AN: Special thanks to lunar silver for the song suggestion!

Chapter 32

Robin drummed his fingers on the table, brow furrowed and lost in thought. He should have called me by now, he thought sourly. Robin had been on high alert all night, looking for a sign that something was amiss. So far everything had gone smoothly, though he still hadn't heard back from Bruce yet.

"Robin?" His ears grew red. The voice was unmistakably Starfire's. "Forgive me Robin, but I believe it is customary for a gentleman to share a dance with his date at such a festivity. I was wondering if, perhaps, now might be an acceptable time for us to partake in this custom." He turned to find her standing shyly behind him, looking down at the floor and tapping her index fingers together as she spoke. It was a habit of hers when she was nervous or unsure.

Robin tried his best to shove down his apprehension and stood to face her with a smile. She was right, he was being a horrible date thus far.

"Starfire, I would be honored." Her face lit up, seemingly brightening the room around her. He was glad she came over: only Starfire could find him riddled with worry and leave him at ease. He took her hand, wrapping it through his arm as he led her to the dance floor.

Robin wasn't a great dancer, but he knew enough to lead her through the steps. A new song started up, one of his favorite's.

Someday, when I'm awfully low,

When the world is cold,

I will feel a glow just thinking of you

And the way you look tonight.

"You are pleased with the selection of music?" Starfire asked as she let him lead her around the floor. She wasn't overly familiar with the dance, naturally, but her graceful and fluid way of moving made her look like a professional.

"It's from this old movie called Swing Time. Maybe we'll watch it one day," he said, opening his arm to signal a spin. Starfire turned gracefully, letting her dress float out around her. When he caught her in his arms again, she giggled.

"You know Star, I think this song is actually... very fitting right now," he said, eyes downcast and cheeks red. Starfire's cheeks turned the same color at his complement.

"Robin, I have been meaning to ask you something," she said after a moment. He smiled, signaling her to continue. "You see, we have not been doing the dating for a while, and though we had agreed that it was best we part then, I feel that circumstances have changed."

Robin stopped moving as he felt his communicator buzz. Starfire stopped abruptly, blinking at his sudden change in pace. He quickly pulled the communicator from his pocket, looking to see who it was. Finally, he thought, his mind moving back to his earlier preoccupation.

"Listen Starfire, I have to go. I'll talk with you later, I'm sorry," he said as he pulled away and started walking towards the door.

"Robin!" She called after him. He stopped and sighed. Though it was against his better judgment, he turned to look at her. Her lip quivered and her eyes were round, begging him to stay there with her. He was glad he was wearing a mask. It was difficult to keep the tough facade that he had to despite her pleading look.

He knew he had to go. His team could be in danger. Starfire herself could be in danger. I can't neglect my duties, no matter how badly I want to stay with her, no matter how beautiful she looks, no matter how much I lov— no matter how much I like her. He turned away, not having the strength to look her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry Starfire, I have to go."

Raven sighed, rubbing her hand along Beast Boy's chest. She could stay like this for hours, snuggled up beside him under the warmth of her sheets.

"We should probably get back to the party." She looked up at him and made a face, causing him to chuckle. "Or we could just stay here." They were quiet for a few minutes.

"Beast Boy?"

"Garfield." He shifted so he was facing her and wrapped his arm around her bare back.

"What?"

"My name is Garfield, remember? I don't know, Beast Boy feels... tacky, at least in this situation." Raven tried not to get distracted with the feeling of his fingers against her skin as he brushed her cheekbone.

"Garfield reminds me of the cat," she murmured, burying her face in his chest. She felt the vibrations in his torso as he laughed. Raven wasn't a cuddly person, but right now all she wanted to do was be close to him.

"How about Gar? My parents used to call me Gar."

Raven tried it on her tongue. "Gar."

"Mmm, I like it. I like hearing you say it," he mumbled into her hair. She sighed.

"Gar, we need to get back," she whispered.

"Didn't I just suggest that?"

Raven shifted so that she rested on her elbows. "Yes, you did. I just didn't want to go." She sat up and let her feet dangle off the side of the bed. She could feel him rolling over to the other side of the bed and standing up. She turned to say something but was caught off guard by his completely naked body. She turned back around, but not before he noticed her blushing profusely. She could hear the laughter in his voice when he spoke.

"Why don't I let you get changed and I'll meet you back down there?" he asked. Raven heard him fiddling with the clothing she had thrown haphazardly on the floor. She wrapped herself in the sheet as she tucked her legs under her, unprepared for the cold air of the room. When she snuck a glance again, Beast Boy was just shrugging on his jacket and straightening his tie. Raven smiled as she watched him fiddle with it.

In a bold move of confidence, she let the sheet fall off of her as she stood and strode over to Beast Boy, reaching up and tentatively giving him a soft kiss. "I'll see you in the common room."

"See you in the common room," he breathed, shaking his head and giving her one last kiss.

She folded her arms across her chest as he slipped through the door, grinning like an idiot while he held his dress shoes.

She stayed that way for a moment before she reluctantly moved into action.

She put her undergarments back on before shimmying into her abandoned dress. She walked around the room, tidying things up while looking for her shoes. When the floor was clean and her feet were in their heels, she set about making the bed. It was sacred space now, and she treated it as such, carefully smoothing the comforter and arranging the pillows.

When it was to her satisfaction she grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen from her desk. The note didn't have to be long and it didn't have to be specific. It just needed the right instructions. Folding it, she bit her lip and debated where to leave it.

Beast Boy's room was a stop on the tour, so she couldn't risk putting it there. But it was meant for him and him alone, which really left one place. Oddly enough, she would leave it in her room. She walked over to her bed and carefully slid it under her pillow.

She took a moment to look in the mirror and verify that she looked suspicious. She tried to soothe her curls as best she could and rubbed at her face to smooth her makeup. She didn't think it helped much, but she looked vaguely passable. She gave one final glance at her bed before moving towards the door.

Please, God, let him find it.

Robin sat in the evidence room, as his room was otherwise occupied by whatever tour group Cyborg had in there. They better not touch anything, he thought, not entirely trusting Cyborg's repeated promises. He had his laptop open, pouring over the files Bruce had sent him. There wasn't much, but it was still more than he had.

The Church of Blood was, unfortunately, very real. An ancient organization, it was created to worship Trigon and help facilitate his arrival to Earth. Well, there's the connection to Raven, he thought bitterly. Raven had told him about them when she first explained her lineage and the prophecy of her birth. She just didn't call them by name. But what does it have to do with Slade? he wondered.

After a little more reading he finally hit the jackpot.

Today, the Church exists as a loose affiliation with highly secretive protocol for meetings. Not much is known about their current agenda, though a few key members have been identified.

He scrolled down until he caught sight of the words Jump City. There was a name there. Anthony Miles. He instantly ran it through his CIA-quality background check.

The man appeared clean. Robin grit his teeth in frustration. There has to be something here, he thought. On a whim he pulled up his financial records.

Everything appeared generally normal, save for two transactions. Two twenty thousand dollar deposits, each from different offshore, untraceable accounts. Robin smirked. Let's just see how untraceable they are.

After almost a half an hour of hacking, Robin had finally extracted a name from the deposit. James Cavill, who seemingly had very little background except for being employed by Jump City as a custodian in City Hall. Robin's brows drew together. Why the hell would a janitor be giving twenty thousand dollars to some Trigon-worshiping psycho? Everything clicked into place.

Cavill was a cover up. The Mayor was the one transferring money. Which meant... she's in league with the Church of Blood. Robin felt his blood go cold. The party was in Raven's honor. Raven was Trigon's daughter. The Mayor was a follower of Trigon.

He didn't know what her plan was, but he knew one thing: he had to get to Raven before it was too late.

Raven once again stood in front of the common room doors, though this time she anticipated a better outcome than the last. Sure enough, when the door slid open no one took much notice. They were all too busy enjoying the party.

The room had changed since she had left it: it was now dark outside and the whole place was lit from the glow of the thousands of tea light candles that hung from the wisteria on the ceiling. It looked beautiful with everything bathed in the soft yellow light.

"Hey." His voice was husky in her ear. She jumped in surprise, turning quickly to face him.

"You scared me."

"Sorry," Beast Boy said quickly. "I've been waiting for you. I need you to help me hide from Cyborg."

Raven smirked. "I wonder why."

Suddenly his ear twitched and his eyes grew wide. "Shit, here he comes!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.

"Raven, may I have this dance?" he asked hastily as he wove them closer to the center of the floor.

"I guess," she stuttered, letting herself be pulled along. Before she knew it she was in his arms, letting him hold her in closed position. She blinked to reorient herself.

"Ready?" he asked with a smile. She nodded, praying she would remember what he had taught her earlier.

Thankfully he was a good lead. She let her body flow with his, matching his movements without much thought. After they were swaying for a while Beast Boy spoke up.

"Okay, the coast is clear. Not that we have to stop dancing," he clarified, tightening his hold on her back. He slowly slid the hand down to rest a little lower than what was standard.

"Garfield," she said reproachfully. He grinned but made no move to raise the offending appendage. She rolled her eyes.

She was suddenly aware that there weren't as many people around her. She looked around to find that the center of the dance floor had cleared out. Everyone was eager to give the birthday girl her space. Raven's cheeks flushed.

"Garfield!" she hissed.

"Fine, fine," he replied, moving his hand a little more north.

"No, not that. Everyone is watching us." He looked up and surveyed the room, noting that everyone had formed a circle around the dance floor, watching them with enjoyment.

"So? Maybe we want an audience."

"Not while I'm dancing! Or trying to," she amended, praying she didn't trip and fall on her face. Here she was, Raven the Titan, completely powerless and dancing in front of these people like it was a show.

"Relax," Beast Boy coaxed. "Just pretend they're not there." Raven tried to take his advice, avoiding eye contact with anyone in their newly-formed audience. But her eyes caught a streak of plum and she was instantly drawn to it.

It was the Mayor. She stood at the periphery of the oblong of space the crowd had given them, watching Raven intently. Their eyes locked and Raven felt her head spin.

She nodded just once.

This was it.

Suddenly it all felt overwhelming, like it was happening too fast. There were people and lights and she was spinning around, held upright by Beast Boy's arms. Her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes darted to the vent in the upper lefthand corner of the room, where she knew the gunman was waiting. She could feel her heart thundering in her chest.

"Raven, is something wrong?" Beast Boy asked, not oblivious to her change in demeanor. Raven shook her head to clear it. She didn't know how long she had. Minutes, more likely seconds. But she knew there was one thing she had to do.

"Gar?"

He looked at her, brows drawn together with concern. "What is it Rae?"

She locked eyes with him, sending him as much warmth as possible. "I love you too."

The sound of gunshots rang through the room.