Raven woke up early the next day, the sun hadn't risen yet but with close eyes she reached out to the other side of the bed. She felt nothing. Her eyes opened wide, and she was confused and afraid.

Where was Damian?

She felt overwhelmed and was close to crying. Her breathing was shallow as she looked around her bedroom. And as she did so, she recalled that Damian was on a mission somewhere and her worry slowly disappeared until she got a full hold of herself.

"But where is Titus?" She mumbled recalling that she had slept with Titus beside her. Maybe Damian did return. She quickly got up on her feet to check the living room, but there was no man with black hair and green eyes in sight. And she sighed with a downcast gaze, her feet were cold against the floor.

She had missed the fact that Titus was at the foot of their bed on the floor. Titus had woken up when Raven stormed out of the bedroom. He nudged her leg with his head and she was surprised as she looked down at him.

"Where were you?" She asked, her lips a little bit blue from the fright of Damian's disappearance. Of course, Titus couldn't respond to her.

"Thanks to you, I had such a good rest." She bent her body a bit to rub his head. "It was like Damian was beside me." She couldn't help but coldly chuckle. That was probably why she reacted that way.

"Hmm, I have a week off- what to do with so much free time." She contemplated as she stared at Titus.

"How about we go for a walk?" She suggested and Titus looked so happy hearing it, she smiled at him. "I'm just going to change then."

Raven changed into a green shirt with black shorts and put on some shoes. She attached a red leash on Titus' red collar and the two went their way.

Raven walked Titus quietly, she did not notice the inappropriate stares of certain individuals as they passed-by. Sometimes Titus would seem rather annoyed and he would start running and she would just follow him. It was a good distraction being dragged around by Titus around Gotham for two hours.

When she prepared Titus' breakfast and then cooked her meal. It was going to be eight in the morning and she couldn't just keep lying around aimlessly in her apartment with Titus. Although Titus was around, she was still uncomfortable with her apartment. Maybe because the space had never been welcoming to her unless Damian was with her.

She frowned, she was probably just so stressed that's why she kept on thinking of negative things. It was a good thing she was given such a long break. She can use the time to unwind. Although, to be fair—hasn't she been trying to unwind for two years?

Nothing seemed to work.

After eating her meal, Raven decided she will go to the gym to vent out. Raven changed into a pair of black leggings, black sports shoes and a white fitted athletic crop top and she tied her hair into a ponytail.

"I'm going to the gym, you behave, okay?" She told Titus who observed her packing a backpack. "I will be back."

This time around Raven took a taxi to her gym. Raven had replaced her extreme fighting sessions as a Titan with boxing. In some way sparring with Damian was one way they could bond after she left the team.

When she got to the gym, she was hitting the punching bag absent-mindedly. When almost an hour passed, she realized her punches became aggressive. She was upset, so very upset.

The past two years felt like a blur. And when it wasn't, all she could feel was unhappiness. And so, she filled that void with mindless things. Hobbies she wanted desperately to like because she desperately wanted to be by his side.

But from her memories of the last two years he was barely with her. Or maybe it was her that wasn't with him. She kicked the sandbag with a fury she hated.

She didn't have the right to be mad.

Raven turned around with crossed arms.

She didn't lie to Catherine and Arthur. She did love Damian and that hasn't changed, but—she looked at her hands with a sad expression.

"Do you need a sparring partner?" A male voice asked from behind her and she turned at him startled.

She recognized the male as a regular in the gym. He too would box here but she normally kept to herself. Due to her anger it was probably the first time, since Damian left, that she didn't assume it was Damian. It came as a relief in some kind of way.

His body build and skin color were almost the same as Damian's, but his hair was brown and wavy and he had olive colored eyes. She was surprised to see the green colored eyes, but it still wasn't the green she fell in love with. It wasn't Damian.

"I'm not sure my boyfriend would appreciate that." She suddenly blurted out; she was even surprised at her own words. She had never brought Damian here because they would spar at the Wayne manor, but it seemed that he was someone that would always be in her mind.

The man looked surprised at the new information but smiled politely.

"It just looked like you had a lot on your mind. And I thought that having a moving sparring partner would do you some good. You seem like you know how to fight." He smiled, and he looked like he was about to turn away. "I don't want to be a bother—"

"Wait! Actually, yeah, I think I need a sparring partner." She quickly decided, thinking that it might do her some good. "I hope you can handle being beaten." She taunted and he laughed in turn.

"Liam." He offered his hand.

"Raven." She responded as she took his hand and they shook hands.

"I pride myself in being a pretty decent fighter." He said as he got into his fighting stance.

"Well, we will see." She replied as she settled in her fighting stance.

Liam was pretty good at fighting but admittedly it was inferior to her spars with Damian. Significantly inferior, so of course she was holding back. But if Liam was fighting an average person, then he was more than sufficient, Raven could see that clearly.

"You weren't kidding, you are really good." Liam said as he wiped some sweat from his face with his towel. And Raven laughed, of course she would be good at fighting, she used to be a Titan, she used to defend earth. Her laughter faded and her lips wavered into a frown.

"It would be great if I could spar with you again." Liam suddenly noticed her change of mood, and she glanced at him.

"I think you're right." She finally said after staring at him for a minute and he nervously laughed.

Liam hesitated for a second and finally said, "Do you want to grab lunch?"

Raven blinked at the offer, she probably shouldn't. But she recalled her empty apartment, and how lonely that had been for the past six months. Well, Titus was there right now.

"Sure." She heard herself whisper softly. She was surprised and Liam looked surprised that she even accepted, she nodded.

"Sure." She said sternly and Liam smiled at her.

"Great! Then let's meet each other after we shower." And Raven nodded absent-mindedly.

This was probably for the best she thought, she did need friends in Gotham. She has been here for six months, but she didn't really have friends outside from the McCoy's—and they were her employer. This is for the best, she tried to convince herself.

She went to the female locker room and took a shower. Even as she showered, she convinced herself that this was for the good. She needed to build a life outside of the Titans, she can't let that past haunt her anymore. She lets the water drops hit her face.

She wondered if Damian would be happy that she made a friend when he returned. He probably won't be happy that her world seems to rotate around him. She should take this step and make friends.

When Raven finished her shower and got out of the locker room, she was surprised to see Liam waiting there on his phone nodding.

"Sorry, did I make you wait?" Raven asked as she neared him.

"Huh? What? No." He replied as he looked confused. "Sorry." He laughed nervously as he put his phone in his pocket.

"There is a small place near here, if you don't want to go far." He offered and Raven nodded. "The food is great, I swear, I normally go there after a session here." He nervously laughed.

"Well then, let's go." Raven suggested.

"You really weren't kidding when you said it was close-by." She laughed when they arrived. It was just a few buildings down the gym. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well, then, I hope you enjoy the food here." He opened the door for her and she went inside the building.

They ordered their meal; Raven got a salad with chicken on the side. And Liam got something heavier as he was on a protein diet.

"I noticed you joined the gym about five months ago?" Liam tried to start a conversation and Raven was surprised at that.

"It has been about five months; wow time moves quite fast." She recalled with a yearning smile. Damian tried to be there for her when she had just moved, but ultimately, he wasn't.

"I know we just met—but you looked awfully sad then." And she was surprised to hear that and she looked at him uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry." He looked down with pressed lips as he busied himself with his food.

"No." She gently spoke and he looked up at her confused. "Everyone seems to keep telling me that." And Liam was startled by her remark and her expression.

"Then maybe it is true." His voice was gentle as his spine straightened and he looked at her directly in the eyes. She couldn't help but avoid his gaze, she didn't need everyone to tell her what she knew long ago. But maybe this was a way for the world to tell her to stop ignoring it.

"Then, I hope we can be friends. I really do need friends in Gotham." She offered half-heartedly and he nodded.

"I think that would do you some good." The way he said it with undeniable certainty, made Raven long for Damian. He was the one who was supposed to comfort her.

When the two finished their lunch, Liam had offered to exchange numbers, especially when he found out that she had not seen much of Gotham at all in the past months.

"My phone broke—and this isn't an excuse. But I really want to buy a phone with my boyfriend and he isn't here yet. So, I'm just waiting on him." Raven tried to explain.

"You must really love him." He said, and she looked at him with gentle eyes that showed her sadness.

"Yes." She said in a wistful manner, as she looked at him. "I really do."

And looking at Raven, Liam had no doubts. He smiled ruefully as he nodded and took a piece of tissue.

"Here, let me right down my number. Call me or text me if you're interested in hanging out." He said, grabbing a pen in his bag and writing on the tissue. "If you just need company—a friend. I would love to show you around the city." Raven nodded solemnly at the offer.

"Thank you." She said genuinely. Maybe meeting a friend would really do her some good.

"Can I have your phone? Let me add myself in your socials, and then we can chat through the web when I'm on my laptop. I think my boyfriend should arrive anytime this week." Raven said, and he gave his phone as she added herself in a couple of social media platforms. Damian had helped her make a decent digital track and made a believable civilian identity, even though she had never used any of the apps before she left the team.

"Alright, if you ever need anything. You know how to reach me." He said when they both stepped out of the restaurant. They had decided that they would go their separate ways once they leave.

"Alright, thank you!" Raven replied, and they walked opposite ways. Raven quietly and slowly walked back to her apartment building. She was excited and yet scared of making a new friend. She wondered if Damian would be jealous because her new found friend was a male and if she did the right thing or would he be happy that she has gained a friend in Gotham.

She chewed her lips and she contemplated her choice, the tissue with Liam's number feeling quite heavy inside her pocket. Maybe she shouldn't. She didn't feel like she deserved it.

Eventually Raven reached the entrance of her building complex and her mind suddenly calmed down.

If Damian was still not there when she opened the door to her apartment then she would go and meet Jon. She might as well, she will end up spending time with a friend and she can share her joy over making a new friend. It will be refreshing sharing a joyful memory with someone who is willing to listen and be there with her.

When Raven went into the elevator to reach her floor, her heart was beating loud in her chest. She could feel it in her stomach, that when she opened her door he would not be there. When Raven stood in front of her front door and rested her hand on the cold door knob, she felt that this scene was familiar. And when she unlocked the door, she could already feel that he wasn't there.

The door was fully opened now, and there was no Damian Wayne, still.

"Bark!" Raven inhaled sharply and she looked down to see Titus that looked worried.

"Hey, I'm gonna go and meet up with Jon." She patted Titus with a tight smile on her lips and then inhaled deeply.

"Today, I will make a difference." Raven murmured under her breath as she walked into her bedroom, no one else but her there. She walked up to her laptop and turned it on.

Raven: Jon, my schedule freed up, is it okay if I meet you at the lake in the Metropolis park at 12nn?

Jon: Alright, will see you there then.

It was an instant reply. Raven couldn't help but wonder if he had kept his phone near, waiting for her text. And with pursed lips she thought of her boyfriend that she couldn't reach on a regular basis, yet she knew she couldn't blame him.

Raven was sure that there were times that Jon couldn't even be reached, but if there was such a case she couldn't quite recall. Perhaps it was because Damian weighed heavier in her heart, so any small transgression from him would seem five times bigger than what was the actuality.

Raven loves him, there was no doubt in that.

When she checked the time in her laptop she noticed it was almost ten-thirty in the morning.

Raven: I hope you don't mind helping me buy a phone.

She typed and sent it to Jon with a sigh.

Jon: Of course not. See you.

She replied with a simple 'see you', and turned her laptop off. She sat on Damian's desk with a sigh. She ran her hand across his table, recalling the nights when he was with her, on this desk doing work and she still couldn't blame him. His attention was widely divided because he was a hero and he protects the world.

He abhorred it, she chuckled at the memory. He hated working when he was with her because there was only so much time he could spend with her. And for a moment Raven didn't doubt his love, but that memory was quickly replaced with all the time she had to wait for him and a tear slipped down her cheek.

Why can't she hold onto their happy memories together? She sighed aloud into her palms.

After a few minutes, Raven collected her bearings and prepared to meet Jon. She had decided she was going early because she couldn't stand being in her apartment. She had on a white shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. She walked to her closet and grabbed a light brown coat that stopped mid thigh and she put on her comfy high heeled black boots and then next her make up and finally her jewelry.

When she was finished she checked the time and twelve noon was still over more than an hour away.

Raven walked out of her room and refilled Titus bowls.

"I'm going out, Titus." She said as she finished refilling his water bowl. "Are you just gonna stay here? Or should I bring you to Wayne Manor?" She laughed at his notable growl when she said Wayne Manor. She bent down and placed a kiss on his head.

"Alright, no one is going to Wayne Manor." And he rubbed his head against her neck and she smiled at his show of affection. She stood up and got her sling bag, checked that her wallet had money and the cards Damian got for her were in it and her keys.

She felt Titus rubbing against her legs, she giggled, "I will be safe, Titus." She bent down to kiss him again and then walked to the door. She turned her head, her violet eyes glanced at the space, and she recalled the first day she went to this apartment, she was with Damian as they surveyed the place.

A faint smile as she sharply inhaled the air, even his scent was not left in the room. Perhaps an indication that he was not in here long enough to leave his scent. Even though the products he brought here were stuff he had already been using prior to the move, maybe that was to make it look like he was always here. She shook her head to get rid of the negative thought.

"I want this with you." She remembered what she told Damian that time, and it was true then and still is now. If he came back while she was out he had to know where she would be, she went and found a notepad below her coffee table and wrote a note.

I went to Metropolis to meet Jon, I broke my phone and he's going to help me buy a new one and to catch up.

Maybe he won't even return today, but if he did at least he'd know where he was. She missed him a lot, and loved him so much, but she often wondered if this was what was really best for them too. She touched her earrings, if he does come back, he could track her with them.

After writing the note she turned around towards the door. She held the door knob and opened it. She turned around to close the door as she saw her apartment disappear through the slit.

She still wanted this with him, but she also knew it wasn't what she needed. She locked her door and the click made her squeeze her eyes shut. She turned on her heel and left the building quietly and appeared to walk aimlessly and then went to an empty alleyway and disappeared.

~.~.~.~.~

It was still eleven and Raven quietly sat at a bench facing the lake at the park in Metropolis. She came earlier because she didn't want to wait for Jon in her apartment- even when Titus was there. There was only so much comfort Titus could bring her. She absentmindedly gazed at the waters of the lake thinking of what had already passed.

"Raven!" She suddenly heard Jon's voice and she turned on her seat surprised to see her long time friend jogging towards her with a smile and waving to her.

"Why are you here?" She asked as she stood up surprised.

"I knew you'd come earlier." He said standing in front of her and he noticed how her eyes turned gloomy for a bit.

"Still no news?" Jon inquired about Damian's whereabouts, and Raven replied with a small shake of her head.

"No." She heard herself softly whisper.

"Well, as Damian's best friend and your best friend, I will be biased and take care of you with even more extra care!" Jon tried to lighten up the mood, knowing fully well that Raven would still refuse to tell him anything if he asked. "So, where do you want to go?" He asked as he offered Raven his arm, she smiled at him with glee as she locked her arm with his.

"Anywhere." Raven replied as she leaned her head on Jon's shoulder with squeezed eyes. Jon knew that she wished it was Damian she was with, he knew she wished that she could go anywhere with Damian. And there was guilt and pity that settled in Jon's chest, but he had to be cautious with how he talked to her, or else she might leave.

"Alright let's go have lunch first." Jon said as he led Raven.

Jon brought Raven to a nice restaurant in Metropolis, and Raven stared at him laughing as they sat across from one another.

"Oh, what a fancy place, I think Damian has really rubbed himself on you!" Raven said playfully poking Jon who chuckled.

"Well, I admit, he taught me to splurge a little." Jon said with a smile and Raven smiled back showing her teeth, she felt warmth in her chest after a long time.

"He did the same for me." Her smile became that of longing.

"Raven," Jon began and hesitated, his eyes darting about as she looked up at him. "I know, I have said this before, but I do hope you talked to Damian about your problem. Whatever it is, I am sure you two can fix it together."

Raven looked down and sighed, "I think I will." A small sad smile on her lips. Jon pressed his lips in turn and did not force her. He had urged her for years to at least tell Damian her problems if not him. Of course it should be Damian who knows her worries first. But Raven had kept to herself since her father's passing, even more withdrawn than normal, until that bec