, feeling the cool tile against her bare feet. As she walked towards the door, she knew Robin was a second away from calling out with more questions. She could feel his unease. To his credit though, he didn't say a word as she left.

When she returned to her quarters, she closed and locked the door with a simple touch of the panel beside it. She looked around the room cautiously. Sure enough, it looked and felt completely normal. She turned her gaze towards the window, mind swimming as she confirmed it was unmarked.

"What happened?" Robin's voice echoed through her mind. That's a good question. She sighed. What was that? Was it a nightmare? A message? A product of her active and volatile mind? Raven's emotional turmoil often manifested itself in physical ways.

As much as Raven would have liked to believe that answer, the truth was that she had no idea what that was. Which meant that it very well could have been real.

Raven's stomach churned. As a demon, Trigon was incapable of being truly destroyed. The last time Raven had faced him, he had brought complete destruction to her home. Though she was able to banish him from this world, it only sent him back to the fiery wasteland from which he had come. And she wasn't even really the one to do it.

She had never told the other Titans, but the power with which she had fought Trigon wasn't hers. It was the ancient souls of Azarath, her first home, all channeling their power through her. They restored her to her previous state before the prophecy had destroyed her and gave her their power to fight her father. It was the most frightening and exhilarating experience she had ever had.

Unfortunately, it was kind of a one-time deal. Raven knew that she had no hope of ever defeating Trigon again if he were to return. Up until now, she was certain that that wasn't a possibility. He can't return, he can't return, he cannot return, she repeated forcefully to herself. She believed it, mostly.

Raven wasn't the type to get riled up about something without a cause. There's a good chance that this is a result of my powers, she told herself.

And if it is Trigon? said a voice in the back of her mind.

Well...shit.

The Titans all woke up a little late the next morning, considering the events of the previous night. When they finally did haul themselves into the common room, there was a list awaiting them.

As promised, Celeste had sent over the details for what she envisioned the grand event to be like. Robin skimmed it, deciding to save it for when the rest of the team arrived. As usual, he was the first to rise. He had always been a morning person. There was something refreshing and hopeful about them.

Cyborg was the second to arrive. He joined him at the kitchen table.

"Morning," he said sleepily.

"Good morning," Robin returned. He had moved on to reading the newspaper, but had left the note in front of him.

"Is that from the mayor?"

"Yeah. I'll read it when everyone gets here." Robin continued to thumb through the paper.

"Sounds good." Cyborg paused for a moment. "You know, this whole thing is kinda weird. One minute we're fighting crime and the next minute we're party planners?"

Robin put down his paper. "I know. It makes me feel anxious. Like we have something better to be doing. But, its just something we have to do," he said with a shrug.

The common room doors slid open to reveal Starfire and Raven. As they entered, the conversation moved to lighter topics. No one said a word about what had happened last night.

When Beast Boy finally arrived, Robin began to read the note he had received.

"Good morning, Titans. I hope you all had a pleasant evening,"—the team grumbled—"as you will be very busy in the next few weeks.

"I wanted to thank you all for being cooperative. We truly feel that this will be of great benefit to us both. Now, in regards to the party, we have to remember our goal: to make you all seem responsible, personable, and mature. That means we need to invite anyone important in Jump City in addition to the major media outlets so that they can all see you on your best behavior. As we discussed yesterday, it will be a birthday celebration for Raven, but will also be a charitable fundraiser. All guests will be asked to make a donation in lieu of a gift to the newly-founded Titan's Scholars Organization, which gives scholarships to underprivileged students in Jump City."

"Uh, since when did we found a scholarship program?" Beast Boy interrupted.

"I think since the Mayor's office decided we needed something for our fundraiser to raise funds for," Raven drawled.

Robin ignored them and continued. "As for the preparation, we will take care of the guest list (though you are certainly welcome to send your invitation requests to me), the fundraising half, and the financing for this event. We want each of you to take an active role in planning and preparing for the party. That will impress the guests and give you something to talk about with them. However, since it is a party in Raven's honor, she is not allowed to lift a finger."

"WHAT?" Beast Boy exclaimed, interrupting Robin for the second time. "That's totally unfair!" he said with a scowl, but still Robin continued.

"One or more of you will have to take charge in each of the following areas: décor, refreshments, entertainment, scheduling, and an area I like to think of as a Titan's 'show and tell.' The guests will love to get an inside view of life as a Titan and the media will love to cover it. I suggest tours, question-and-answer segments, or even some sort of demonstration.

"The media will undoubtedly try and contact you regarding this event. I will request that you direct them to me and the Mayor's office. I'll take care of any press coverage for this." Robin looked at his team and could tell that this was going right over their heads. They were not detail-oriented, but Robin was pleased that Celeste seemed to be. They had that in common.

"Enclosed is an approximate budget for each area of the party planning and credit cards you may use to purchase what you need. I'm confident you'll use discretion in this matter. Keep in mind that we are aiming for a mature and elegant party. It will be black-tie. We'll be in touch."

Robin finished reading and for a moment they were silent. Then Starfire spoke up.

"Please, I wish to volunteer for the preparation of the food."

"NO!" they chorused passionately, fearing what the results would be if they let her loose in the kitchen to cook for hundreds of people.

"Uh, no offense Star, but I'll handle the food for the night," Cyborg jumped in quickly.

"No way! All you know how to cook is meat!" Beast Boy exclaimed, launching an argument. They raised their voices, all talking over one another.

"You know most people like meat..."

"... it'll be steak wrapped in bacon wrapped in..."

"Please, if I cannot do the cooking, perhaps..."

"... just because you and your froufrou tofu—"

"...and what am I supposed to do for two weeks? Knit?"

"GUYS!" Robin shouted over the clamor. "Enough!" That seemed to silence them for the moment. He took a deep breath, then began to hatch a plan. "Cyborg and Beast Boy will handle the food together, but I suggest getting it catered. You two will be a little busy that night, and I don't think people will want to eat anything made in that kitchen," he said, gesturing across the room. "You two are also in charge of the tours or whatever Celeste wants. Star, I think you'll be good with the decorations. The tower isn't exactly the picture of 'elegance.' I'll take care of entertainment and scheduling. Raven," he said, catching her look. "You... uh... go meditate or something." She glared at him, but he pointedly ignored her. "Everyone take a credit card and get started. I know this seems a little weird, but it's a job to do, and as Titans we'll get it done."

Cyborg and Beast Boy took off in search of paper and a pencil to create a list of hors d'oeuvres. Starfire flew up and around the room, surveying the space and making plans on how to beautify it. Robin searched around for his last teammate and found her already halfway up the steps.

"Raven," he called, taking a few long strides to close some of the distance between them. "I was serious about what I said before. Go relax. Meditate. I'm worried about you. You don't, uh, handle this kind of situation very well." He flinched a little under the glare she gave him. He couldn't help it. "What I mean is that this has got to be a little overwhelming for you."

Her face returned to its familiar deadpan expression, but Robin had grown adept at reading past that over the years. In the lines of her face and the window of her eyes, he could see stress and worry. But there was something more there. Something deeper that unsettled her.

"Thank you," she replied. "I will." Robin knew her tone. She was merely pacifying him. He watched her walk through the doors, presumably towards her room. Something about her is definitely off, he thought. And if he knew anything about Raven, he knew she would do everything in her power to keep him from finding out what.

Raven moved intuitively through the hallway, preoccupied with her thoughts. She was conflicted about the party. Listening to all of the gruesome, tedious details of the thing made her want to take a vacation anywhere that wasn't Jump City for the next two weeks. She deeply detested all of the fuss and fanfare that was certain to arise around the party. Didn't they realize it was all so trivial? And the thought of actually attending the party, of being forced into a dress and paraded around like a show and tell project... well, it made Beast Boy's original shot idea look like an attractive option.

On the other hand, she thought, this would be an excellent distraction. She had spent too much time alone in her head lately, and now she was starting to feel the consequences of a lack of interaction. Last night came to mind, and she bit her bottom lip in frustration. Now she was starting to hallucinate. At the very least, the event would move her focus onto something lighter than usual.

Just as Raven reached her door, her stomach let out a growl. In all of the excitement of the morning, she had forgotten to eat breakfast.

She sighed, turning around and retracing her steps back to the kitchen. She walked distractedly towards the end of the hall and as she rounded the corner, she saw Beast Boy walking her way. As soon as he saw her, his face lit up in a smile.

"Hey Rae! What's up?" As they met in the middle of the hallway, he turned on his heel and began walking alongside of her. Raven kept her eyes forward as she continued down the hall.

"Nothing you should be concerned about," she replied cooly. She was cautious, uncertain of Beast Boy's purpose.

"You don't look like you're doing anything secretive. You look like you're heading back to the common room."

She stopped abruptly, causing Beast Boy to stumble a little in his attempt to stay beside her. She turned her head to look at him with one brow raised.

"Beast Boy."

"Raven."

"What do you want?"

He gave her a feigned look of offense. "What? Can't I just chat with my friend?"

"You never do." At that, Beast Boy's jovial attitude faltered. Feeling a small pang of hurt roll off of him, Raven backtracked. "I meant that... you're usually trying to get me to participate in some ridiculous game of yours," she recovered.

"Raven," he began, considerably more serious this time, "you know we're like family, right? You're like a sister to me. I would always want to talk to you. I'm sorry if I haven't. I always thought that I annoyed you."

I just can't win, can I? Raven thought. Now he's going to want to 'chat' with me even more. "You do," she countered, sending him a light look that brought the smile back to his face. "I didn't mean anything by that comment. I was just being defensive."

"Well, that's a relief!" Beast Boy stayed beside her as she resumed her journey towards the common room. "So, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to eat breakfast. Unless you wish to detain me for further questioning." She approached the sliding double doors and strode through them as they swished open, descending the stairs as Beast Boy called to her from the hallway.

"Nope, I'm off to the roof! See you later Rae!" He waved energetically at her as the doors slid shut.

Raven stared at the closed doors and couldn't help smiling at his antics. See you later, Beast Boy.

Moving over to the kitchen area, Raven considered her options for breakfast. She opened the fridge, only to find two containers of leftover takeout, a gallon of expired milk, three bottles of beer and a container of yogurt. She frowned at the showing, reaching for the yogurt and hoping it was still good.

The lack of food was both good news and bad news. The bad news was that she wouldn't get much of a breakfast this morning. The good news?

Someone has to go grocery shopping, she thought, a small smile making its way to her face as she dipped into her yogurt. And I think I'm ready for a little time away from the tower.

Beast Boy had lied about going to the roof. Really, the whole encounter with Raven was nowhere near accidental, although Raven wasn't supposed to know that. She's good, he conceded. Not much gets past her.

After Raven left the common room this morning, Robin called the other Titans back over.

"Has anyone else noticed that Raven's been a little off since our meeting with the mayor?" he asked the assembled three.

"Yeah, something's definitely up with that girl. Anyone else believe that what went down last night was just a nightmare?" Cyborg asked.

"No, and it wouldn't be the first time Raven's tried to hide something from us," Robin pointed out. "I know she's dreading this party. I want to make sure that's all there is to it." He paused for a minute, turning an idea over in his head. "Can someone else go talk to her? She clearly won't talk to me. Don't bring it up or anything, just hang around her and see if you notice anything unusual."

"Do you mean for us to spy on her?" Starfire questioned with round eyes.

"No! Well, actually kind of. Not really spying as much as 'observing,'" Robin said. "We just want to make sure she's okay," he added, calming the conflicted girl.

Beast Boy spoke up immediately. "I'll do it!" He caught Robin's skeptical look. "What? I'd be great at that. I'm always acting unpredictable, so she'd be less likely to notice anything weird."

"'Unpredictable' is one way of putting it..." Cyborg muttered.

Robin sighed. "Fine, Beast Boy. But don't freak her out. Just give her some company and maybe she'll open up to you," he suggested.

"Don't sweat it, I'll be fine," Beast Boy replied. "I'll report back any findings," he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

That was a very short ten minutes ago, and after his conversation with Raven he wasn't feeling so confident.

He trudged through his room, flopping down on his far outdated bunk bed and letting his feet dangle over the edge. He had been quick to volunteer for "Raven-watch," which both surprised him and didn't at the same time. He couldn't quite explain what drew him to the situation, but there was something fascinating about studying Raven. She had been a mystery to him for a very long time—one he was just beginning to solve. He could hang with Cy or Star or even Robin and have a good time, but their personalities were similar enough to his own. Raven was fun to be around because she was so different from himself. He never quite knew what to expect.

Beast Boy stared up at the top bunk, ruminating on these thoughts. Now I just have to find a way to spend some time with her. He knew she was struggling, and he was convinced his lighthearted nature could help. He also knew that Raven was characteristically stubborn. I know I can help her, he thought. I just have to find a way to make her let me.