Chapter 30

Raven floated a few feet above the floor in the center of the circle, letting the energy from the candles fill her and sharpen her focus. She needed the help after what had transpired between herself and Beast Boy. She called the nearly complete potion towards her with her powers and added the final, distasteful ingredient: horse's blood.

The spell was of dark origins, as was most of what Malchior had taught her. It would effectively render her powerless. It was supposed to be used on an enemy, but Raven assumed there was a first time for everything. She held up the bottle of black liquid, eyeing it disdainfully. She didn't know how it would taste, though considering the ingredients she figured it wouldn't go down easy. She couldn't procrastinate any longer, though, as it took a little while to take effect. She had promised herself she would never use any of Malchior's teachings again but she knew that this was worth the exception.

Raven had never quite forgiven herself for falling for him so easily or for allowing him to endanger her friends. He was cunning, deceptive, and conniving, charming her only to help set him free from the curse that had bound him for thousands of years.

Raven froze with the bottle halfway to her lips. The idea slammed into her head so quickly and forcefully that her brain raced to work through the logistics. She telekinetically called three different spell books to her, pouring over their pages as her plan solidified.

She placed her hand over her mouth as she shook her head disbelievingly.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "It could work."

"Could" being the key word. An effective spell took time, preparation, and focus. She had none of these. But damn it if she wasn't going to give it her best shot.

She glanced at the clock, realizing she was already late to her own party. It didn't matter though. None of it mattered. She quickly brought the bottle to her lips and swallowed the vile fluid in one gulp as she ran through the room collecting the necessary implements. She tossed the bottle aside and turned to a spell book before she felt the burn in her throat.

Raven stopped her frantic activity immediately, bringing a hand to her chest as she hacked. Okay, downed that a little too quickly. It stung ten times worse than her first taste of liquor. As she took a second to breathe she fingered the pendant that rested on her chest. Her emotions swelled. She might be able to pull this off, but she couldn't do it alone.

Robin watched as Starfire paced along the floor, distracted by the graceful fluttering of her dress and the long line of her legs.

She looked unbelievably beautiful. Robin just wanted to reach out and hold her, touch every part of her to make sure she was real and make sure she was his. Her only imperfection was she scowl she had spread across her face.

"Starfire, why don't you sit down?" he suggested hesitantly. She had been pacing since he had come to collect her and she pulled him inside to wait.

"It is ten minutes past the hour of six," she huffed resentfully, plopping down beside him on her bed. "I had instructed Raven to arrive very much sooner than this."

Robin furrowed his brow. "Where did she go?"

"To her room."

"And you didn't go there to grab her because...?" he asked lightly.

Starfire bit her lip and twiddled with her thumbs, a faint smile tugging at her lip. "I did not wish to disturb her."

That had him thoroughly confused. "I know Raven's a little touchy about her personal space, but don't you think this is kind of important?" He rose from the bed, ready to put his plan into action.

"Yes, but I did not wish to disturb her because, well—"

Starfire stopped talking as her door slid open and Raven tumbled in, looking more than a little disheveled.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," she spit out as she stood in front of them awkwardly. It was like she had been racing to do something and now suddenly stopped. Her eyes darted around and she shifted uncomfortably. Robin was instantly suspicious. He glanced at Starfire, dumbstruck when he caught her smirking. His eyes danced back and fourth between Raven and Starfire, wondering what strange message was being communicated.

Silently, Starfire stood and guided Raven over to her vanity, uncapping her hairspray and pulling a tissue to blot at her makeup, which evidently wasn't to her satisfaction.

"Am I missing something?" he asked slowly, narrowing his eyes at the pair.

"No."

"Of course not!"

They both rushed to deny anything transpiring between them. Robin watched carefully as Starfire applied a coat of lipstick to Raven's pale lips.

"There! Much better!" Starfire beamed at Raven, who surprisingly enough returned it with a small smile of her own.

"Are we ready to go?" Robin asked, checking his watch. Their timing wasn't ideal but it couldn't be helped. He didn't want to stress out Raven any more than he assumed she already was. Though looking at her now, she seemed more distracted than nervous.

"Yes, let us depart!" Starfire boldly slid her hand into the crook of Robin's arm, which he quickly folded to properly escort her. Raven followed a few steps behind them in the hallway.

Despite all of the questions he was eager to ask Starfire, the journey to the common room was a quiet one. He knew better than to ask in front of Raven. Something was weird with her and he had no idea what it was. They had established yesterday that both she and Beast Boy had been acting strangely, though now it seemed Starfire knew why.

When they reached the common room doors, Starfire stopped and turned back to Raven. "You must stay here until we are ready for you to enter," she instructed.

"How will I know when you're ready?"

"Have no worries friend, you will know." With that she turned and almost dragged Robin to the door. He could hear a protest from Raven behind them but Starfire ignored it. It was drown out when the doors slid open.

The expansive and lavish room was filled with a debonair crowd of gentlemen in tuxedos and ladies in gowns. Their entrance wasn't overly pronounced, but when those around them spotted the two, they stared and smiled and parted to let them move deeper into the room. Starfire moved forward eagerly and soon Robin stumbled forward to match her pace.

"So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?" he asked quietly in her ear as they moved towards the center of the dance floor. They had spotted Beast Boy and Cyborg mingling.

Starfire smiled slyly. "Raven has made me promise not to tell anyone," she said firmly. Robin felt a twinge of disappointment. "But," she continued, " I feel that this is, as you say, 'for her own good.'" She paused to smile warmly at the crowd, which the people around them returned. Starfire's smiles were infectious.

"Well, what is it Star?" he asked eagerly.

Her smile turned into a full-out grin. "Let us simply say that you might wish to purchase hair dye that is pink." She let go of his arm as they approached their teammates in order to greet them.

It took a second for the meaning of her words to sink in, but when they did his jaw dropped.

Pacing back and forth in front of the common room door, Raven chewed on the inside of her cheek. At least no one could see that. As happy as she was to be on this side of the doors, she knew it wouldn't last for long and that it probably meant they were planning some grand entrance for her. Great.

Raven had bigger issues to worry about. While she hadn't forgotten about the gala, she had forgotten to worry about it. As in she was just now remembering that it was going to be a giant pain in the ass and it was going to begin any minute now. Raven played with the gift that hung around her neck.

She heard the hum of music from inside and the sounds of someone speaking, but she didn't pay much attention to it. Maybe if she had she would have recognized that it was her cue to enter. As it was, when the doors slid open to reveal her she was staring at her chest pensively, looking completely unprepared.

Her hands flew down to her sides stiffly in less than a second. She stared at the crowd's smiling, polite faces with a completely blank expression as she heard a round of cheers and applause. Her mind was as blank as her face was; she had no idea what to do. Was she supposed to walk down the stairs? Make a speech? Wave? Though she knew any of those would be a better option than standing there like an idiot, she couldn't bring her body to move.

The scene before her was overwhelming. The common room didn't even look like the common room; it was entirely transformed. Add to that the hundreds of people before her and she had a situation that knocked the air out of her lungs.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. Before she knew what was happening, Beast Boy was approaching her from one side and Cyborg from another. Seeing their smiling, reassuring faces allowed her to relax a little. Each took one of her hands and looped it through their arms, serving as escorts down the stairs. The crowd gave another round of applause and she heard more than a few "aww"s. Raven wanted to roll her eyes, but instead coaxed her lips into a small smile. Likable, approachable, pleasant, she coached herself. Something seemed to be working, as those around them smiled genuinely in return. It had to be the boys on either side of her. She was suddenly immensely grateful for their guidance through the crowd.

"Once again, happy birthday to our hero and friend, Raven of the Teen Titans!" a familiar voice boomed over the speaker system. Raven's eyes scanned the room, looking for its source. The Mayor stood on a platform to the right of the room, looking almost regal behind her podium. Though there were hundreds in the room, the woman was looking right at her.

"Thank you all for coming. Please, enjoy!" More applause. Fortunately the procession seemed to be over. Most everyone's attention turned away from her and back towards the excitement of the party. Music began again from the orchestra and a deep, pure alto voice carried softly through the room. It was some jazz tune Raven certainly didn't recognize.

Returning her attention to where the boys were leading her, Raven noticed they had made it across the room and were now proceeding to one of the white-clothed tables where Robin and Starfire sat.

"Raven!" Starfire called, beckoning her to sit beside her. Raven gave her a mild glare. Starfire sighed. "Please friend, I am most sorry for abandoning you, but I was merely following my instructions." Raven rolled her eyes and plopped down next to her. She soon heard her name called again and turned to see who it was this time.

The Titans East strode over to greet their friends. "Happy Birthday!" Bumblebee called. Raven nodded in return. A blur flew before her eyes, which she soon made out to be Más y Menos.

"¡Feliz cumpleaños!"

"¿Cuantos años tienes?"

"Ella tiene veintiuno años. ¡Preste atención!"

Raven stared at them blankly, wanting to say something but not entirely sure what they just said. True, she was fluent in Latin, but that didn't help her much in deciphering the Spanish that just rolled off their tongues.

"Thanks," she drawled, thankful that their attention quickly moved to Starfire.

"Hi Raven, it's nice to see you again." She looked up to find Aqualad smiling at her. She blushed; she couldn't help it, really, he was just so... pretty.

"Hey Raven, you wanna go get some food? Let's go get some food." A scant ten seconds after she sat down Beast Boy had her by the arm again, pulling her up from her chair and guiding her towards the food tables.

"Jealous?" she asked smugly once they were out of earshot.

"What? No, I just didn't like the way he was looking at you."

"He was looking at me?" Huh, she hadn't noticed. It was certainly a boost to her self-confidence.

"Of course he was," Beast Boy snorted. "I mean, look at you. Especially tonight." He was very matter-of-fact, but it still made Raven blush.

He continued to chat about the party and what a "drag" it was as he filled two plates with Italian cuisine. He even plopped a strip of steak onto Raven's, much to her surprise.

"Well at least it was better than your idea," she remarked.

"What, the club and shots plan?" He pursed his lips. "Okay, you have a point there. But at the time I suggested it I didn't know you had no ability to hold your liquor. I didn't know what I was signing myself up for." He grinned as Raven gave him a look.

"Raven." Once again she heard her name called through the crowd. She had a feeling that was going to be the pattern tonight. She turned to find the Mayor moving towards her in a sleeved plum colored gown.

"I would like to introduce you to some guests. If you're not too busy," she added in a way that made it clear she was coming with her whether she wanted to or not.

"Sounds fun," she drawled sarcastically while handing her untouched plate back to Beast Boy.

"Sure you don't need backup?" he whispered in her ear.

Oh, how she wanted him next to her, making her more comfortable in front of these people. He was a people person, she was not. But she couldn't tote him around behind her all night like he was her date or something. She sighed, knowing how she would have to answer.

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you," she whispered back to him as she began to follow after the quickly-departing Mayor. As she moved away she turned back to look at him one more time. He was still staring after her, smiling. She gave him a soft smile in return before turning and facing her doom.

Beast Boy once again checked the watch Robin had insisted he wear. Actually, Robin left him very specific instructions on what to wear tonight. Not surprisingly, Beast Boy had never worn a tuxedo before, and had no idea what he was in store for. When the thing arrived yesterday he had shoved it in his newly-cleaned closet without a thought. Putting it on today took a little extra effort and two trips to Cyborg's room. At the first his friend was very helpful, showing him how to put on each piece and fasten his cuff links. When he came around the second time to seek help tying his bow-tie, Cyborg laughed at him. Beast Boy scowled in his chair at the memory. In the end it all came together. Beast Boy had studied himself in the mirror and thought he looked quite dapper.

Raven had been gone for what seemed like forever, undoubtedly being led around and introduced to people like she was some kind of socialite. Beast Boy snorted. He could only imagine how it was going so far. Oh well, he thought, I offered to come along.

He caught a glimpse of purple in the crowd and perked up, hoping it was her. Nope, he sighed, slumping back into his chair, just a purple dress. Actually it was Jinx, swirling around the dance floor with Kid Flash. That was a couple he never saw coming. He was still getting used to it.

"Looking for someone?" came a sultry voice from behind him. He whirled around to find Raven with a smirk on her lips.

"Finally! I swear I thought she was going to introduce you to the whole room before the night was over." He pulled out the chair beside his so she could sit and relax for a moment.

She scowled. "Me too. I'd been dreading that since you first came up with the idea of having this," she said, gesturing around the room. "I finally managed to escape for a minute, though I'm sure it won't be for long."

Across the room, Cyborg was talking enthusiastically with a group of guests about to embark on the first tour of the night. Beast Boy spotted him and realized he was their escape.

"Oh, I think it will be," Beast Boy said slyly, standing abruptly from his chair. Raven drew her brows together.

"What are you—"

"Just follow me," he replied, walking along the edge of the dance floor to cross the room. Raven followed behind him with a wary expression. As they neared the group, he turned back to explain. "Cyborg's leading the first tour of Titan's tower. Wanna go?" Raven looked relieved at the suggestion. "I thought so."

"Hey Cyborg!" he called as he reached them. "Got room for two more?"